Milwaukee Weather
MPS Teachers and Staff Protest LayoffsBy Aaron Diamant and Tim LethleanMILWAUKEE - Dozens of teachers hit the streets to protest layoffs and bigger class sizes in Milwaukee Public Schools this fall. Teachers, staffers, and supporters marched a mile-long route on Friday that ended at the district's central office. According to rally organizer Judy Gundry, their message is simple, "Our children need to have quality educators in front of them." Joseph Brusky teaches in the district and agrees the cutbacks will impact the quality of education in MPS. "Ultimately, a lot of these decisions are not in our hands. As much as we feel there's not much we can do, we want to try to do what we can," said Brusky. At the district's offices, new MPS Superintendent Gregory Thornton sympathized with the teachers' concerns. Thornton told the crowd, "The classroom is where the rubber meets the road, and we realize the role the teachers play, and we're of the belief that the more teachers we have in classrooms, the better we're able to address the more challenging needs and basically support our young people." Still, those attending the rally worried that some classrooms could be packed with as many as 50 students when school starts in the fall. MPS has already recalled almost 90 teachers back from layoff. However, it's unlikely there will be another mass call-back.
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