CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Public Schools students returned to class Wednesday as district leaders unveiled a new strategic plan aimed at preparing every student for their future.
The unveiling comes as the district works to recover from cutting more than 100 positions to close a multi-million-dollar budget gap and asks voters to approve a 7-mill property tax levy this November.
WATCH: CPS unveiled a four-priority strategic plan as students returned to class
The strategic plan, which is still being finalized, centers on four priorities:
- Strengthening teaching in every classroom
- Creating a clear path to success after graduation starting at the elementary level
- Ensuring students are safe, supported and ready to learn
- Building a district designed to deliver results for families and students.
Superintendent Shauna Murphy described the plan's guiding framework at the district's back-to-school address.
"The promise describes what we want our students to be when they leave us. The 2030 commitment describes what they should experience while they are with us. So by 2030, every CPS student should feel known, valued and supported," Murphy said.
Murphy said the plan is designed to serve as a decision-making tool throughout the school year.
"It'll also give us questions to come back to ... the essential questions: Does this help the students be prepared to leave CPS for the future they chose?" Murphy said.
When we spoke with Murphy, she elaborated on each of the four priorities.
On classroom instruction, she said the district will ask teachers to use high-quality instructional materials that teachers helped select and the board approved.
"The second priority is around what is happening in our career and technical education world, what's happening with workforce readiness for our young people, increasing the number of credentials and career and technical education pathways they have access to," Murphy said.
She also said the third priority is regarding the "wraparound supports" that ensure students have everything they need to be successful during the school day, while the fourth priority concerns how the district does its business, allocates its funds and makes business decisions.
Murphy said the district is also expanding its approach to career readiness by extending planning beyond high school.
"We primarily focused on the high school, but now we're doing what we call a backwards design in education. We're even taking that down to the middle school. We're taking it deeper to the elementary schools and starting to work with them on what their future is going to look like," Murphy said.
She said the goal is to prepare students for a range of futures.
"We want to ensure that young people are ready for the choice of their future, whether they're going to the military, whether they're going to enroll in college or university, whether they're going to become gainfully employed or maybe they're going to start as an entrepreneur," Murphy said.
At the back-to-school address, a student voice cut through the celebration. Catalina Cardoza, a 12th grader at Hughes STEM High School, delivered a message to the adults in the room.
"Students need adults who actually care for them. Those that continue to show up every day couldn't work for all these kids to make sure they understand the material," Cardoza said.
A district leader highlighted a recent funding win tied to the career and technical education priority.
"A few weeks ago, (we) received a mechatronics grant for a new career tech pathway. So (we're) really excited about that," the official said.
Another district leader described what that commitment looks like in practice.
"It means that somebody is going to notice when their attendance starts to change, when their behavior might signal some kind of need that they're not saying," the official said.
Murphy addressed concerns about chronic absenteeism, explaining how the district defines and approaches the issue.
"You're marked chronically absent if you are a student who has 89% attendance or less. And 89% is not a bad threshold. Not perfect. Do we want you to be higher? Do we want you to have stronger attendance? Absolutely," Murphy said.
"But to your point, yes, young people miss school because they're afraid of what is happening in society. They miss school because they have doctor's appointments. They miss school because they go on college visits, which we encourage college visits, but they do contribute to chronic absenteeism," she continued.
The district is also pointing to academic progress as evidence the plan is on the right track. Murphy said CPS ranks No. 1 among the Urban 8 in Ohio for early literacy and saw a 33-point increase in College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness (CCMWR) results. She also cited a 9-point jump in third-grade reading and improvement in Algebra 1 scores.
Murphy said state testing results are expected in September.
The strategic plan is expected to be presented for approval at the next board meeting. Murphy said implementation details will be shared publicly through Student Achievement CAL meetings once the plan is approved.
The plan's rollout comes as the district faces financial pressure. CPS cut more than 100 positions to close a multi-million-dollar budget gap, and the district is now asking voters to approve a 7-mill property tax levy in November — the first time in 10 years the district has asked voters for new money.
Treasurer Michael Gustin addressed the district's financial approach.
"We need to build a longer-term view of our finances and facilities, and we need to look closely at whether investment, both programs and vendors, is delivering what we need," Gustin said.
Murphy said the district's focus on student outcomes is central to making the case to voters.
"The voters will invest in our district because they see that growth. The voters will respond to the number of students who are able to go out and work and get gainful employment or go to college with a CPS diploma in their hand," Murphy said.
The job cuts drew concern from community members and staff at a Monday night board meeting, particularly over the impact on English language learners. Murphy said the district remains committed to support in every building.
"We do still have school social workers in every single, every single building. That was a commitment our leadership team wanted to make," Murphy said.
She said she views the role of ELL social workers as evolving rather than diminishing.
"I see the ELL school social workers as having a particular skill set, and I see it now as being able to spread that skill set actually among more young people in terms of talking to them about the importance of attendance, in terms of being able to talk to them about their graduation requirements. I see their role as being broader," Murphy said.
District leaders also pointed to efforts like the CPS Safe Sleep Lot as an example of how the district continues to find ways to support families through community partnerships.
Board President Brandon Craig said the board's work is driven by a commitment to students.
"I want the community to know that's what you elected us to do — to make sure that our students get the best education possible. They're prepared as much as possible, and that we're doing the things every day to ensure that that continues," Craig said.
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