CINCINNATI — The majority of a historic restructuring of Cincinnati Public Schools got the green light from board members during a marathon six-and-a-half hour meeting Monday.
The vote came after months of public testimony, requested changes from board members and responses from the district's newest superintendent, Shauna Murphy.
One of the biggest surprises for the dozens who attended to give public comment came when the latest recommendations, released hours before the meeting, revealed that district administration had backed off plans to consolidate Hays-Porter Elementary and Rothenberg."
Ahead of the meeting, Mildred Patterson organized a charter bus to transport interested parents, students, and community members from the West End, near Hays-Porter, to the school board meeting to testify.
"This school is important to this community because it's the only CPS school we have in the West End," she said.
Another highly controversial proposal involved Clark Montessori High School, Woodford Academy, and Silverton, but the final vote looked nothing like the superintendent's original pitch.
Instead of delaying the separation of Clark Montessori's 7th and 8th grades to create a Clark Jr. High at Woodford and Woodford's specialized programs moving to Silverton, the board amended the plan to leave Clark Montessori, Woodford, and Silverton unchanged for the coming school year.
"We're just happy to get back to normal, and the parents and the staff don't have to worry about the security (of) Woodford next year," Kari Bello, a Woodford Academy parent said. "I'm just thankful to the CPS board for hearing the concerns of the parents."
Clark Montessori is expected to take on an excess of students in the 2025-2026 school year, so board members directed the administration to consider nearby Bramble as an option for Montessori expansion.
#NOW: We're just now getting down to business after a flurry of passionate public comments. Here, I'll be detailing in a 🧵 the actions council takes chunk by chunk. The council asked for it to be voted on in sections so they can vote some parts up and some down if necessary.@WCPO https://t.co/7DvZ479YbL
— Sean DeLancey (@SeanDeLanceyTV) December 10, 2024
Bundle Four, concerning Withrow, Evanston, and Frederick Douglass, initially failed with a 3-4 vote but was brought back by Vice President Mary Wineberg and passed at the end of the meeting with a 4-3 vote.
The district will now be divided into three geographical corridors: West, Central and East.
The following changes have been made to the West:
- Ethel M. Taylor Academy will become a junior high school, with current students transferring to Roll Hill School.
- Western Hills High School will no longer teach seventh and eighth graders. Its seventh and eighth graders will transfer to Ethel M. Taylor Academy.
- LEAP Academy will add a seventh-grade class next school year and an eighth-grade class the following year.
- Sayler Park will add a ninth-grade class next year and a grade every year after that until it is a K-12 school.
- Carson School, Reese E. Price Academy and Covedale students will see attendance boundary lines change.
The following changes have been made to Central:
- William H. Taft Elementary will lose its magnet status and become a neighborhood Montessori school.
- South Avondale School will become a middle school, with current students transferring to Rockdale Academy.
- Hughes Stem High School will no longer teach seventh and eighth grade. Its seventh and eighth graders will transfer to South Avondale.
- Woodward Career Technical High School will no longer teach seventh and eighth grade. Its seventh and eighth graders will transfer to South Avondale.
- Frederick Douglass Elementary School will no longer teach sixth grade. Its sixth graders will transfer to South Avondale School.
- Rockdale Academy will no longer teach sixth grade. Its sixth graders will transfer to South Avondale School.
- Aiken High School will no longer teach seventh and eighth grade. Its seventh and eighth graders will transfer to Pleasant Hill Academy.
- Pleasant Hill Academy will become a middle school, with current students through fifth grade transferring to College Hill Academy. The move changes attendance boundary lines for students at College Hill, Mount Airy School and Winton Hills Academy.
- College Hill Academy will lose its magnet status. Its sixth graders will transfer to Pleasant Hill Academy.
- Hartwell School will no longer teach second through forth grade. Its second through fourth graders will transfer to Carthage School.
The following changes have been made to the East:
- Withrow University High School will no longer teach seventh and eighth grade. Its seventh and eighth graders will transfer to Evanston Academy.
- Evanston Academy will become a junior high school.
- Frederick Douglass School will teach students between preschool and fifth grade, including students transferring in from Evanston Academy.
Much of the restructuring plan will take effect in the 2025 school year.
A Phase Three plan will be the district's next major project, considering an infrastructure repair or construction plan, including a request for new levy funds in November 2025. In all, the redistricting plan is anticipated to cost around $200 million.
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