CINCINNATI — Despite ongoing complaints from unions, an alumni group, parents and a mid-year job performance that had numerous low ratings, Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Iranetta Wright received a Board of Education vote of 'confidence' on Monday.
CPS Board President Ben Lindy said he presented the motion during the Board's public meeting in response to a news report about Wright's evaluation.
The WCPO 9 I-Team reported exclusively on Wright's evaluation last week.
"This is very stressful," board member Carolyn Jones said during the board's discussion on the confidence vote. "It's a shame that the public has to be privy to this."
Four of the six board members in attendance — Jones, Lindy, Mike Moroski and Brandon Craig — voted for the motion.
Board members Dr. Kareem Moncree-Moffett and Eve Bolton abstained from voting. Bolton said she has confidence in Wright, but considered the vote "an inappropriate use of board time and public time."
"And I think it's divisive for the board," Bolton said.
Moncree-Moffett said she believed the board showed support for Wright by having a mid-year evaluation that clearly established expectations and what's needed to meet them.
"We recognize that there are some challenges and we put into place the process to help her be great and, to help her — most importantly — support our students," Moncree-Moffet said.
Wright, hired a year ago, received ratings of 'below expectations' or 'significantly below expectations' for what most Board of Education members perceived as her failure to effectively communicate and collaborate with the board, staff and parents of students, according to Wright's mid-year evaluation.
Wright also received mostly low ratings for recruiting, developing and retaining staff, according to her review.
"People don't even know who to call anymore," Cincinnati Federation of Teachers President Julie Sellars told the board. "We can't even track who is reporting to what department."
Sellars portrayed the CPS district as an organization in a state of confusion, not following its own hiring policies, and not being transparent in how taxpayer money is spent.
"It's hard to track the spending because everything is being constantly shuffled around," Sellars said.
During public comments, several speakers questioned the commitment of the board and superintendent to Woodward High School.
"We, the (Woodward) Alumnal Association, is issuing a vote of no confidence in the Board of Education, Miss Wright and her staff as a whole," the group's president Eddie Hawkins told the board and Wright. "We are requesting a 90-day plan of action in writing within the next seven days."
Wright's mid-year evaluation shows how divided some board members are on her job performance.
In some categories, she received ratings of 'significantly below expectations' and 'above expectations'.
Comments by unidentified board members also reveal a divide in their perception of Wright's job performance.
"Staff have also expressed that they are undervalued, and are working in a culture of fear," one Board member wrote in the comments section of Wright's evaluation.
Another board member praised Wright as "an amazing leader."
"I have shifted some of my work in particular around collaboration with the Board of Education, our unions and school leaders," Wright wrote in a written statement emailed last week to the I-Team. "I appreciate the constructive feedback from the Board and look forward to continuing our work together as we provide quality service to our students, staff and community."
