Dear Families, Community Members, and Staff:

As you may have heard or read about, a unique partnership was started in March of this year that consists of principals, educators, parents, and community members from 11 Milwaukee Public Schools in the Bay View area. We were presented with the challenge of “how to create the best educational environment possible for our children given the resources available.”

Each of the 11 schools is represented by a team who have come together to form the Bay View Area School Improvement Task Force. We have been assured by Milwaukee Board of School Director Terry Falk and the Administration that the recommendations we develop will be heard and that there are no predetermined outcomes.

We have all volunteered our time meeting for the past two months for weekly brainstorming sessions, each lasting several hours. We have tried to come up with alternatives that would strengthen educational program offerings, make more efficient use of facilities, and maximize existing resources. We don’t always agree but continue to be guided by the question,
“What is best for our kids?”

NOW WE NEED YOUR HELP! You are invited to attend an information exchange to hear the alternatives that we have developed to date and to provide your feedback. Your input will be valued as we work to finalize our recommendations and prepare to forward them to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors this summer.

The Information Exchange will be held:

<center> Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Bay View High School
2751 South Lenox Street
4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

After you arrive and sign in, you will be directed to the auditorium for a short informational presentation – this will be repeated throughout the evening with the last showing at 7:00 p.m. After each presentation, attendees will be invited to join an information exchange; learn more about the concepts being considered; ask questions of Task Force and MPS resource staff; and provide feedback. Since your time is valuable, we have structured this event so that you are free to come or go any time between 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. We suggest that you plan on a minimum of one-half hour to hear the presentation and participate in the exchange.

We look forward to your involvement and participation in this process on May 28.

Sincerely,

Members of the Bay View Area
School Improvement Task Force