CINCINNATI — All six unions within Cincinnati Public Schools no longer support Superintendent Iranetta Wright. On Monday afternoon, the heads of those unions said this has never happened in the history of the district and expressed why their members gave a vote of "no confidence."
Those unions include:
- Cincinnati Federation of Teachers
- Cincinnati Federation of Office Professionals
- Cincinnati Association of Administrators and Supervisors
- American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
- Greater Cincinnati Building Trades
- International Union of Operating Engineers Local 20
The unions acknowledge the votes of no confidence may be symbolic, but we could find out this week how much weight it holds as the Cincinnati Board of Education is scheduled to have a special meeting Wednesday, May 15.
"This is enough, something has got to change," said Jeff Crystal, member of the Cincinnati Association of Administrators and Supervisors.
"In many ways, those issues are worse," said Michael Turner, president of the Cincinnati Association of Administrators.
Turner expressed how his nearly 300 members expressed "little to know collaboration," and a culture of micromanaging.
"Collaboration does not mean telling someone this is what’s going to occur. It is working with people," Turner said. "There has to be change, all of us are not wrong."
Emily Bell, regional vice president of AFSCME, said her union feels Wright has "dismissed" their concerns without truly hearing them.
“While our local union members and leadership have tried repeatedly to communicate with transparency we have not been shown the same respect," she said.
Bell said her nearly 1500 members of custodians, maintenance workers, paras and sign language interpreters expressed working in an unsafe, unstable environment.
"We can't afford another year," said Julie Sellers, president of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers.
Sellers said her members expressed a "culture of intimidation and fear," as well as what they feel is a "bloating of administrative positions" and financial mismanagement.
“For the past two years under Superintendent Wright, she has not moved our district forward and the issues she reports that she could improve was communication and culture. We have become significantly worse under her leadership," Sellers said.
Sellers and Turner said the unions have never had such a "broken relationship" with a superintendent than Wright.
“We’ve again, had no issues like this with previous superintendents," Turner said.
We reached out to every member of the Cincinnati Board of Education. Board President Eve Bolton was the only one who responded by saying, "Our meeting has concluded and the Board has no statement at this time. Another noticed meeting has been planned for some time for Wednesday the 15th."
Bolton was referring to an executive session Monday morning with the board where they were discussing the employment of a district employee.
Three members of CPS, including Bolton, previously spoke to the WCPO 9 News I-Team about Wright's tenure and relationship with the board.
"I think she's tougher than this district is used to there's no question about that," Bolton said at the time.
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When asked if Wright's been a good superintendent, Bolton said, "Yes, I think she's been a very good superintendent."
"I wish it was more collaborative and informative and cohesive," said Dr. Kareem Moffett, CPS board member.
Moffett also said Wright needed to improve her relationship with the board.
"I'm very proud she's our superintendent, I think she brings an incredible background and experience," said Ben Lindy, CPS board member.
On Wright's mid-year and full-year evaluations from the board, she received overall "satisfactory" ratings, but received her lowest marks for culture and collaboration.
"Those are weaknesses that we probably should've realized more so than we did from her background," Bolton said at the time.
In a statement late Wednesday after the press conference with all six unions with the district, Wright released a statement saying:
"I was disappointed to learn of the outcome of the votes of confidence in my leadership. It is an unfortunate step at a time when our collaboration on behalf of students is vitally necessary.
Since March 2023, I have met consistently with union leadership, requested their voice and input in our district decisions and asked for ongoing feedback. I have accepted and addressed their concerns. While the outcome may not have always been their choice,
I have been responsive and transparent. Until two weeks ago, when the unions reached out directly to the board, I believed we were having open and honest dialogue and building the trust necessary to move our District forward. I’m committed to redoubling efforts to bring us together. No one knows better than I do that every step ahead of us relies on our hardworking teachers, principals and staff.
It will take all of us, working together, to get where we need to go for our students. We’ve begun that journey, but we have much further to go. Now cannot be a time of division.
My focus remains steadfast, working with all our stakeholders on the continuous improvement of our students and our District.
It is my hope that we can come together to continue the momentum and build on the progress made by keeping students at the center of our future decisions and actions."
