Milwaukee Public Schools is expected to pay more for its school resource officer program, the result of a new police union contract that raised officer salaries.
Some students are urging district leaders to invest in other educational support instead of police.
“We don’t need police in our schools to keep us safe or supported. We need resources, trust and environments that actually help students learn and grow,” Riverside University High School student Taniya Purifoy told the MPS Board’s Strategic Planning and Budget Committee during its June 16 review of a draft of the district’s school resource officer policy.
Neither the Milwaukee Police Department nor MPS provided a dollar estimate for future costs of the Student Resource Officer program. However, both agencies confirmed that MPS remains responsible for paying 50% of costs for it, including fringe benefit and indirect salary charges.
“It’s just inefficient and not benefiting us as students in our education,” said Adrianna Reams to NNS. Reams is set to graduate this year as a valedictorian from Golda Meir School. She is the younger sister of Sade Robinson, who was killed in 2024.
Despite the tragedy, Reams earned admission to Harvard University and was awarded Golda Meir’s Vel Phillips Award for Perseverance, Resilience and Dedication.
MPS spending
Records obtained by NNS show MPS was billed nearly $495,000 for its share of school resource officer costs during the spring 2025 semester and $541,373 during the fall 2025 semester, totaling $1.03 million during the first full school year after officers returned to schools.
Those costs are expected to increase, according to MPD.
The contract secured by the union that represents Milwaukee’s police officers resulted in salary increases of roughly 15%, an MPD spokesperson said.
Neither MPD nor MPS provided an estimate of what that increase could mean for future student resource officer costs.
For Reams, the total is somewhat beside the point – she said additional spending on police simply cannot be justified at all.
“We just added metal detector scanners in our schools, and again, with the (student resource officers) last year, we think that it’s unnecessary costs,” Reams said.
She said she would rather see more resources directed toward educational opportunities and student support.
The 2026-27 budget included multiple staff cuts to student equity programs including all six restorative practices coaches, all eight Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) coaches and Black and Latino Male Achievement coordinators.
Imran Clark, a 17-year-old ending his junior year at Riverside University High School, also questioned whether growing costs to have officers in schools is the best use of district resources.
Both students pointed to other needs they believe should receive greater investment.
Reams said schools need more staff.
“Ask yourself what you and your peers’ physical, mental and emotional well-being would look like without counselors, nurses and children’s health assistants,” said Reams in a speech during Youth Empowered in the Struggle student Day of Action.
Clark pointed to building and equipment needs at his school.
“We’ve had floods and equipment that we haven’t been able to repair,” he said.
Both students also said they would like to see more support for Advanced Placement coursework and other academic opportunities.
Students who previously spoke to NNS, including Clark, described instances in which they felt SROs were enforcing school rules rather than improving safety, including monitoring hallways and student movement.
MPS and MPD response
Milwaukee police officials have defended the Student Resource Officer program by pointing to school safety and the role officers play in responding to the needs of schools.
During the first three months after SROs returned to schools, MPD recorded 902 calls for service and 155 incidents, including 87 batteries or assaults and 35 missing-person reports.
In an October interview, a department spokesperson said that student resource officers engage in “hundreds of positive interactions daily.”
MPS disputes students’ concerns about staffing and educational investments, pointing to trends in spending at the district level.
Stephen Davis, MPS media relations manager, said claims that the district is reducing classroom staffing are inaccurate.
The proposed 2026-27 budget shows increases in classroom-based staff, Davis said.
“A key element in the budget includes adding 159 more teaching positions and more paraprofessional positions to manage and reduce class sizes,” according to an MPS budget statement.
The budget also dedicates $18.7 million in critical needs funding for additional classroom support, social workers, nurses, counselors, psychologists, and library and arts staffing, according to the statement.
MPS officials say the budget reflects extensive community input.
“The final budget reflects direct feedback gathered through public hearings, board meetings, nine listening sessions with high school students, meetings with families and staff,” the statement said.
According to Davis, approximately $1.137 billion, or about 70% of the district’s $1.6 billion budget, is spent on employee salaries and benefits.
Despite the district’s stance, Reams still thinks MPS is not prioritizing spending in a way that supports students or better public safety.
“We should provide (students) with good education, so that they don’t become criminals,” she said.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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