Milwaukee Public Colleges nonetheless making an attempt to recoup funds from nonprofit

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Greater than a yr after ending its decade-long affiliation with the Milwaukee Schooling Partnership, Milwaukee Public Colleges continues to be making an attempt to recoup cash from the group for work it by no means carried out. 

MPS despatched an bill to Milwaukee Schooling Partnership on Dec. 19, 2023, for $64,170. The district despatched 4 follow-up invoices to the group earlier than turning the matter over to Kohn Regulation Agency in Might 2024, in keeping with data obtained by WPR. 

The college district continues to be awaiting fee from the now-defunct group, which was led by Gerard Randall, a prime Wisconsin GOP official who helped safe the Republican Nationwide Conference for Milwaukee.

Randall didn’t reply to requests for remark from WPR. 

College board member Missy Zombor mentioned the cash Randall owes to MPS could possibly be used to serve college students. 

“That’s probably an educator in entrance of a pupil,” Zombor mentioned. “I imply, $64,000 shouldn’t be a small amount of cash, so not having the ability to recoup these funds impacts college students straight.” 

MPS ended its relationship with Randall after reporting by WPR in collaboration with Wisconsin Watch introduced the questionable historical past of his nonprofit to mild.

Throughout its relationship with MPS, Milwaukee Schooling Partnership obtained practically $1.3 million in no-bid district contracts, promising to enhance pupil achievement within the district. 

In 2022, the partnership obtained $64,170. That cash was for the group’s Milwaukee Connects program, which goals to “improve the pipeline of graduates from Milwaukee to Traditionally Black Schools and Universities,” in keeping with the contract.

The contract required the partnership to offer 10 graduating MPS college students with semester-long paid internships to incorporate skilled mentoring, housing and transportation between Oct. 1, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023.

In an e-mail alternate final yr with WPR,  Randall mentioned “a cohort is being developed for the semester starting January 2024.”

He wouldn’t reply additional questions.

The scholars had been by no means supplied mentoring or internships, however Randall did obtain the fee, in keeping with paperwork obtained by WPR. 

Milwaukee Schooling Partnership was additionally itemizing a number of high-profile officers in tax filings as board officers with out their data. 

They included Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly, former Milwaukee Public Colleges Superintendent Keith Posley, former Milwaukee Space Technical Faculty President Vicki Martin and College of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone.

Regardless of the controversy, Randall  continues to serve on quite a lot of high-profile boards, together with the Wisconsin GOP, UW-Madison’s Tommy G. Thompson Middle on Public Management and Go to Milwaukee. 

After being elected to the MPS board in 2023, Zombor started inspecting numerous MPS no-bid contracts. When she visited the Milwaukee Schooling Partnership web site, she discovered it featured years-old monetary stories and listed names of individuals not related to the group.

Zombor started asking questions, which in the end led to Posley suspending the district’s relationship with Milwaukee Schooling Partnership in November 2023.

Zombor says she would love MPS to discover its choices for awarding contracts.

“It looks like this contract was probably for a fictitious nonprofit,” Zombor mentioned.  “Now we have to belief that when distributors or companions come to MPS that they’re being sincere concerning the providers they supply. However I feel we’ve got to proceed to reinforce the accountability of the procurement course of in order that we are able to safeguard public cash.”

This story was initially revealed by WPR.