Say Something Real
By Michelle Bryant
Michelle Bryant
The recruitment and selection of a new superintendent for Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is nearly complete and I must admit: I’m looking sideways at the MPS School Board, likely the new MPS Superintendent, and at the Search firm that led the selection process to assist the district’s children.
No one would argue that this critical decision will shape the future of education for thousands of students, particularly African-American children, for years to come. We needed to get the superintendent selection right, and yet I’m afraid that much about the process has been wrong.
The decision to hire Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA), to lead this search, may have been the first mistake. HYA, a national search firm, has been involved in several problematic superintendent searches across the country. In 2017, HYA faced criticism in Boston for its handling of the superintendent search process, which was criticized as rushed and lacking transparency. Similarly, the firm was scrutinized for recommending a candidate in 2016 for a position in Des Plaines, Ill., who had resigned from his previous school district following accusations of sexual harassment, according to The Daily Herald.
In 2022, HYA faced controversy again over its superintendent pick for the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District, in California, as concerns were raised about possible misrepresentation of teaching and administrative credentials. A cursory Google search will yield more problematic examples. In 2023, as a part of a superintendent search for the Memphis Public School District, HYA declared Dr. Brenda Cassellius as one of the top three finalists. The Memphis School Board expressed concerns about the selection process and the limited pool of candidates, leading to a pause in the search and a request for HYA to review the full applicant pool. Cassellius withdrew her name from consideration. In the meantime, board members and community members raised concerns about transparency and the lack of a wider candidate pool. I’m feeling deja-vu-ish, right about now.
On the recommendation of HYA, on January 31, 2025, MPS announced three finalists for the district’s top job. In 13 days, meetings were held with stakeholders, community sessions were hosted and the MPS Board of Directors were quickly yelling we’ve got a winner! Dr. Brenda Cassellius has been named MPS Superintendent, pending her background check. I can’t help but wonder if the Milwaukee School Board exercised due diligence in selecting HYA to lead this pivotal search, as well as the vetting process.
I find it suspect that Cassellius shows up in the top three candidates done by HYA in less than two years and out of a pool of roughly 70 people, between applicants in Memphis and Milwaukee. the process took approximately two weeks—an alarmingly short timeframe for such a critical decision.
The combination of a rushed timeline and restricted community involvement undermines the integrity of the search process. It also raises doubts about whether the selected candidate will truly reflect the needs and aspirations of Milwaukee’s diverse student population. As the board moves forward, it must prioritize transparency, inclusivity, and thoroughness to ensure that the next superintendent is not only qualified but also capable of delivering. The future of Milwaukee’s children—and the city itself—depends on it.