English as a Second Language instructors at the Milwaukee Area Technical College during a Board of Trustees public comment session asked for the full Board to act accordingly and push to reform the administration's hostile tactics that circumvent the existing ESL program services, which are affecting students of color. Also, from 2025 to 2026, student enrollment had declined under MATC President Dr. Cruz.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
April 28, 2026
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Tuesday, multiple ESL (English as a Second Language) instructors, the MATC 212 union, and students addressed the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) Board of Trustees during a Board meeting, in which they exposed the administration's hostile work environment and practices that they have endured, since MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz was hired in 2024. Especially, when administrators are gradually phasing out crucial ESL services to students of color at the technical college. In several cases, instructors weren't funded by the administration to print schedules for students, which they claimed it was unprofessional, and seems that MATC is moving backwards instead of offering better services to students. Also, the MATC registers office has failed to adequately provide services for students of color in the ESL program. Instructors have been left out from participating with administrative teams to add imput in order to provide better services for students, administrative decisions were made without considering the detrimental effects it creates when forcing instructors to implement, and many instructors are afraid to speak up because they are afraid that they will face retaliation.
So far, the ESL instructors are facing wage cuts for more work that is required. But, Dr. Cruz won't be facing a wage cut of his $285,000 yearly salary, including no wage cuts for his full-time administrators.
In a letter dated April 28, 2026, to all employees, Dr. Cruz wrote that MATC is facing a $2.5M deficit for the 2027 fiscal year. According to the recently released Transformation Magazine Annual 2025 (Transformations Magazine Annual Report 2025 by MATC Communications - Issue
https://share.google/poXYCVd2GwfkfrXRn) report, in 2025, MATC total revenue was $302.7M and total expense was $279.6M.
In 2023, under former MATC President Vickie J. Martin, MATC reported $1.1M debt services, in 2025, under the MATC current President Dr. Anthony Cruz, the MATC debt services had more than doubled to $2.8M, according to the Transformations Magazine Annual Report at MATC.
Dr. Cruz in his letter to employees confirmed that MATC will "reduce employee expenses through strategic hiring delays for vacant positions, academic program vitality reviews and a voluntary separation incentive program for some employees." Cruz and the Total Rewards Committee will also be addressing the rising cost of healthcare insurance.
Dr. Cruz has a history of promoting himself in his social media platforms creating smoke and mirrors to project that he is transforming MATC by providing leadership and maintaining a strong financial position for the college, and serving MATC students and supporting services. But, on the contrary, Dr. Cruz has definitely failed to reform (or replace) his alleged inept administration that has had a history of engaging in discriminatory workplace practices, creating a hostile work environment, by passing promotions from part-time to full-time positions, including harassment and targeted retaliation against those who file complaints against their supervisors or administrators.
In other words, Dr. Cruz is definitely not in touch with instructors including the communities of color and etc..
The ESL program will most likely face the same fate as the Office of Multicultural Student Service, which without prior notice to the communities of color, Dr. Cruz decided to eliminate the Multicultural Student Services, unjustly fire four student service specialists, and replaced it with the failing Office of Community Impact.
Currently, the ESL, GED and 5.09/HSED programs are gradually facing less effective program versions under the Cruz administration, which mostly likely the programs will be phased out, if the Board doesn't take action to preserve the programs for students of color.
It's evident by recent public comments made by ESL instructors and students during MATC Board of Trustees meeting that the Dr. Cruz administration continues to practice mismanagement within the technical college and has failed to cap any hostile work environment including harassment and retaliation tactics against its employees who have been facing a barrage of cuts back of programs services, are subject to fend for themselves, especially when resources to succeed are not being funneled to the instructors and programs created to service students of color including White students. The mismanagement practices by the Dr. Cruz administration has also created work related mental and health issues for MATC employees.
In previous MATC Board meetings, Carlos Aranda, a Counselor at MATC has said that instructors, especially women have endured "psychological harm, which erodes trust, undermines morale, and weakens institutional integrity." (Link:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1KxyTkVCKL/)
Student population stats: MATC has about 63% majority minority student population including 24% of Hispanic student population.
Point of interest: An enrollment 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)
On Tuesday's MATC District Board Meeting, faculty and staff raised serious concerns about a growing disconnect between college leadership and the needs of students. According to the meeting minutes, inaccurate information was presented by administration, prompting the Board President to caution against doing so, noting the negative impact it has on MATC’s public credibility.
Administrators, including Dr. King and Dr. Amy Shields, the Community Education Associate Dean stated they have been working collaboratively with faculty; however, many faculty members report that this has not been their experience. Several decisions—particularly within Community Education—have been made without meaningful faculty input.
A key concern is the elimination of online, blended, and virtual ESL and GED courses. These changes were implemented despite ongoing fears within immigrant communities due to increased ICE activity, as well as the realities of students balancing unpredictable work schedules. Faculty argue that removing flexible learning options places students at greater risk and may force many to drop out.
Board members Baker and Moore acknowledged communication breakdowns and noted the concerns raised by both students and faculty, including testimony from a student struggling under current conditions.
Community Education faculty continue to advocate for the preservation of these essential programs, emphasizing that ESL and GED courses are critical pathways for students working to improve their lives.
Issues raised at the MATC Board meeting by 11 instructors and students:
• First, communication failures, opportunities for meaningful dialogue have often been limited or absent. Meetings are either shortened redirected away from key topics or concluded without clear outcomes or next steps. In several instances, subject matter expertise was not fully considered, an attempt to share critical information were interrupted or deprioritized. Second, missed deadlines. Time sensitive matters, particularly those tied to program implementation. Staffing and compliance requirements have remained unresolved beyond necessary timelines. This has led to operational disruptions. Increased workflow for staff and at times negative impacts on service delivery. Third, dismissal of collaboration. There has been an active discouragement of collaboration by isolating staff and excluding relevant stakeholders from decision-making, which this lack of transparency has led to operational failures. Misalignment, reassignments of specialized roles often occur without consultation, moving faculty and staff to functions outside their intended scope, these decisions are frequently made without understanding their full impact on the overall program.
• Registration system not taking into account that ESL students need printed class schedules to follow in order to help them integrate and navigate through the technical college curriculum.
• A fundamental shift in leadership continues to disrupt services. MATC has moved away from a focus on instructional quality, to a focus on providing the bare minimum to our students. Specifically, the committee dedicated to transitioning students to college level classes has been disbanded. Decisions are being made about course hours and offerings without classroom visits or faculty consultation. Most concerning, instructors are seeing a bottom line approach that prioritizes cost-cutting over services to MATC students.
• Reductions: For part-time, staff and for full-time faculty are increasing their workload facing wage cuts, with no increase in salary. This decision was made at the last minute and without any faculty input. Campus faculty's course schedules were submitted for approval on February and that approval was withheld with no communication by the Dr. Cruz administration until last week.
• Along with the other departments who are involved, the administration has since taken over the planning of these processes without consulting the faculty, who execute them. And as a result, decisions are being made too late by people who do not fully understand the logistics, leaving faculty and staff to scramble to bridge the gaps at the last minute. The entire delayed decision-making, and lack of transparency has decimated more out while instructors have worked tirelessly to make these failures invisible to students. Instructors have never seen administrative decisions take such a toll on the faculty, many shed tears and reports of health issues as well as instructors contemplating, leaving MATC. This is not normal work and stress, has become the result of an organizational breakdown by the Dr. Cruz administration.
• The 5 on 9 program is not failing, it's been allowed to fall apart by the administration. It's about a total lack of oversight. It's time for the MATC Board to implement real checks and balances, including calling for an immediate investigation to the management of the 5.09 program and the restoration of the standards instructors had worked for a decade.
• Students are to often left out of the decision making that's going to impact their education.
• Administration has also unilaterally prohibited faculty and staff from providing students with digital or paper class schedules. Most English language learners need visual representations to coordinate their studies with work and daily life.
• Last week, the MATC ESL took part in a state audit, where the interviewers expressed concerns about the intake and registration process, which the ESL students required additional time and resources as they navigate in a new country. Culture, education system and language is instrumental in their success. But, the MATC administration continues to make unilateral decisions that make assisting them (immigrant students) through existing barriers more difficult, the current approach serves administrative convenience at the expense of these students' success. The MATC Board needs to intervene and restore a collaborative student centered registration process.
• Current administrative directives regarding registration are not only failing to meet these goals, but are actively undermining them.
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
