MPS Foundation Launches Phase II of #ConnectMilwaukee to Provide Technical Support to Parents, Students, and Teachers
As an Unprecedented School Year Begins, MPS Teachers and Families Need Our Continued Support
MILWAUKEE, WI (September 15, 2020) — MPS Foundation’s #ConnectMilwaukee campaign has exceeded its Phase 1 goal of raising $1million to help ensure every MPS student has a laptop and internet access. However, as the school year begins, it is crucial that we provide additional technical support for families and training for teachers.
In response to this need, MPS Foundation is now launching Phase 2 of the #ConnectMilwaukee campaign which focuses on additional technical support for MPS students and staff. This summer the Foundation delivered over 7,000 internet hotspots to families in need and hundreds of requests are still coming in. Now, the hardest challenge is providing tech support to over 75,000 students and over 5,000 teachers. The District is doing the best they can to answer the call, but they need our help. Based on regular conversations with MPS, the Foundation is focused on funding more IT staff, help desk support, and training for teachers.
The fundraising goal for Phase 2 is $1million and the Foundation has already received its first substantial donation of $25,000 from Northwestern Mutual Foundation.
“This year has shown us how difficult helping a child learn online from home can be,” said Wendell Willis, MPS Foundation, Executive Director. “Providing equity means lessening the burden on our teachers and parents who have adapted very quickly and learned how to teach our children in a completely different way. When we provide the necessary support, training and tools, we know our students will be successful.”
PHASE 2 will help fund these vital components that were not in the MPS budget:
Tech support for online learning platforms
Additional training and coaching for teachers
Personalized support to students and families
Adding help desk support staff for parents
Adding IT staff
CARES Act money (PPE focused) will not arrive in time to fund these needs now. The Foundation believes MPS students deserve to have the best learning experience possible and that teachers should be provided the tools and support necessary to be successful.
About the Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation
The MPS Foundation collaborates with corporations, foundations, and individuals to provide philanthropic support for students, schools, and district programs in an effort to expand and enhance academic achievement for all MPS students.
Our core areas of focus include:
Workforce Development and Career Readiness, including college scholarships, career exploration, Learning Journeys (field trips tied to curriculum), and College and Career Centers
Green playgrounds and outdoor learning environments
$1 Million Fundraising Effort to Provide Thousands of MPS Families with Internet Access
MILWAUKEE, WI (June 3, 2020) — The global pandemic and our country’s current unrest are shining long overdue spotlights on Milwaukee’s inequities. We all now realize that the internet provides vital connection to family, services, housing, employment, and education. While most students and families in Wisconsin have access to online learning, thousands of MPS students are missing a critical component: internet access. The digital divide in our city has recently been exasperated and the MPS Foundation is stepping up to help.
To begin solving this problem, the MPS Foundation is announcing Phase 1 of a new campaign called #ConnectMilwaukee: raising $1 million to provide internet connectivity for continuous remote learning.
This campaign matches the investment already made by the Milwaukee Public Schools District and will allow them to purchase the volume necessary to receive discounts in order to ensure all student’s needs are met. Our campaign will be additive to, and not in lieu of, MPS’s allocations. $2 million in total funds will secure mobile internet connectivity for 5,000+ students for 12+ months.
Visit mpsfdn.com to learn more about this new initiative and to donate.
The first phase of the campaign will focus on MPS’s 5,000+ homeless student population and other families that do not have access to the internet. The second phase is working with the MPS school district and over 100 individual school communities to identify evolving needs for online learning including teacher technology education and training, technological enablement grants, and community technology usage support.
“Internet connectivity for our students has been inequitable and unequal. While a large number of us have transitioned to working from home or helping our family members navigate online learning, many parents and families cannot make this shift as easily,” said Wendell Willis, Executive Director, MPS Foundation. “For those of you sitting at home wondering how you can help, this is the moment. This is your opportunity to directly serve the underserved. Internet access and bridging the digital divide is vital for everyone’s routine daily tasks and we are committed to helping our students have the access they deserve.”
Devices and connectivity onboarding will be conducted by the schools who are most knowledgeable about students’ needs.
The MPS Foundation recognizes that in order for students to succeed academically, their basic household needs must be met. At this time of uncertainty, the Foundation has pivoted their fundraising and with community support, has rallied to ensure that MPS students, families and staff have access to the things they need now.
This new effort does not mean MPS Foundation will be stopping previous core efforts. Throughout the course of 2020, the Foundation will continue to support a variety of MPS projects and student needs and looks forward to joining forces with the community to enhance its impact for 78,000 students in Milwaukee Public Schools.
About the Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation
The MPS Foundation collaborates with corporations, foundations, and individuals to provide philanthropic support for students, schools, and district programs in an effort to expand and enhance academic achievement for all MPS students.
Our core areas of focus include:
Workforce Development and Career Readiness, including college scholarships, career exploration, Learning Journeys (field trips tied to curriculum), and College and Career Centers
Green playgrounds and outdoor learning environments