Milwaukee Public Schools on Friday said it had reached an agreement with the city of Milwaukee that would “facilitate” the return of police officers to city schools — a claim refuted by the city.
MPS’ announcement said, “This week, MPD and MPS agreed upon the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)” for the SRO program and the district “is ready to implement a School Resource Officer (SRO) program as soon as officers are available.”
Milwaukee City Attorney Evan Goyke took issue with MPS’ assertion the deal had been agreed to.
“While we have made meaningful progress, there remain outstanding and unresolved issues, and there is no completed agreement at this time. It is our hope and commitment that an agreement is reached as soon as possible,” Goyke said.
The district is facing pressure to comply with the state law, which required it to put police in schools beginning in January.
At issue between the two sides may be how, exactly, the officers will be paid for.
In an email to the Journal Sentinel, an MPS spokesperson confirmed the agreement in question does not include details about who will finance the requirements of Act 12 .