'Morale is low.' CPS superintendent takes community, board feedback on budget changes

As Cincinnati Public Schools faces budget cuts and complaints about its new superintendent, the district's board of education pledged Monday night to work through those issues in collaboration with staff members and families.

During a six-hour meeting Monday night, board members heard from parents and teachers about changes to school budgets that might impact student class sizes, mental health services and summer programming. The board also met in executive session before the public meeting, to discuss "employment of a public employee or official."

The meeting was the first since the board received a scathing letter earlier this month from district and school administrators that accused the Superintendent Iranetta Wright of intimidating and micromanaging employees.

"In a district known for its collaboration, we will continue to collaborate as we work through these concerns together with all of our constituents," board President Ben Lindy read aloud from a board statement to kick off Monday's meeting. "We are committed to working with our leadership, our employees, families and partners and will continue to work as a team to ensure the students get the education they deserve."

School administrators list complaints in letter to board

Superintendent Iranetta Wright, who was hired by the board last spring, sent an email to central office staff in response to the administrators' union letter in mid-March. In it, she acknowledged her leadership style may be different from previous CPS superintendents'.

"Our Board of Education selected me to lead CPS with a primary focus on improving achievement levels in safe learning environments across the city," Wright wrote in a statement to The Enquirer on Friday. "As a 30-year professional who began as a teacher, led a school as a principal and directed transformation efforts as a Deputy Superintendent, I know we are all committed and want what is best for children."

But some staff members are questioning Wright's leadership. In the March 9 letter, union leaders representing more than 200 CPS administrators, principals and assistant principals wrote that Wright has created a "culture of intimidation and fear" in her first year as district leader, "embarrasses employees in meetings" and avoids collaborating with other district leaders when making decisions.

"Our number one priority is and should be student achievement," the letter reads. "However, all of the attention that should be focused on our students is not occurring because of the Superintendent's creating of a high amount of dysfunction and stress. We are truly concerned about our students as well as the mental health of (Cincinnati Association of Administrators and Supervisors) represented employees."

Parents, staff seek clarity and transparency

Several teachers and parents have spoken up at recent school board meetings to address proposed budget cuts and changes that affect student mental health services, class sizes and extracurriculars.

"Student-centered decision making starts with looking at each of those roughly 340 children at Fairview who need a reading specialist, who need ... to have those smaller class sizes," Fairview-Clifton German Language School parent Leslie Mooney said during a February board meeting.

On Sunday, The Enquirer was copied on an email sent to Wright from Walnut Hills High School parent Sylvia Nelson. The letter, circulated on social media over the weekend, calls for clarification and transparency on several rumored changes at the high school including reducing cutoff scores for admission, changes and reductions to summer course offerings, eliminating Walnut's College Information Center and other proposed budget cuts.

"I understand that you were brought into the district to make big changes and improve efficiencies. I regret that you are not taking this school year to observe and understand what is happening at the individual schools," Nelson wrote. "I would expect a leader such as yourself who prides herself on transparency to collaborate with the administration and parents to determine if these changes you are making will be beneficial to the schools, vs them coming as directives.

"Although this may not be your intent, the actions you are taking make it appear as if you have an issue with Walnut Hills High School and do not want our school to continue in its current tradition of excellence."

Nelson said Wright had not responded to her email as of Monday.

Teachers frustrated with top-down decision making

Nelson voiced her concerns aloud, too, during Monday night's board meeting during the public comment section. Thirty-six other speakers joined her, most of whom shared anxieties about budget changes and new job postings that are duplicative in nature, leading some employees questioning their own job security and efficiency.

Several of the parents who spoke, like Nelson, have children attending Walnut Hills High School. They spoke of the high caliber students who attend the destination school and the difficult admissions process that they feel ensures top-notch outcomes.

"I would hate to see that luster get smeared by watering down the academic standards," parent Michael Tombragel said.

Several school counselors and social workers spoke about graduation specialist job openings at some of the district's high schools. Those roles were not developed with input from counseling teams at the schools, they said. And the job descriptions are similar to the work those staff members are already doing, with two changes: lower requirements and higher entry pay.

"We need to be making trauma-informed decisions," Aiken High School counselor Jessica Porter said during Monday's public comment. "We should be adding school counselors, not surplussing."

Rees E. Price Academy teacher Allison Smith said she was disappointed in the handling of this year's budget. Her school didn't receive their budget in a timely manner, she said, and when the budget was submitted it included several staffing cuts.

"Buildings are being put in a position where they have to decide if they want to be staffed or if they want to have school supplies, field trips and professional development," Smith said. "Morale is low and the teacher shortage is not getting any better."

Cincinnati Federation of Teachers President Julie Sellers noted the 2023-24 budget is lower than CPS' budgets for the last eight years. She also voiced frustration with top-down decisions in the district happening with little to no input from her union members.

"We're not a failing district like we're being treated," she said.

Superintendent goes back to work, plans to meet with unions in next two weeks

Wright presented the 2023-24 budget Monday and acknowledged there are some changes needing to be made as well as further collaboration with district staff. She plans to meet with teacher, administrator and other staff union leaders in the next two weeks before the board meets again in April.

The budget is lower than in previous years. There are several reasons for this, one of which being the tapering off of pandemic relief funds that have bolstered programming in the last three years.

But there should be no net staff loss, Wright emphasized, due to vacancies. This year there were more than 100 positions the district was never able to fill.

That's one of the reasons she posted the graduation specialist positions, she said.

"I am concerned about being able to hire enough additional counselors and social workers," Wright said during Monday's meeting. There aren't enough licensed professionals in the area, so by taking away the credential requirement she was hoping to fill the positions.

The board put a stop to those postings on Monday, though, and recommended Wright increase the number of counselors and social workers instead, as recommended by district staff members in the field.

The board also suggested moving gradually toward smaller class sizes by overhiring for the 2023-24 school year, in hopes that by the next school year they will have the staff to reallocate additional teachers.

Wright said she is taking the board's guidance back to the drawing board and will have an updated presentation at the April 10 board meeting.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: CPS Superintendent Iranetta Wright takes feedback on budget changes