Mike Moroski's impact on Cincinnati Public Schools: Antiracism, COVID-19 and more

Longtime education advocate Mike Moroski stepped down from the Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education Monday night to focus on his work at the Human Services Chamber of Hamilton County, where he is executive director.

"This has been a very difficult decision for me to make and one I’ve been considering for some time, but it is the right one for my family and for me personally," Moroski said during Monday's board meeting. He declined interviews with the press including The Enquirer.

Moroski joined the school board in 2018. The board is now taking applications for his open seat. Whoever is chosen will finish Moroski's term, set to expire in December of 2025.

To apply, candidates must be:

• A Cincinnati resident.

• Registered to vote.

• At least 18 years old.

• A U.S. citizen.

Interested candidates should apply by noon July 24. Applications are available online. The board plans to appoint its new member in early August.

Moroski is well known in the community for being outspoken about policy and equity reforms, among other, more quirky pastimes and passions. He's been known to post his thoughts and feelings on everything from LGBTQ+ issues to gun control on social media − at least once getting into a pretty nasty debate with the Hamilton County Republican Party on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Back in 2015, he dreamt up a retail store for when Ohio legalizes marijuana. You may have seen him over the last several years jogging miles and miles across the city as he's taken up long-distance running. He's also the front man for a local band, Jam Band Jovi, which plays gigs around the city and in Northern Kentucky.

Here's a look at Moroski's time on the Cincinnati school board.

An advocate for restorative practices and anti-racism

Moroski helped develop the district's anti-racism policy, which the board approved in 2020. The policy states the district rejects all forms of racism and aims to eliminate racism throughout the district by removing disparities in student discipline rates and hiring practices, among other actions.

Throughout his tenure, Moroski made sure to acknowledge student activists. The Young Activists Coalition, which has rallied against the continued presence of school resource officers for years, often thanked Moroski for his support − often lone support − in their efforts to bring more equity to Cincinnati Public Schools.

In September 2022, when the district passed a resolution committing to continue its school resource officer program, Moroski was the only no vote.

Data on police officers in schools show "a disproportionate impact on our Black students," Moroski said during a debate leading up to the 2021 election.

Moroski was also quick to draft resolutions that reaffirmed the district's commitment to supporting students and teachers of color whenever bills condemning diversity were brought to the Statehouse.

COVID-19 policies: Moroski was adamant about masks, vaccines

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Moroski voted most on the side of caution. He could be seen wearing a mask even after most other board members and meeting attendees stopped doing so.

He was adamant that the district come up with strict COVID-19 policies and procedures that would keep kids and students safe, especially in the early months of the pandemic, before many knew much about the virus and how it was spread.

While he was on the board, the district became the first in Ohio to require its employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Moroski even advocated, at one point, for a student vaccine mandate. That policy never passed, but Moroski raised concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in Cincinnati's schools.

"I just think it's only fair that everybody who can be vaccinated, we ask them to be vaccinated," he said during a board meeting in September of 2021.

He was frustrated when the district fought to keep its doors open despite rising rates of infection.

"If we don't shut down for this pandemic, the pandemic is going to shut us down," he said during a January 2022 board meeting, as the board discussed rising COVID-19 cases.

Moroski also texted his colleagues about his disapproval of some of the board's COVID-19 related resolutions, which were published in an Enquirer report in 2021.

Reshaping the district's policies

Moroski served as chair of the policy and equity committee for most of his time on the school board.

During his tenure he worked with this committee to update dozens of district policies. From one-word changes to full overhauls, Moroski led the effort to bring the district's policies up to par and in line with Ohio law.

His fellow board members often thanked him for this work at board meetings, as board President Eve Bolton did again Monday night.

"We extend our gratitude to Mike Moroski for his service, in particular his work leading the Policy and Equity Committee, which furthered our district’s efforts to prioritize diversity, equity and excellence," Bolton said.

A voice against Ohio's unfair school funding system

Frequent school board meeting attendees can attest: Moroski brought up Ohio's inequitable and unconstitutional school funding system whenever he could.

The state's school funding model was deemed unconstitutional in 1997. Lawmakers have tried and failed to remedy the state's school funding plan – which relies heavily on local property taxes and, some, including Moroski, say unfairly punishes districts in poverty. It is an ongoing issue that leaves many districts scrambling to fund their schools year to year.

Moroski even wrote an op-ed for The Enquirer about school funding woes before he was elected to the school board, in 2014.

"Cincinnati is a segregated city in a segregated region, and that should embarrass all of us. Yes, we are making strides, but we need to make leaps. I know there are a lot of really great people in this area," he wrote in the op-ed. "My advice to those people is to get involved and make yourselves heard. Together, we can right these awful wrongs."

On Monday, Moroski lamented that Cincinnati Public Schools will always have budget woes "as long as Cincinnati remains a city in the State of Ohio."

"It is not easy trying to manage a half billion-dollar operation in a state that has no interest in the product you work to create," he said.

What does Moroski think of the future of Cincinnati Public Schools?

Moroski said he believes the school district is in good hands. He's a fan of Interim Superintendent Shauna Murphy and said as much at his last board meeting on Monday.

"I have great faith in the future of this school district under Interim Superintendent Murphy’s leadership, and I have great faith in my colleagues to help create an environment in which she can succeed so that she can do what is right for students and families," Moroski said. "I have long admired Ms. Murphy and I am grateful to call her 'friend.' I think she is the perfect choice to lead this school district far into the future."

Moroski also said he's still going to be around. Through his role leading the Human Services Chamber, he will be in touch regularly with the district and district families.

"This district is a big system that impacts our families a great deal and when I am no longer an elected member of its governing board then I will have more opportunity to work with my 100+ members in the chamber to help CPS actualize its goals of equity and excellence in education," Moroski said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mike Moroski exits CPS. Here's what he did while on the school board