MPS moving on from director overseeing facilities during lead crisis

Sean Kane, the man in charge of overseeing facilities amid the lead crisis at Milwaukee Public Schools, is no longer with the district. 

The move comes two days after Kane, the former senior director of facilities and management with MPS, was reprimanded and fined by the state for misrepresenting his status after he didn’t renew his architect license.

Brenda Cassellius, the new superintendent of the district, announced the change during a press conference Thursday. She said Kane “will no longer serve in that role, and is separating from the district.”

“Leadership changes were necessary,” Cassellius added.

“As you know, we can’t talk to personnel matters,” she told reporters Thursday.

When asked for more information, Stephen Davis, an MPS spokesperson, said Kane was “separated from the district” as of Thursday. 

The shakeup comes as the district deals with a lead crisis. 

Lead hazards have been found in seven schools in the district.Four MPS students have tested positive for lead poisoning in recent months. Meanwhile, three MPS schools remain temporarily closed as lead remediation continues.

“I do think at this moment, it (Kane’s separation) was warranted to help move us into this next step,” said Mike Totoraitis, the city’s health commissioner. 

Some parents in the district, who have started a website and petition in response to the lead crisis, have been calling for Kane’s removal.

“Sean Kane’s ouster is an important step in the right direction,” the group Lead-Safe Schools MKE stated Thursday.

A March 19 letter from the state Department of Health Services to Kane said 11 district employees who had been performing lead remediation work may not have been trained to do so. 

Under Kane’s watch, state inspectors also recently found children were allowed to return to classrooms at Fernwood Montessori School that were still contaminated with lead even after cleanup work.

Leadership changes coming

The search for Kane’s replacement is now underway. Mike Turza, a formerly retired MPS employee, will lead the facilities and management department on a temporary basis, Cassellius said.

“I’m confident that the appointments I’m making today are in the best interest of our district, our staff, our students and our families,” Cassellius said. 

Cassellius also announced Thursday that Michael Mannan, who runs the Milwaukee Health Department’s home environmental health program, will work with the district full-time to address the lead crisis.

“His role will focus on supporting lead hazard remediation, reviewing cleaning protocols, guiding routine inspections and advising on the … MPS Lead Action Plan,” Cassellius said. 

MPS recently submitted its “Lead Action Plan” to the city health department. The plan, which is still being revised by that department, will include details of how the district will inspect its properties and how lead remediation work will be done in the future. It could include a schedule of future inspections.

Totoraitis said he believes the appointment of Mannan is an important step for the district. 

“He is uniquely situated to walk MPS into this next era of stabilizing the buildings and ensuring that this doesn’t happen again in 10 years or 15 years,” Totoraitis said. 

State order details reprimand against Kane

An April 1 order from the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services states Kane violated state law by not “accurately representing his qualifications to his employer.” It said he did not renew his architect license after it lapsed in 2020. 

Kane had been in his former role with the district since October 2021. One of the conditions of his appointment was that he be credentialed as either a “registered architect or professional engineer,” according to the order.

The investigation into Kane’s status began after the state received a complaint July 26 alleging he didn’t have a current architect registration. Kane renewed his architect resignation five days later, according to the order.

3 MPS schools still closed

Three schools — Starms Early Childhood, Fernwood Montessori and LaFollette School — all temporarily closed March 17 after staff with the city health department noticed lead hazards like chipping paint when inspecting the properties

Those schools remain closed as of Thursday. It’s still unclear when they might reopen.

“We want to make sure that we’re doing this work correctly, and that’s our focus right now,” said Michael Harris, MPS interim chief school administration officer.

The health department has already hosted lead screening clinics for children. Totoraitis said they want to screen more children.

“We’re also making the suggestion to have more screening happening for the children and the rest of the schools as well, because that’s the best way we can determine if children have been poisoned or not,” Totoraitis said.

There are 85 schools in the district built before 1978, when lead-based paint was banned. Lead dust is often formed as lead paint chips and wears down, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Children younger than age 6 are “especially vulnerable to lead poisoning,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Lead poisoning can affect children’s mental and physical development.