Cincinnati Park Board finds creative ways to staff the parks

CINCINNATI - The folks at Krohn Conservatory are getting ready for one of their most popular events of the year; the Butterfly Show.

"We're raising literally hundreds of butterflies, " says Krohn's General Manager Andrea Schepmann.

To pull it off, they need 12 to 15 new part time employees, but their budget has been slashed, just like everyone else's. So they got creative.

"We're going to cut our budget and cut our costs and still have the same level of services," says Park Board Chief Business Officer.

How are they performing this apparent magic?

They are partnering with the University of Cincinnati's Work Study program, bringing the classroom into the workplace.

"They will be employed by UC, and assigned to work at the Park Board," explained Horne.

Students will be paid $10 an hour.

"Of that, the Park Board would reimburse the university $2.50. So you can see, we're getting a great employee for a quarter of the cost," says Horne.

Federal Work Study grants cover the rest.

Lindsay Stock knows from experience the value of partnering school with the real world.

That's how her horticultural career got started when she was at Cincinnati State.

"I think it's a really, really good idea. I know I benefitted a lot from co-op's I did when I was in school," she says as she plants flowers at the Krohn.

The program isn't just for the Conservatory. The Board plans to bring on 75 students to help with park maintenance and their summer camp program as well.

"It's really a win-win situation," says Schepmann.

Any UC student who is eligible for Federal Work Study can apply for these part-time positions at the university. Several shifts are available.