Most-read opinions: Superintendent Wright is gone because of her attitude not Cincinnati's
One of the most talked about stories of the week was the resignation of Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Iranetta Wright. After two just years, Wright stepped down on Wednesday in the wake of no-confidence votes from the district's six unions, which represent about 6,000 employees.
Commentary on the rift between Wright and the unions and her later resignation accounted for 50% of the top 10 most-read opinions this week. But the most-read opinion was the Enquirer editorial board's take on the situation, which highlighted that Wright was the latest in a long line of outsiders to fall victim to Cincinnati's parochial attitude.
"Let's be honest – Cincinnati can be brutal to outsiders. Our city has developed a bad reputation for how we treat leaders brought here from other places," the editorial read. "Wright, who came to Cincinnati from Detroit Public Schools, is just the latest high-profile leader to be unceremoniously run out of town. Some have said Cincinnati is a graveyard for the careers of outsiders, strewn with the bones of ousted police chiefs, city managers, nonprofit directors and superintendents."
You can read the full editorial here.
In response to the Enquirer's editorial, Brian Frank of Mt. Adams agreed that "there are no winners" in Wright's resignation, but he took issue with the board's view on the parochialism that exists in the Queen City.
"You have completely mischaracterized Cincinnati as unwelcoming to non-native-born Cincinnatians," Frank wrote. "I say the problem with Wright is her inability to work effectively with others. Every chance she had to mend fences with her colleagues, she instead brought out her six guns and, if needed, her posse of enforcers like she was the new sheriff in town."
Other op-eds on the topic that were among the most-read included submissions from former Cincinnati Public School Board members Carolyn Jones and Ozie Davis.
Jones said that four superintendents in five years wasn't a good look for the district. She called the school board into account for not giving Wright guidance on how to improve the "communication and collaboration" areas of her performance.
"The school board is responsible for providing a foundation of performance accountability for the superintendent, including alignment of performance measures that look to improve in those performance areas identified as 'unsatisfactory,'" Jones wrote. "The school board is compelled to provide and monitor a fair assessment of clearly defined goals, performance measures and benchmarks, with established timelines for achievement."
Meanwhile, Davis said the school board should have given Wright more time to implement her vision and work out the kinks with the unions. Davis said he viewed the dispute between the unions and Wright as having more to do with "power and control" than student outcomes. He even went so far as to call it a "negotiation tactic."
And he echoed a sentiment about the school board that many letter and op-ed writers have shared: "The school board seems to have failed to maintain its control over the district." You can read the rest of Davis' commentary here.
Tell me what you think about Wright's resignation by dropping me a letter or op-ed. Are you glad she's gone and the district has a chance to start fresh with a new superintendent? Did the district and the union's make a mistake by running Wright out of town after just two years? Do you think the rift between the superintendent and the unions could have been fixed? What affect will this disruption have on students, not to mention the upcoming levy renewal? What should the district be looking for in its next superintendent?
I look forward to reading and sharing your responses.
And in case you missed them, here a chance to catch up on a couple more of the most-read opinions this week:
Column: Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance's worldview shaped in his youth.
Letters: Downtown billboard sends dangerous message about drinking and driving.
Op-ed: Nonsensical government rules threaten CVG's progress.
Op-ed: Sheffler's arrest isn't surprising. Look at Louisville Metro Police history.
As always, you can join the conversation on these and other topics by sending your thoughts to [email protected]. Letters of up to 200 words may be submitted and must include name, address, community and daytime phone number. Op-eds are submitted the same way except they should be 500-600 words and also include a one-sentence bio and head shot. Submissions may be edited for space and clarity.
If you need some tips on how to write an op-ed, click here.
Opinion and Engagement Editor Kevin S. Aldridge can be reached at [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter: @kevaldrid.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: CPS Superintendent Iranetta Wright gone because of her attitude
