Cincinnati Next Monday, more than 35,000 children will return to classes at Cincinnati Public Schools. According to district officials, the upcoming school year will usher in a “new era” that will be fraught with financial difficulties and major changes.
Vice President Eve Bolton of the Cincinnati Board of Education stated, “As the superintendent will tell you, we are entering a new era completely reorganized, restructured, and ready to serve our kids.”
Despite the district’s financial difficulties, Superintendent Shauna Murphy stated that the district is dedicated to making sure children are emotionally, academically, and socially prepared for the next school year.
See how CPS declared it prepared for the upcoming academic year.
Academic achievements
Several academic accomplishments from the previous year were reported by the district:
- The College Credit Plus program saw a 35% increase in participation, with 84% of participants being African American males
- AP access increased 31.1%, with 241 students earning industry-recognized credentials
- 889 students earned industry-recognized credentials and the Ohio Means Job Readiness Seal
- 20 students were named National Merit finalists
- 10 students received the Marian Spencer scholarship for full tuition at the University of Cincinnati
- One Walnut Hills senior received his bachelor’s degree
New middle schools, enrollment changes
With the east, west, and central corridors, the district implemented consolidated enrollment last school year to allay worries and facilitate the transfer to the school system. Families can choose schools within three corridors using this method instead of using a lottery.
CPS is establishing five new middle schools at Hartwell Elementary, Pleasant Hill Academy, South Avondale Elementary, Evanston Academy, and Ethel M. Taylor Academy, following the launch of Shroder Middle School, the district’s first middle school, last year.
Additionally, the district is constructing welcome centers at Withrow High School, Dater Gilbert A High School, and the Academy of World Languages School. Furthermore, CPS is increasing the number of Montessori seats it offers; now, nine Montessori schools and programs are available.
Transportation and safety measures
Students in grades Kâ6 will take yellow buses for the upcoming school year, while those in classes 7â12 will take the Metro.
Murphy stated that the district is addressing student transit safety in a different way, as Mayor Aftab Pureval had indicated earlier this week. He also mentioned that a small number of children will need to transfer at Oakley and Government Square.
“Metro cards will only be operational until about 5 p.m., and for the young people who are participating in extracurricular activities, their cards will look different, and adults will be able to determine who should be where when,” Murphy stated.
Additionally, she states that the Yondr phone pouches will be introduced in middle and junior high schools and will continue to be used in all high schools.
Additional changes
The district decided earlier this year that it will now hire school nurses for Cincinnati Public Schools. Every school will have social workers and nurses, according to the superintendent.
Murphy said he was confident in the district’s ability to retain teachers when questioned about staffing issues.
“Closing that budget gap was not without its difficulties. In the end, we might have lost five of our 2,600 professors due to the necessary adjustments,” Murphy reported.
Murphy added that in order to give additional uniforms and resources to students who could be homeless, the district is collaborating with Jobs and Family Services.
Funding challenges
The federal government reclaimed almost $5 million from the district in July, according to CPS, which funded 37 full-time staff members and educational materials for many programs.
“Our district decided to join a lawsuit against the federal government to really give the kids the money that they deserve,” stated Murphy.
Murphy said the district only got those cash a few days ago.
As the district struggles with state funding constraints, the superintendent discussed the value of community involvement.
“We do know that there are still people lobbying to destroy public education, essentially because of some of the pieces that are out there around being able to limit what kind of levies school districts can have, limiting how much money school districts can save over a period of time, limiting building usage in school districts,” Murphy stated.
According to her, Cincinnati Public Schools may be negatively impacted by all of those factors.
“We will work to keep our community and our families engaged in what we’re doing, specifically in CPS, and in the things that could hurt us and help us across the state at large,” Murphy stated.
Families can visit the CPS website for further information on questions related to the return to school season.
