Too hot for school: High temps affect first day for some Wisconsin students

Wisconsin students went back to school on Tuesday, and while the first day of classes marks the unofficial end of summer, temperatures kept the season going.

In the state’s largest district, Milwaukee Public Schools, classes were cut short due to what was expected to be another day of extreme heat. As of August 2021, fewer than 20 percent of the district’s 150 schools had air conditioning. The high in Wisconsin was expected to be 92 degrees on Tuesday.

Milwaukee’s 69,000 public school students were released between 11:50 a.m. and 12:50 p.m., depending on when they started their day.

Candice Nichols’ son, Jamal, started kindergarten at Maryland Avenue Montessori School on Tuesday. Her twins, Christian and Caden, are starting pre-K on Wednesday.

“We’re excited, we’re just trying to make sure everything is situated, the first couple days are always really, really busy,” Nichols said, adding that she was disappointed Jamal couldn’t experience an entire first full day on Tuesday.

“It kinda shook my day up a little bit,” Nichols said. “We’ve been trying to prep him for the full day for months, but that’s OK, it’s just a little hiccup.”

Meagan Schultz, whose 11-, 9- and 5-year-olds started their first days at Maryland Avenue had the same outlook.

“Of course, it’s a bummer, and you want your kids to experience the whole first day, but I get it — it’s hot and not all of the schools in MPS are near the lake,” Schultz said. “I love this community, this is an awesome school, the teachers are great, and I’m also just excited to get back into the routine of getting my kids at school.”

The Green Bay Area Public School District kept students at school all day but said teachers would make sure students had hydration breaks throughout the day and would stay in air-conditioned parts of the school.

Madison Metropolitan School District didn’t shorten the school day, but parents had another hiccup. They were alerted buses would be running up to 30 minutes late in the morning and up to 45 minutes late in the afternoon because of route changes.

Back in Milwaukee, Gov. Tony Evers, State Superintendent Jill Underly and other education officials were at Maryland Avenue Montessori Tuesday morning to welcome the students back to school.

For the last 50 years, MPS has offered a Montessori program that is tuition-free and one of the largest in the country.

The Montessori program is a bright spot in district. It includes eight schools and has more than 4,000 students. Maryland Avenue is a top performing school and “significantly exceeds expectations,” according to state data.

More than 56 percent of students at Maryland Montessori were proficient or advanced in reading, and 39 percent were proficient or advanced in math during the 2021-22 academic year.

By comparison, during the 2021-22 academic year, Milwaukee Public Schools “met expectations.” Only 15.2 percent of MPS students were proficient in reading and 8.5 percent were proficient in math.

On Tuesday, Milwaukee Public School Board President Marva Herndon said it is everyone’s responsibility to make sure children receive the best education possible.

“Are there challenges? Yes. Will there be challenges? Yes. Will we have to face them? Yes. Can we overcome them? Absolutely,” Herndon said. “We are here to tell you, we are committed, and we’re taking this journey with you. We will be winners.”