The Milwaukee Public Schools Board of Directors approved the contract for Brenda Cassellius, the next MPS superintendent, at a special meeting on Tuesday.
Cassellius will enter her new role effective March 15 — far ahead of the planned July 1 start date for the next MPS superintendent. Since the MPS board selected Cassellius on Feb. 11 as its choice to lead the district, Cassellius has expressed urgency to get started and to address issues outlined in a recent MPS operations audit.
“With Dr. Cassellius at the helm, the board is confident that our district will continue to rise to the challenges of an ever-changing educational landscape,” board president Marva Herndon said.
Cassellius’ contract is for two years, which is the maximum contract length allowed under state law. The MPS board’s announcement of her contract did not include salary information. MPS interim superintendent Eduardo Galván will support Cassellius through the leadership transition, according to the news release.
Cassellius is the former superintendent of Boston Public Schools. Among her many roles in education, Cassellius spent eight years as Minnesota’s commissioner of education and nearly three years as associate superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools. She started out as a special education paraprofessional in Minneapolis in 1989.
“It is with enormous gratitude and optimism that I take on this responsibility,” Cassellius said. “I am eager to get to work, to meet our community, find ways to work together, and to start a new chapter for MPS. I am honored to work with the educators and staff who serve our students each and every day and believe there is no higher professional calling than being an educator. I have great expectations for Milwaukee Public Schools, and I know that through hard work, honest conversations, and a commitment to our students, we will accomplish big things together.”
