The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) Board of Education has voted 6-0, with one member absent, to accept an initial charter application from One City Schools, Inc. and invite the nonprofit to submit a detailed proposal for a possible partnership between the two organizations.
One City Schools submitted its application on Friday, August 14, after notifying the district of its intent to apply. The vote does not create a charter school; it opens what both organizations describe as a collaborative design phase in which MMSD staff and One City will jointly develop a fuller proposal for the board to consider later. MMSD’s announcement said that consideration would come in fall 2028, while One City’s statement referenced a final board vote expected in spring 2027. The process, outlined in MMSD Board Policy 10000, includes multiple reviews, a public hearing and an administrative analysis before any final decision is made.
One City currently operates One City Preschool, One City Elementary School and One City Preparatory Academy in Madison, serving more than 400 children, according to the organization. The schools are authorized as independent public charter schools by the Universities of Wisconsin Office of Educational Opportunity. Founded in 2014 by Kaleem Caire, One City says its mission is to prepare children from birth through high school graduation for college or career.
MMSD Board Chair Savion Castro welcomed the vote, saying, “One City Schools already serves over 300 of our community’s children and families. Bringing them into the MMSD family is an exciting prospect, and I look forward to One City and our administration working together to build a robust, thoughtful proposal that serves our community.”
Board Vice President Blair Mosner-Feltham said the next phase would allow for broader community input: “Advancing to this next phase gives us a wonderful opportunity to engage deeply with our community, explore possibilities, and collaborate transparently about what this partnership might look like.”
Kaleem Caire, One City’s founder and CEO, framed the vote as an early step toward a longer-term relationship. “We serve the same children and families as MMSD, and we believe we are stronger together than apart,” Caire said. “This vote is an invitation to build that sustainable partnership the right way: carefully, transparently, and in true collaboration with the District.”
Caire pointed to the organization’s history — including its role as Dane County’s first EL Education Network School, its Project Read AI partnership and its Science of Reading tutoring model — as evidence that a charter partnership could extend proven practices to more Madison students. He also sought to reassure current families that no immediate changes are coming. “This process gives our children, families, our staff, and the District real time to build something durable together,” he said. “Nothing changes for our Scholars this fall. We’re simply starting an intentional conversation about the future.”
MMSD is Wisconsin’s second-largest school district, serving more than 25,000 students across 52 schools and employing more than 7,000 teachers and staff.
