Milwaukee Area Technical College facing ongoing critical administrative concerns by the MATC faculty, triggered by the current 2026 MATC deficit reported at $2.8M (has doubled since 2023 under Dr. Cruz), including MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz's letter dated May 21, 2026, confirming that in June the technical college will begin to implement "a limited number of position eliminations" (employee layoffs), inevitably creating an employment crisis at MATC.
By H. Nelson Goodson Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
May 21, 2026
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Thursday, Dr. Anthony Cruz, the President of the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) in a letter to MATC employees announced upcoming layoffs, job position eliminations and the restructuring of various departments. (See attached letter images)
The lax leadership of President Dr. Cruz and the MATC Board of Trustees alleged unwillingness to hold Dr. Cruz accountable has definitely led to a double deficit of $2.8M in 2026, in less then two years, while in 2023 under prior MATC President Vickie J. Martin, the technical college deficit was at $1.1M.
Also, the ongoing internal proliferation of a hostile work environment, which continues to be practiced today by the Cruz administration at MATC, including the elimination of the Office of Multicultural Student Services and the recent issues raised in regards to the gutting of the ESL, GED, 5.9/HSED programs, including MATC's teaching structure that has evolved into a technical and skilled learning curriculum provided by part-time instructors, who are not promoted as full-time instructors has definitely affected employee moral. The elimination of any credible Multicultural Student Services at MATC has also affected student recruitment, which a administration report to the MATC Board showed inflated student enrollment stats, when in fact enrollment had dropped.
The inept MATC Board of Trustees have yet to implement any credible reforms to restore any efficiency at the college.
Under MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz leadership:
• The union was reportedly notified approximately one week ago that layoffs involving faculty and paraprofessional staff were coming through the viability process. Employees are now learning that additional eliminations may soon occur, according to Carlos Aranda, a MATC Counselor. Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BnWgNifAp/
• ESL, GED, 5.09/HSED programs are becoming less effective programs due to administrative gutting the programs due to deficit constraints. The 5 on 9 program is not failing, it's been allowed to fall apart by the MATC administration in Milwauke, Wisconsin.
• Students are to often left out of the decision making that's going to impact their education.
• Lack of collaboration between MATC administration and instructors reported at the recent MATC Board of Trustees meeting.
• MATC deficit under MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz more than doubled from previous predecessor (former MATC President Vickie J. Martin) in 2023 with $1.1M to today under Dr. Cruz at $2.8M in 2026 to an expected deficit of $2.5M in fiscal year 2027.
• Elimination of the Office of Multicultural Student Services, and unjustly terminating 4 student services specialists affecting Latino/Hispanic, African-American, Asian-American and Native-American students including communities without their imput, in order to comply with Trump's illegal and unconstitutional executive order eliminating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) race related programs, which multiple federal courts have ruled it was unconstitutional.
• MATC facing multiple employees discrimination complaints with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Equal Rights Division.
• MATC administration under Dr. Cruz has proliferated its hostile work environment including the practice of harassment, discrimination and retaliation against employees and instructors that file complaints or just complain.
• MATC cutting employee wages, but are being forced to work more without wage compensation.
• MATC has an all White male administration who are paid excessive wages, for example, Dr. Cruz gets $285,000 in salary per year with extras perks, eventhough, he has more than doubled the MATC deficit, since 2024.
• MATC President Cruz has ignored the communities of color demands to restore the Office of Multicultural Student Services, and has also failed to provide any particular reason why he continues to ignore the communities of color requests who actually pay his salary.
• MATC Human Resources led by Laquitha “Elle” Bonds-Jones, the Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer under Dr. Cruz cut part-time employees hourly wages without their knowledge and also reduced their sick leave pay. Part-time employees had to be compensated back pay wages and earned sick leave fully pay restored. Also, Bonds-Jones was eventually caught altering MATC policies without the knowledge of the MATC Board of Trustees or the MATC Local 212 union. Dr. Cruz has declined to terminate Bonds-Jones for her alleged misdeeds at the technical college.
• Student enrollment stats intentionally inflated, despite student enrollment decline between 2025 to 2026, according to discovery made by MATC Board of Trustees who learned that misinformation was being provided to them at the April 28, 2026 Board meeting. Presentation by Phillip King, the Executive Vice-President and Provost showed an enrollment decline from 2025 to 2026, but enrollment stats were inaccurately inflated, which multiple MATC Board members criticized Phillip for providing inaccurate student enrollment stats. (MATC Board meeting video time at 2:20:00 minute to 2:50:00 minutes stamp)
• MATC Board of Trustees meeting for Tuesday, April 28, 2026, the first 42 minutes of the meeting were public comments by 11 instructors, students and the MATC Local 212 union regarding their concerns and issues they are facing at MATC under Dr. Cruz's administration, at link: https://www.youtube.com/live/--C91QsctXM
• In less than 2 years at MATC, Dr. Cruz has continuously shown lack of leadership including his lack of ability to resolve major plaguing issues at the technical college, which so far, the inept Board of Trustees have failed to take any action to hold Dr. Cruz accountable.
MATC District Board Meeting: Faculty Raise Serious Concerns — AFT Local 212 https://share.google/ZW1kqIaJGjDePQuIx
Dr. Cruz Must Go!
Protests at MATC: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1JbKnLLzAh/
Full HNNUSA article: https://tinyurl.com/zy8jz5k5
No comments:
Post a Comment