CPS board to continue discussion on school consolidation after public outcry

Cincinnati Public Schools board will continue discussion on a budget that could include consolidation of some schools at its Feb. 14 meeting, after protests from community members Monday evening.

Dozens of parents, staff members and other community members spoke during Monday's school board meeting for more than two hours. Most speakers expressed disappointment in school consolidation and reconfiguration, particularly regarding schools in Walnut Hills, Avondale and Madisonville.

The school board formed an ad hoc committee 18 months ago to look at district programming, equity and planning. Part of that task includes addressing a roughly $100 million budget "cliff."

In response to comments that communities were left out of the process, board members noted there were 17 community engagement sessions where 343 people responded to surveys about the ad hoc recommendations. The survey found more than 50% of respondents showed support for school consolidation and reconfiguration.

CPS Superintendent Iranetta Wright said she asked for recommendations by July and board members weren't sure what the recommendations would be until they received them in January.

"Prior to tonight, it was shared with me that there wouldn't be a lot of concern about the consolidation," Wright said. "What got people here tonight was the conversation around consolidation, so I am so open to think about what we might be able to do to get more than 343 (responses)."

Board president Eve Bolton suggested another discussion during the next meeting, set for Feb. 14.

The budget recommendations

The federal government has been providing school districts with funds in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this school year, Cincinnati Public Schools received about $98.6 million from the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, also called the Esser Fund. The district is not expecting to receive any money from this fund next school year.

Some of the money was used for one-time expenses, some for new programs and ongoing costs.

District administrators reported about $63.5 million of the ongoing expenses can be made up for in other ways from other portions of the budget. However, they are recommending $22.9 million in cuts, according to district documents.

The committee is also trying to align savings with larger, broader goals it has proposed such as the creation of middle schools and creating a better flow for students as they progress from elementary school to high school.

Savings and other mergers

The committee has outlined a long slate of school changes, including mergers, for the board to consider. It has also presented dozens of ways to save money. Many may never happen because they depend on what paths the board chooses to focus on.

The administration reviewed "prioritized" requests focused on balancing the budget for the next school year, including recommendations from the ad hoc committee. The board is required to have a balanced budget every year.

Two of those requests are school consolidations:

• The Evanson and Fredrick Douglass consolidation would save an estimated $1,058,978 in staff expenses and another $400,000 in transportation costs.

• A consolidation between South Avondale Elementary and Rockdale Academy would save an estimated 1.3 million in staff costs and $100,000 in transportation costs. Committee documents describe a plan to split up the grades covered by each of these schools, but at the time of this report, it is unclear where students would go to school if there was a full consolidation.

• A "school phase-out" of Riverview East Academy is also listed, but at the time of this report, it is unclear what this would be for students there.

Walnut Hills' Frederick Douglass Elementary recommended to consolidate with Evanston Academy

About 30 Walnut Hills community members gathered Monday morning to oppose a potential merger of Frederick Douglass Elementary School with a nearby school in Evanston.

The merger is a possible solution to budget issues in the Cincinnati Public Schools district.

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"It's more than just a building, it's the history of our community," said Dr. Charles Dillard, an alumnus of earlier Frederick Douglass School who has practiced medicine in the neighborhood for 40 years.

There has been a school in Walnut Hills serving Black children since before the Civil War and Frederick Douglass Elementary is the historical successor to those earliest efforts of minorities seeking education.

"It's easier to build strong children than repair broken men," said Mona Jenkins, the Walnut Hills Council President, quoting Frederick Douglass.

Jenkins said the community was blindsided by this proposal. She said there has not been enough engagement with the community or explanation from the district.

The recommendation is to move students from Fredrick Douglass to Evanston Academy, about 1.3 miles away, and potentially turn the Frederick Douglass building into a school for 7th to 12th graders.

The school board is slated to discuss this proposal along with others at Monday night's meeting. The district said Monday before the meeting it had no comment on the proposal

"We're drowning our babies"

Jenkins said the district had known that the COVID relief money was going away and that it should have taken more time to plan.

She said this is an ongoing issue when it comes to education. Ohio ruled that the property tax-based school funding model was unconstitutional in the 1990s and yet it persists, she said, then came city tax abatements for developers.

She compared it all to a slow leak in a dam, but now for Frederick Douglass students, it's a flood.

"We're drowning our babies," Jenkins said.

Geoff Sutton, the chair of Frederick Douglass's local school decision-making committee, said students at the school in Walnut Hills school led the way after the pandemic getting a perfect score for progress and earning a 3.5 on the state report card.

Sutton said the school has been doing good work and he cannot understand how closing the school to its current students is an option for saving money.

Jenkins said the community of Walnut Hills is intentional and has worked hard to foster support around its children. On Monday, on the school steps, she said the community wants a delay in any votes on this issue until more information is available and more discussions happen.

She said the community wants to know the costs, the expected growth in Walnut Hills and how students will be transported to Evanston.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Public Schools to discuss budget, consolidation Feb 14