Opposition To Governor And Mayoral Takeover Of MPS Grows

Major budget deficits plaguing City of Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin

By H. Nelson Goodson
August 31, 2009
Updated: September 1, 2009

Milwaukee -Governor Jim Doyle and Mayor Tom Barrett along with the common council president held a press conference on Monday at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to push for mayoral control of the Milwaukee Public School District (MPS). Their reasoning for the takeover was not motivated by any personal issue with any MPS board member, but that they just think a new approach is needed.
Both the mayor and the governor offered no further details about any proposed plan to reform MPS. The governor is applying for part of the $4.3 billion in federal school grants for public schools in Wisconsin, and the Obama administration needs to know the state is focusing on serious education reform.

At the press conference, MPS Board President Dr. Michael Bonds was present and disagreed with the governor and the mayor. He doesn't believe their approach would benefit the students in the long run. "I'm just here to find out some specifics and see what they could do different than the current board is doing," Bonds said.
To date, the mayor has no specific plan, but is working with legislators to draft one, and expect to debate the issue when they reconvene on September 15th, according to supporters of the mayor at the conference.
The supporters included several Latino administrators from a couple of community based organizations. Attending the press conference were Enrique Figueroa, Lupe Martinez, Ricardo Diaz, Maria Monreal-Cameron, José F. Vásquez, and Darryl Morin.
Doyle and Barrett want to tap into the proposed stimulus federal money geared for public education programs. Taxpayers are opposing the takeover and are focusing on the current budget deficits the City of Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin are facing in the next year or so. The State of Wisconsin is facing a $5.4 Billion by 2011, and the City of Milwaukee is facing a $90 million deficit by 2010. Mayor Barrett and Governor Doyle have not come close to balancing their own budget deficits and now they want to tackle the MPS budget and educational curriculum.
Apparently, the mayor's supporters who were at the conference are just trying to benefit from the projected educational stimulus package, according to opponents of the mayoral takeover. But, supporters and opponents do agree that getting part of the billions in federal school grants is "the key political factor for the mayoral takeover, instead of developing a curriculum that aims to provide an educational opportunity for students to succeed academically by enrolling in college bound courses, in order to compete for future jobs."
The MPS Board voted last week to set aside $250,000 to cover lawyer fees just in case the mayoral takeover ends up with a legal challenge.
For example, the Chicago mayoral takeover of public schools provided a grim change, but was contributed to the actual changes in the tests. A study conducted by the Commercial Club of Chicago found that academic gains made by elementary students in the mayor-controlled Chicago Public Schools “appear to be due to changes in the tests made by the Illinois State Board of Education, rather than real improvements in student learning.” The study called the performance of Chicago’s high schools “abysmal.”
In another city, Detroit voters gave control back to the school board after the mayoral takeover when test scores remained the same. In Boston, some improvement resulted in math and reading scores after mayoral control, but opponents have questioned the methods used in collecting data. Opponents say, studies have shown that in most cities where mayoral control of public schools have occurred, parents usually have less input in deciding how the schools are run.
“I know that something has to be done about MPS, but a takover? I’m curious what happens when MPS falls short. Will they (mayor and governor) give furloughs to the teachers and close down for a day or two?,” Victor Huyke, Publisher of El Conquistador Newspaper said.
Last week Wednesday, Milwaukee Alderman Anthony Zielinski who opposes the takeover said, what’s at stake is "the fundamental right to vote. Governor Doyle and Mayor Barrett proposed that the School Board of Directors be disbanded in favor of a body appointed by the mayor. I am fighting 100 percent against this antidemocratic measure. To that end, Common Council legislation is being drafted to formalize this opposition."
Zielinski has challenged Mayor Barrett for a public debate on the MPS takeover, but the mayor has refused. Zielinski (Dem.) filed recently as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor.
Congresswoman Gwen Moore issued a statement decrying the takeover. "We will not rectify the challenges facing MPS unless we talk about poverty, teen pregnancy and the perverted policy initiatives that have exacerbated this problem for our city’s public schools. MPS is working with a flawed state funding formula that sends our public dollars to private schools outside of the city. … I fully believe that the governor and the mayor have the best intentions for MPS; however, I have yet to hear a credible explanation of how these difficult challenges get fixed by simply changing the way that our school board is chosen," Moore wrote.
The local Milwaukee chapter of the NAACP has publicly opposed the mayoral takeover. "The proposed takeover will have the effect of disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of voters," NAACP Milwaukee Chapter President Jerry Hamilton said.
"We are opposed to mayoral control of our schools. We think the best model is a strong school board selecting a very vibrant and energetic new superintendent...We believe school reform works best when the educators in the classroom as well as the community is involved in shaping that reform," Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association President Mike Langyel said.
Last week, State Rep. Polly Williams said the mayor, governor, director of public instruction and others are trying to oust Dr. Michael Bonds an African-American school board president, who oversees a school district that is 57 percent African-American.
The MPS Board recently created the Department of Accountability to have oversight of their expenditures and costs . "We have put together a plan that will provide unprecedented fiscal and program accountability," Bonds said. The mayor and governor have yet to offer an alternative, Bonds added.

DeBraska, Former Police Union President Convicted Of Forgery And Identity Theft

By H. Nelson Goodson
August 29, 2009

Milwaukee - On Friday, August 28th, a jury found Bradley DeBraska, 53, former Milwaukee Police Association President guilty on two felony counts, one count of forgery and one count of identity theft. He is now facing up to 12 years in prison, and up to $20,000 in fines.
Assistant District Attorney Kurt Benkley will now ask Circuit Judge Richard Sankovitz to revoke DeBraska's signature bond and incarcerate DeBraska until sentencing. He is facing a substantial time in prison, according to Benkley. Debraska is expected back in court next Friday, September 4th to learn his scheduled sentencing date.
DeBraska retired in 2005 from the Milwaukee Police Department. He was once considered an influential figure within the ranks of the Milwaukee Police Department. He was a police officer for 27 years, including 17 as union president.
The criminal complaint stated that DeBraska ordered his union secretary Candy Johnson in July 2004 to fabricate a memo he dictated word by word pretending to be a 1999 memo from former Common Council President John Kalwitz to city labor negotiator Frank Forbes. Johnson testified that DeBraska had told her to “take this to the grave.”
Kalwitz during trial testified he did not write or signed the memo. “Potentially millions in public money was affected by this document. This is serious business,” said John Chisholm, Milwaukee County District Attorney.
The city wanted to used money from a pension fund, but the police union challenged their attempt to used more then $2 million to $3 million from the pension fund to upgrade pension computers. The city said it did not have a cap on spending, but DeBraska fabricated a memo saying that Kalwitz had agreed to a cap with “the ceiling of 3 million for ERS computer costs.”

Editorial: Vote No! To Mayor Barrett and Governor Doyle's Take Over Of MPS

By H. Nelson Goodson
Taxpayer
August 28, 2009

Milwaukee, WI -Governor Jim Doyle and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett are proposing to take over the Milwaukee Public School District (MPS) from the public's right to elect who will represent them and to administrate the MPS educational system. Both the City of Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin should let the elected MPS Board do their job and provide them with the financial, political, and support needed to ensure students are well educated and prepared for college, universities, technical colleges and skilled jobs.
Taxpayers should not allow a take over by either Mayor Barrett or Governor Doyle. They haven't even offered a proposal to replace the current MPS curriculum, and balance the existing financial dilemma. They can't even manage to balance their own city and state budget deficits.
The MPS Board is proposing more oversight of their expenditures and costs. The mayor and governor have yet to offer an alternative.
The State of Wisconsin is facing a $5.4 Billion by 2011, and the City of Milwaukee is facing a $90 million deficit by 2010. Mayor Barrett and Governor Doyle have not come close to balancing their own budget deficits and now they want to tackle the MPS budget and educational curriculum.
Let's give the MPS Board a chance to fix their own issues and deficit, because they were elected to administrate MPS by Taxpayers.

Hernández Coronada Miss Mexican Fiesta 2009

Mexican Fiesta y Hispanic Scholarship Foundation, Inc. espera comenzar a mudarse a su nuevo local en el lado Sur.

Por H. Nelson Goodson
27 de agosto de 2009

Milwaukee —Erica Hernández, 19, de Milwaukee, fue corondada Miss Mexican Fiesta 2009 el pasado viernes durante Mexican Fiesta en el Henry Maier Festival Park frente al lago en los terrenos del Summerfest. Hernández es una estudiante de la Universidad de Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Sus padres son de Zacatecas, Mexico. Erica es la segunda persona de la familia Hernández en ser coronada Miss Mexican fiesta. Ella fue una de las catorce concursantes quienes participaron en el desfile. Su hermana Janet Isabel Hernández fue coronada Miss Mexican Fiesta en el 2000.

Deana Marie Velázquez, 19, fue elegida como la primera finalista para Miss Mexican Fiesta 2009. Velázquez asiste al colegio de Alverno en Milwaukee.
Fue un fin de semana frío, pero los asistentes al festival fueron al festival frente al lago para disfrutar una variedad de comidas de diferentes regiones de Mexico, incluyendo comida Puertorriqueña, bandas musicales tales como Grupos de Mariachis, Bandas Tejanas, Bandas Duranguenses, bailarines folklóricos, la Gran Charreada, la cual enriquece la cultura Mexicana a provee el sabor de Mexico en Wisconsin.

Uno de los sitios preferidos para comer enchiladas fue la cabina Enchiladas Michoacanas, y Gorditas rellenas fueron servidas cerca del escenarion en el patio posterior (El Rey-Nissan) en el margen sur de los terrenos del festival.
El festival de agosto 21-23 tuvo un número de locales favoritos tales como la Villa Cultural presentando artesanía de la ciudad de Zapopan, Jalisco, México y su religiosa Dama de Zapopan, incluyendo Artesanias Sol y Luna de Teotihuacan, del Estado de México. Teotihuacan es conocida como la Ciudad de los Dioses con varias pirámides y se estima que la civilización teotihuacana con 100.000 habitantes existió entre el año 200 a.C. y 800 d.C. en el período Clásico.

En la Villa Cultural el pasado domingo 23 de agosto, una bailarina del Grupo De Danza Autóctona Xaliztli auspiciado por el Gobierno de la Ciudad de Zapopan dio un raro baño de humo de incienso alrededor del cuerpo de personas dispuestas a donar un dólar para recibir la bendición de la buena suerte de los bailarines de Xaliztli, mientras amigos, familiares y otros presentes tomaron fotografías.

El Güero y su Banda Centenario atrajeron a fanáticos locales debido a las raíces en Milwaukee del cantante principal. Jorge “El Güero” Hernández puede que sea el artista regional mejor conocido con raíces en Milwaukee. Rubén Ramos, Veneno (Merengue Band), Jaime y los Chamacos. Liberty Band, Tiranos del Norte, El Coyote y su Banda Tierra Santa, Isabela y su Banda Duranguense, La Sonora Internacional, Banda Cuisillos, Mingo Saldivar, y el Latin Dance Productions ofreciendo clases de “Salsa” por la Maestra Christine Almeida y amigos fueron algunas de las atracciones.

El evento de este año fue reconocida por sus asistentes como una de las mejores festividades culturales de Mexican Fiesta en el Summerfest en sus 32 años de existencia.
El Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation (WHSF), 1220 W. Windlake Ave., los cuales manejan y operan Mexican Fiesta, espera comenzar a mudarse a otro local en el Lado Sur el lunes.

WHSF planea estar en el local de Windlake hasta el final de Septiembre. WHSF va a mover todo el equipo de Mexican Fiesta, materiales relacionados con el festival y artículos relacionados con la oficina a su nuevo local en el 2997 S. Calle 20. La propiedad adquirida tiene dos acres de terreno para expansiones futuras. La nueva facilidad va a acomodar espacio de oficinas más grandes, una vez la construcción planeada dentro del edificio sea completada.

Artesanias Sol y Luna de Teotihuacan, del Estado de México

Fotos de Miss Mexican Fiesta 2009 por: PHOTO ACTION USA/Cy White
Click en la fotos para hacerlas grande.

Unconscious Soldier Left On The Road For Three Hours In Severe Heat

18-year-old Army recruit fell from moving truck while being transported after collapsing from heat

By H. Nelson Goodson
August 26, 2009

Milwaukee – Private Jonathan Morales, 18, of Milwaukee, an Army recruit was in his tenth week of basic group training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina when he died of complications resulting from a heat stroke, according to Gary Watts, Richland County Coroner. Watts reported last week, Morales had collapsed during an eight-mile march portion of the Army physical fitness exercise and was put behind an Army truck to transport him back to the base.
The commanding officer had noticed Morales becoming unsteady on his feet and had him placed in back of a truck, while the rest of the group continued their exercise. Various trucks were following the group and Morales was placed in the last truck without anyone to assist him. The truck driver followed the rest of the trucks, while Morales lay unconscious in the back.
“At some point in time from that point when he was put in to when they actually completed the march, they noticed that he was no longer in the back of the truck, and he suffered a head injury. However, we believe the precipitating events would be related to heat exertion or heat stroke. His body temperature, approximately an hour after he'd been admitted to Palmetto Health Richland Memorial Hospital and had been placed at some point in time under a cooling blanket, was in excess of 106 degrees,” Watts said, but he ruled that heat stroke was the caused of death.
However, there are conflicting reports of who actually found Morales on the road. The army reported that when they discover him missing they went back and found him a quarter, half of a mile from where they had finished up on the roadway. The Morales family were told that a civilian had found Pvt. Morales unconscious on the road and called 911.
Family members say, Army investigators and his commanding officer had said that Morales at some point during transport had fallen off the truck, but no one or the driver of the truck had noticed he was missing. Morales fell on the road and apparently hit his head and remained on the road for more than three hours until a civilian found him and called 911. He was taken to a near by hospital in Columbia, S.C., which is next to the base. The Morales family is expected to seek an inquiry into the death of their son.
The incident occurred at about 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 18, and Morales was found shortly after 1:30 p.m., when the heat index was about 92 Fahrenheit, with dew point at 72 Fahrenheit, and a maximum of humidity at 94 percent, according to weather tabular data for Columbia, South Carolina.
His commanding officer and other Army personnel were later notified Morales was transported to a civilian hospital for treatment, but by then it was to late to save him. Morales died last Wednesday shortly after 4 a.m., according to Watts.
Morales graduated from Pius XI High School in 2009, and shortly after enlisted in the Army.
The US Army Criminal Investigation Division and Fort Jackson's internal Ground Accident Investigation Board are investigating the incident. The death is the first in basic training at the fort this year following three in 2008, said Pat Jones, fort spokesman. The Army and Fort Jackson consider the incident a fatal army training accident, Jones added.
In 2008, three recruits died within a month. Pvt. Andrea Rosser, 21, of Raleigh, NC, died in October 25, while taking the Army Physical Fitness Test. Pvt. Dominique Brooks, 19, of Houston, died Sept. 25 after having a seizure on her barracks floor, and Pvt. Derryl Britt, 20, of Durham, N.C., died Sept. 27 when he was taken off life support after surgery to repair a brain hemorrhage.
In the last six years, 22 soldiers have died while assigned to the Army’s five basic combat training centers. Of the eight deaths that occurred on duty, five were related to physical training or heat casualties, according to Fort Jackson’s investigative records.
On Wednesday, family, fellow soldiers, his commanding officer, and friends at the Suminski Family Funeral Home, 1901 N. Farwell Ave., remembered Morales. Morales is the beloved son of Marisol Desarden and Sebastian Morales. His sister Odalysse A. Morales, and brothers Sebastian Morales, Jr. and Jayson Morales survive him.
Burial Services at 12:00 noon on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, at Wisconsin Memorial Park, 13235 W. Capitol Dr., Brookfield, WI.

Hernández Crowned Miss Mexican Fiesta 2009

Mexican Fiesta and the Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation, Inc. expected to move to a new South side location

By H. Nelson Goodson
August 24, 2009

Milwaukee –Erica Hernández, 19, of Milwaukee was crowned Miss Mexican Fiesta 2009 on Friday during Mexican Fiesta at the Henry Maier Festival Park lakefront Summerfest grounds. Hernández is a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her parents are from Zacatecas, Mexico. Erica is the second Hernández family member to be crowned Miss Mexican Fiesta. She was one of fourteen contestants who participated in the pageant. Her sister Janet Isabel Hernández was crowned Miss Mexican Fiesta in 2000.
Deana Marie Velázquez, 19, was selected as the 1st runner-up for Miss Mexican Fiesta 2009. Velázquez attends Alverno College in Milwaukee.

It was a chilly weekend, but festivalgoers made their way to the lakefront festival to enjoy a variety of foods from different regions of Mexico, including Puerto Rican food, musical bands such as mariachi groups, Tejano bands, Duranguense bands, Folkloric dancers, and the Gran Charreada (Mexican Rodeo), which enriches the Mexican culture and provides taste of Mexico in Wisconsin.
One of the favorites places to eat enchiladas was the booth where Enchiladas Michoacanas, and stuff gorditas were being served near the Back Yard (El Rey-Nissan) stage on the South end of the festival grounds.

The August 21-23 festival had numerous favorite sites to visit such as the Cultural Village featuring artisans from the City of Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico and their religious Lady of Zapopan, including Artesanias Sol y Luna of Teotihuacan, from the State of México. Teotihuacan translated from the Nahuatl as "City of the Gods", which had 100,000 inhabitants, several pyramids and placing it among the largest cities of the world in this period during the first half of the 1st millennium CE (January 1, 1 AD, and ended on December 31, 1000).
At the Cultural Village on Sunday, a female dancer from El Grupo De Danza Autóctona Xaliztli sponsored by the City government of Zapopan gave a rare smoke of incense sweep through out the body of people willing to donate a dollar to get the good luck blessing of the Xaliztli dancers, while friends, family and on lookers took pictures.

El Güero y su Banda Centenario attracted local fans due to the lead singers roots to Milwaukee. Jorge "El Güero" Hernández may be the best-known regional Mexican artist with Milwaukee roots. Rubén Ramos, Veneno (Merengue Band), Jaime y los Chamacos, Liberty Band, Tiranos del Norte, El Coyote y su Banda Tierra Santa, Isabela y su Banda Duranguense, La Sonora Internacional, Banda Cuisillos, Mingo Saldivar, and the Latin Dance Company Productions offering “Salsa” dance lessons by La Maestra Christine Almeida and friends were some of the main attractions.

This year’s event was billed as one of the best Mexican Fiesta’s cultural festivities at Summerfest in 32 years of their existence by festivalgoers.
The Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation, Inc. (WHSF), 1220 W. Windlake Ave., which manages and operates Mexican Fiesta, is expected to begin moving its operation to another South side location on Monday. WHSF plans to be out of the Windlake location by the end of September.

WHSF will move all of Mexican Fiesta equipment, supplies pertaining to the festival and office related items to their new location at 2997 S. 20th St. The acquired property has two acres of land for future expansion. The new facility will be able to accommodate larger office space, once the planned construction inside the building has been completed.

Artesanias Sol y Luna of Teotihuacan, from the State of México

Click on any picture to enlarge.

Photos of Miss Mexican Fiesta 2009 provided by: PHOTO ACTION USA/Cy White

Erica Hernández is crowned Miss Mexican Fiesta 2009 at the Harley-Davidson stage on Friday during the Mexican Fiesta festival at the Summerfest grounds.



Deana Marie Velázquez, was selected as the 1st runner-up in the Miss Mexican Fiesta pageant. Velázquez poses with Erica Hernández who was crowned Miss Mexican Fiesta 2009 on August 21, 2009. Velázquez is student at Alverno College and Hernández is a student at the Univeristy of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Milwaukee 3rd Annual Asian Festival

Chicken wing egg rolls a Vue and Lo family tradition

By H. Nelson Goodson
August 22, 2009

Milwaukee – The 3rd Annual Silver City Asian Festival drew hundreds of festival goers on Saturday, August 22, to the near South side event on W. National Ave., between W. 35th and W. 38th Streets. The Asian Fest offered an array of foods, friendly vendors, parade, and plenty of fun during the one-day event.
Milwaukeeans and neighbors enjoyed the great food, music, ethnic performers, and the martial arts presentations of various Asian cultures. Those cultures included Hmong, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Korean, and Laotian.
Performances included Rising Dragon Martial Arts; Chinese lion dancers; Ajanabi, doing a "Dances of Bollywood" demonstration; the Hmong Dance Group; JK Lee Tae Kwon Do; and the Vietnamese Temple Group.
For the last three years, Doua Vue, and Pao Lo along with their daughter Jamie Lo have specialized in providing and cooking egg rolls and chicken egg rolls on the corner of S. 37th and W. National. Their family cooking tradition is to stuff chicken wings with egg roll ingredients and they taste extremely good after getting cooked in open fire grill. They also provide a spicy hot sauce, which makes your taste buds explode with flavor.
The parents of Jamie Lo are originally from Long Chen, Laos, and have lived in the U.S.A. for 30 years. Their family cooking tradition has added Laotian flavor to the annual Silver City Asian Festival.
Previously, the Asian Moon Festival used to take place at the Henry Maier Festival Park at the Lakefront Summerfest grounds. The Asian Moon Festival canceled its event in 2006 when it couldn’t get volunteers to operate the festival at Summerfest. The Wisconsin Organization for Asian Americans-Milwaukee, which stages the pan-Asian celebration (Asian Moon Festival), decided to cancel its festival for a lack of volunteers and a funding shortfall.
Click on photo to enlarge.