If you were recently one of the hundreds laid off at Chicago Public Schools, Milwaukee may have a place for you.
Milwaukee Public Schools is hosting a hiring fair in Lakeview this week targeting “displaced” CPS teachers. Milwaukee district staff will conduct on-site interviews and make offers on the spot, the officials said.
CPS laid off more than 700 teachers and 800 support staff earlier this month, in part to help plug a $732 million budget deficit.
MPS human resources chief Dominick Maniscalco acknowledged the district is trying to tap Chicago’s talent pool. “Oh, I won’t sugarcoat it. That’s exactly what we’re doing,” Maniscalco said.
Unlike CPS, Milwaukee doesn’t require its teachers to reside within city limits — or even within Wisconsin. Maniscalco, who lives in Skokie, said the commute is easier than some would expect.
“I do the commute every day, and it’s such a great drive,” he said. “It’s reverse traffic, and this is an amazing school system.”
With 65,000 students and 150 schools, MPS is about a fifth the size of CPS. The district is aiming to fill 200 open teacher positions and 150 paraprofessional positions across all grades. Milwaukee boasts “excellent benefits and a pay structure that rewards teacher longevity and continued education,” according to the district.
By midday on Wednesday, the hiring fair at Hotel Zachary was sparse. Seven attendees walked away with teaching job offers, Maniscalco said, adding that he was excited because the event was already successful.
“I hope we can get to maybe like 10 or 15 today, and it is our hope that … we’ll have a big turnaround tomorrow,” Maniscalco said. “But you know, even if we have 10 today, that’s 10 educators, that’s 10 teachers that are going to be in classrooms, that are going to be teaching 30 kids to read.”
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Social studies teacher Andrew Merklinghaus was one of those laid-off CPS educators who received an offer from MPS on Wednesday. The job offer, although not for a social studies teacher position, is a good option, he said, even though it could mean potentially uprooting his life or facing a multi-hour commute to work.
“With the school year coming up — CPS starts in two weeks — I need a job. (The offer) is very nice to be able to have going on,” Merklinghaus said.
MPS organized the hiring fair after learning about the CPS layoffs, Maniscalco said, noting that “everyone is aware of what’s going on in Chicago.”
A CPS spokesperson said in a statement that “Chicago is a world-class city with a dynamic school system,” noting that the district is also hiring to fill nearly 1,500 vacancies next school year.
“We’re proud to work with a dedicated teaching workforce that goes the extra mile for students — and doesn’t need to travel any extra miles to do it,” the statement said.
The district’s finances are under pressure from billions of long-term debt, rising costs and aging buildings. In addition to layoffs, its proposed 2026-27 budget includes department cuts and a midyear spending freeze.
Many of CPS’ layoffs were part of the district’s annual budgeting process, where staffing is adjusted based on shifting student needs and enrollment. Historically, 65% to 85% of affected teachers are rehired elsewhere in the district, according to CPS. In all, district-managed schools are down by only 164 positions compared with last year, largely due to a boost in special education staffing.
The Chicago Board of Education is slated to vote on the proposed $9.96 billion budget Thursday.
Also on Thursday, MPS’ hiring fair continues at the Hotel Zachary in Lakeview from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Even though MPS did not have any social studies positions open, Merklinghaus said it’s still nice to have a space where teachers — especially laid-off CPS educators — can be seen for job opportunities.
“It’d be a good option for teachers to have to be able to come out here. There’s a lot of talent in Chicago that just gets kind of ignored,” Merklinghaus said.