mail: BobForMPS@gmail.com • Cell: 414-604-6125
Experienced public educator committed to ensuring that all Milwaukee children are successful
MILWAUKEE: Long-time community activist and public school educator Bob Peterson today filed to run for the citywide seat on the MPS Board of School Directors.
Peterson started working in MPS as a paraprofessional in 1977 during the court-ordered school desegregation and soon after became a teacher. During his nearly four decades as an MPS teacher, he taught at 38thStreet Open Education School, Vieau Elementary School and La Escuela Fratney.
Peterson helped found La Escuela Fratney, Wisconsin’s first two-way bilingual school, in 1988. He was Wisconsin’s Elementary Teacher of the Year in 1995 and served as president of the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association from 2011 – 2015. He is also a founding editor of the Milwaukee based magazine Rethinking School, known internationally for its advocacy of equitable education for all children. His two daughters attended MPS.
Rita Tenorio, a former teacher and principal said, “Like Bob, I have devoted my life to teaching the children of MPS. We need a citywide school board member who has worked inside our classrooms and knows what educators need to provide the best schools possible for all children. Bob will be ready on day one to find solutions, and isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo. MPS can significantly improve — and with Bob, we will.”
State Representative David Crowley said, “Bob is uniquely qualified to represent our city on the Milwaukee School Board. As a bilingual public school educator, nonprofit leader, and a unionist, Bob will work relentlessly to make sure that every child in Milwaukee has a fair shot to succeed. As a community, Milwaukee needs to make sure that every child has proper housing, nutrition, and family support to be the best they can be. Bob understands that.”
In declaring his candidacy Peterson issued this statement: “We must come together as a community. And we must also understand that to improve MPS, the state must ensure a fair and equitable funding system for all public schools. All students deserve a quality school — which means smaller class sizes, art, music, physical education, librarians and excellent teachers, counselors, and educational support staff.
“Our schools should be greenhouses of democracy. All stakeholders – parents, educators, students, and community members — must be involved in decision-making, dedicated to ensuring that every child in Milwaukee receives the education they deserve.
“Investing in our children will make Milwaukee stronger. Imagine a public school system that is properly funded, and where all students are prepared for college, career, and citizenship. As your citywide representative, I will advocate for what students and families need — both inside and outside of the classroom. If we want opportunity for all Milwaukee children, we must work together to both build quality schools and also to eradicate the economic barriers holding our kids back.”
The election for the Milwaukee Board of School Directors is April 2, 2019, with a possible primary February 19.
