MPS board considers investigation into board member's conduct

Going into a Milwaukee School Board meeting Thursday night, board member Aisha Carr was bracing for her colleagues to consider opening an investigation into her conduct.

After two hours of public discussion in a room filled with Carr's supporters, school board members retired to a closed session meeting to privately discuss whether to open an investigation into "concerns and complaints" about an unnamed board member. They didn't return to open session.

After the meeting, board president Marva Herndon told the Journal Sentinel the board "just had a discussion," and could take action at a future meeting.

Carr said she could not legally share what happened during the closed session.

Ahead of the meeting, Carr told the Journal Sentinel she hadn't seen the complaints in question and she didn't know what they were about.

Carr, who was elected in 2021, said she expected that the complaints were likely about her because of disagreements she has had with other board members and administrators. Carr has been critical of MPS leadership and opposed the April 2 referendum that raised the district's taxing authority.

"They haven't officially named me, but I am certain it's me," Carr said before the meeting. "What I can say for now is that I have done nothing illegal or unethical."

Residents pack board room to support Carr, call for change at MPS

Over 70 people filled the school board meeting room Thursday night — an unusual sight for the space. Word had spread that board members could take action against Carr. Residents cheered for Carr throughout the evening, with some speakers saying they would work to vote out any board members who tried to boot Carr from the board.

The agenda for Thursday's meeting, which noted that board members would be considering initiating an investigation about a board member, included as attachments two board rules: one that can allow the board to censure a member and one that can allow the board to remove a member. Both rules require a two-thirds board vote to initiate an investigation.

As residents knew the board's discussion about the potential investigation would be in closed session, they shared their support for Carr during public discussion about a different topic: possible restructuring of school board committees. Under potential options presented by administrators, the committee chaired by Carr — the Committee on Parent and Community Engagement (PACE) — could be reduced to meeting every other month, rather than monthly.

Speakers at the meeting urged the board not to reduce meetings of that committee, arguing that the meetings provide a vital space for monitoring and discussing the district's high rates of suspensions and expulsions.

Former state Sen. Lena Taylor, now serving as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge, was among Carr's supporters. She praised Carr's ability to "think outside the box" and criticized other board members for entertaining a potential investigation.

"I cannot believe that this is the amount of time and energy being put on trying to dissolve work that is positive," Taylor said.

Taylor and other speakers criticized MPS board members for a lack of improvement in test scores, graduation rates and suspensions.

At one point, Herndon called a board recess. Jamel Harris, a district parent, had been speaking. He urged board members not to reduce PACE meetings and said board members were consistently trying to shut parents out. He said he was speaking directly to Herndon and explained that his own children were privileged to attend MPS schools that are "deeply engaged." Herndon replied, "That's fine."

Harris told Herndon not to say a word during his speaking time. Harris' microphone was cut as he continued speaking. Police officers and MPS staff approached Harris. Audience members rose from their seats. Board members urged Herndon to call a recess. Police and staff stood between the crowd and board for about 10 minutes as the board took a recess until audience members were seated.

The board voted unanimously to further discuss any possible changes to committee structures at a future committee meeting.

Carr said she felt like the crowd demonstrated they were "sick and tired of being ignored by their elected bodies of government." Some called for MPS Superintendent Keith Posley to resign.

While she said she hasn't personally called publicly for Posley to resign, Carr said she has called for thorough performance evaluations. She said she has often been "the no vote" on the board, specifically regarding raises for board members and contract extensions for Posley.

Carr was recorded saying she had planted a recording device in superintendent's office

It was unclear Thursday whether the complaints in question were related to online discussions in the last month about a recorded conversation in which Carr tells a former MPS administrator that she had planted a recording device in Posley's office.

Carr confirmed to the Journal Sentinel that she did make that comment to a former administrator, Deborah Kuether, but claimed it was a false statement. Carr said she and Kuether were working together in a coalition and she purposely made a false statement to Kuether as "bait" to test whether she was trustworthy.

The coalition, Carr said, is building a nationwide movement to educate parents about their rights to get services for children with disabilities. Carr said she could not share names of organizations involved in that coalition and said it was separate from her work as a board member.

Kuether told the Journal Sentinel she had recorded that conversation in the spring or summer of 2023. Kuether said she decided to "release" the recording because she was frustrated that Carr seemed to be "talking in circles" in public settings. Kuether didn't say how she released the recording but it surfaced on Reddit in March, and Kuether subsequently shared the recording on her own Facebook page.

On the recording, Carr can be heard saying she felt like "Inspector Gadget."

“I bought a recording device and planted it in his office; I did," Carr said on the recording. "And I’m going to find a way to move it because I pick up on different conversations, like, I'm building my case on the inside.”

Carr didn't specifically say she was talking about Posley's office on the recording, but Kuether and Carr told the Journal Sentinel that Carr was referring to Posley's office.

A spokesperson for the Milwaukee Police Department said Thursday they were unaware of any investigations into allegations of a MPS board member planting a recording device. Wisconsin law only allows individuals to record conversations that they are part of.

On the recording, Kuether told Carr that she would not "reveal" her, adding: "That is the kind of thing that needs to be done. They are so crooked."

Kuether, a former literacy manager for MPS, has an open federal court case against MPS officials. She alleges that she was discriminated against for being a white woman and says she was retaliated against when she complained about the hiring of a Black man she thought was unqualified.

On the recording, Carr also told Kuether that she had more devices that she was planning to plant in other offices. Carr said on the recording that she wanted Posley and certain other administrators "gone." Kuether has publicly called for a "community takeover" of MPS, including replacing Posley and many board members.

Carr told the Journal Sentinel she did not in fact plant any listening devices. She said she and her attorney planned to listen to the recording to see if it had been edited.

Ahead of Thursday's meeting, Carr said she wasn't worried if there was an investigation regarding the recording. "They can pull phone, camera, records," she said. "I am prepared to fight anything because the bottom line is I've done nothing illegal or unethical."

Contact Rory Linnane at rory.linnane@jrn.com. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @RoryLinnane. 

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MPS board considers investigation into board member's conduct