Milwaukee schools host Friday walk-in to support public education

By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Sep 14, 2015 at 8:29 AM

This Friday, Sept. 18, families will gather outside more than 80 Milwaukee Public Schools and walk in together to show their support for public education. Once inside, parents and community members will share information about the state plan to take over schools.

You can read more about that plan, which passed at part of the biennial state budget last spring, here and here. As part of the plan, County Executive Chris Abele will appoint a commissioner to run a new district that can remove up to three schools from MPS in the first year and more each year after. Abele talked to OnMilwaukee.com about the plan here.

Last spring, school communities began hosting the walk-ins in response to these actions.

So far, 81 schools have committed to walk-ins this week and organizer Joe Brusky said more are being added daily.

Here is a list of participating schools (click on school link to RSVP):

Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer @BobbyTmke

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.

He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.

With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.

He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.

In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.

He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.