Lead Remediation Frequently Asked Questions

As of April 17, 2025, three buildings are closed: Fernwood Montessori School, LaFollette School, and Starms Early Childhood Center. Students from these schools are being served in temporary spaces at other buildings.

Fernwood: Renovation and painting are now complete and the school is undergoing thorough cleaning. When the cleaning is complete, the MHD then will inspect the building. MPS tentatively expects to reopen the building as soon as Wednesday, April 23. More detailed information was shared with Fernwood families on April 16.

LaFollette: Renovation and painting work began on April 15, when the newly hired contractor was first available to start work. The work in this building is expected to take four to five weeks. MPS will continue updating families on the progress made.

Starms ECC: Renovation and painting are ongoing and are about 75% complete. MPS expects this stage of work to be finished by the end of April, and then a thorough cleaning will be performed before inspection by MHD.

MPS had previously been trying to update families as new information became available, based on what we knew to be true – not speculation or guesses. We have heard from families asking for more regular and detailed updates and are making changes to our communications practices to provide that level of information. The most recent communication to the staff and families of the three impacted schools has been shared as of April 16, 2025.

Fernwood: Remediation and painting are complete. Thorough cleaning is now underway. 

LaFollette: An additional contractor has been hired, and lead remediation work is now underway at LaFollette School. The process includes stabilizing lead-painted surfaces, followed by a thorough cleaning of the building. Once that work is complete, MHD will conduct final testing to determine if the building is safe for students and staff to return.

This process is expected to take approximately four to five weeks, with a tentative reopening projected for mid-May. In the meantime, students and staff will continue reporting to Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning. MPS remains committed to supporting LaFollette students, staff, and families throughout this transition.

Starms: The work to address lead hazards at Starms Early Childhood Center is about 75% complete as of Tuesday, April 15. Most of the renovation work on the upper floors has been completed. Work continues on the first and lower floors, and touch-up painting is being done throughout the building.  Work is expected to be finished by the end of April. Next, the building will be thoroughly cleaned, which will take, at minimum, several days. Please note that MHD will need to inspect to determine if the building is ready for students and staff to return.

Fernwood has historically been a city polling place, and a decision was made to keep it as a polling location to ensure continuity. Adjustments were made with regard to entry and location within the building. The space used for Election Day activities was cleared by MHD.

Work will most certainly happen in schools across the district over the summer months. Given the amount of work ahead for the district, and our staffing capacity, we needed to start before the summer months to ensure we can be as efficient as possible. The lead issue was not evident during the COVID school closures.

MPS maintains programs to monitor and address environmental health concerns—including asbestos, water, and air quality—in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations.

In response to the recent identification of lead hazards, MPS is working closely with the MHD to finalize a Lead Action Plan that will outline clear protocols for identifying, stabilizing, and preventing lead hazards in school buildings.

To support this effort, MHD has assigned its Home Environmental Health Director, Michael Mannan, to serve in an interim leadership role. Mannan brings over 25 years of experience in environmental health and is helping guide the district’s lead remediation and stabilization work.

Additional information about district-wide safety procedures and long-term maintenance planning will be included in the final version of the Lead Action Plan once approved.

MPS is working with MHD to finalize our lead action plan, which will prioritize the schools based on building age, building paint condition, and age of students. As a part of our asbestos management program, and per the federal EPA requirements, buildings are inspected on a required three-year cycle and also reviewed every six months.

MPS is reviewing all areas of elementary buildings constructed prior to 1978 for deteriorated paint and will stabilize these areas. Where MHD deems necessary, MHD will be providing additional review and analysis.

Yes, all buildings being used as temporary spaces for displaced schools are free from lead and other hazards. Newer buildings were chosen for temporary school sites for exactly this reason.

The MPS lead action plan will outline steps needed to address the current issues in our schools and how the district will maintain the condition and safety of our facilities. Additional information regarding inspection and maintenance is outlined in the plan that MPS is developing with MHD.

The district uses a variety of tools to communicate with families, including email, phone calls, and printed materials. This is a good time to ensure your contact information is up to date with your school. There is a commitment to translating these materials for families as needed.

The information came out on March 13, but this work was done prior to that time. Work had been done after school; there was disturbance that caused paint chips to fall in isolated areas, including a classroom, that were not cleaned up according to guidelines. This practice, once identified, was discontinued. MHD did not require immediate closure of the school. Due to the short notice, the school was allowed to remain open to ensure all families were properly notified and plans for relocation were in place.

Facilities is aware of the problem, and work orders have been created. A plugged drain must be replaced. The department will work to repair as many stations as possible before students return. If needed, bottled water will be provided.

This is a good suggestion, and we will do this. The district will begin providing estimated timelines for families and staff. MPS already posts its communications with families and staff regarding school updates on the MPS Lead Report Page, and tentative timelines will be posted there, as well. You can find information on our website at mpsmke.com/leadreport.

MPS provides our families with written communication in collaboration with MHD when buildings have been cleared for students and staff to return. Testing results generated by MHD are posted on MHD’s lead webpage dedicated to MPS, milwaukee.gov/MPS-Lead.

The district takes responsibility and has been reminded of the importance of ensuring that all guidelines and regulations are being followed and adhered to while performing this work in our schools. Additional training and consultation with internal and external staff were conducted. Increased monitoring and ongoing training continue.

To clarify, all contractors and MPS staff working on lead stabilization activities were under the direct supervision of a certified lead safe renovator or they are certified lead safe renovators, as required by the state’s lead-safe repair, renovation, and painting rule, known as DHS 163. Contractors and MPS staff do not perform lead abatement, which refers to removal of all lead. State regulations and public health guidance do not require removal.

Michael Mannan, most recently director of MHD’s Home Environmental Health (HEH) division, is now supporting MPS in the interim period. He brings more than 25 years of experience in code enforcement, lead-risk assessment, and environmental hazard mitigation. Mannan is certified in both lead and asbestos inspection and abatement and previously served as a lead-risk assessor for five years with MHD. Mannan’s role will focus on supporting lead hazard remediation, reviewing cleaning protocols, guiding routine inspections, and advising on the development and execution of MPS’s lead action plan. This strengthened collaboration reinforces the shared priority of safeguarding students and staff.

Michael Turza is the former MPS director of operations and previously supervised the Department of Facilities and Maintenance Services. Mr. Turza is serving as the interim director of Facilities and Maintenance Services. 

MPS holds contracts with external vendors and is legally obligated to pay them for services rendered. Any instances of work that did not meet standards or contractual obligations will be reviewed.

The district is preparing a report on work-order status, including time-to-complete information, and expects it to be ready by the end of May. This report will be made publicly available.

The MPS Lead Action Plan will outline steps needed to address the current issues in our schools and how the district will maintain the condition and safety of our facilities. Additional information regarding inspection and maintenance is outlined in the plan that MPS is developing with the City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD).

MPS will pay for all work related to lead remediation work. This cost will not fall to individual schools.

If it is discovered that a school paid for any type of work related to remediation, that will be addressed. Schools will not bear any cost related to remediation.

MPS is attempting to address these lead issues with urgency and requires the assistance of outside vendors and contractors. The district does not control wages that contractors pay to their workers.

Historically, schools were given the authority to choose which projects were most critical for their school community. Some ESSER funding did go toward painting.

MPS is in the process of building its 2025-26 budget now, which will dictate if there is an increase in Maintenace staff. Superintendent Cassellius is committed to advocating for what is needed to ensure MPS is able to proactively maintain its buildings properly, with the appropriate staff.

MPS has talented educators who are ensuring that the quality of instruction continues despite this disruption. At the same time, we recognize this disruption has been difficult and inconvenient to our educators, as well. Our academic teams are in close contact with school leaders and instructional teams to ensure they have the resources and support needed to deliver the quality education our families deserve.

As a school district, we wanted to keep services for in-person teaching and learning. However, if a request for virtual learning was communicated to the school, we worked with the families to ensure that students had opportunities to continue to engage in the learning process. We were trying to minimize the disruption for our families.

The district has worked closely with the school leader and the coordinator of Montessori instruction to provide support, materials, and alternative lessons to ensure that teaching and learning were occurring every day.

MPS has worked with the coordinator to order supplies. If for some reason a teacher purchased additional materials, that would have needed principal approval. If purchases were approved, they would be reimbursed. With regard to extra time for teachers, again, this would have been approved by the school leader in advance, and they would be compensated accordingly.

All closed buildings will be deep cleaned and will need to pass the inspection from MHD before students and staff return.

The filters on the ventilation systems are changed every 90 days, or sooner if required. The systems are cleaned as needed.

As part of the deep cleaning, classroom materials are cleaned and visually verified to be dust free as part of MHD’s clearance.

The district’s lead action plan, which is being finalized now, will provide the roadmap we need to address current issues and maintain our buildings moving forward.

Fifty-four (54) sites were built pre-1950 and are considered higher risk; fifty-two (52) buildings were constructed between 1950 and 1978, which are at lower risk. Regarding testing, MPS presumes lead exists in its older buildings and thus has not tested for lead. Such testing is not required by federal, state, or local regulations.

The district’s lead action plan, which will be released to the public after it is approved by MHD, will guide the district’s strategy moving forward and includes a proposed schedule for inspections. MPS will work closely with MHD to ensure schools are safe for students and staff.