Cincinnati Public Schools Face $48 Million Budget Cuts

CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Cincinnati Public Schools will face $48 million in budget cuts next year.

The county has posted proposed changes to make this happen on its website.

At Monday night’s meeting, the school board listened to feedback from parents, students, and teachers.

The School Board plans to discuss the proposed changes and budget cuts again at a meeting on April 10th.

Residents will have another opportunity to express their opinion.

Several people speaking Monday night expressed concern about how these budget cuts would affect Walnut Hills High School.

Sylvia Nelson has two children who go to school.

She has “serious concerns” about what the school district plans to eliminate and how it will affect their education and other students.

According to an email she sent to the school board, which is now widely shared on social media, one of her biggest concerns is the district’s lower score threshold to increase diversity at Walnut Hills High School.

This, she wrote, “has the unfortunate effect of reducing academic performance in Walnut Hills, as students who score below the required score tend to need more support, which I understand you are trying to cut school resources.

“I understand that you would like to increase the number of African American students who qualify, but after examining the Committee of the Whole data, it cannot be concluded that a decrease in reduced scores will increase the percentage of African Americans in Walnut Hills,” she wrote. .

“In fact, it turns out that students from other districts (including AA) have higher passing scores than students from the district. This suggests that steps need to be taken to educate students before they enter 6th grade to make sure they have the skills they need to get the required score on tests. What actions are you taking to address gaps in education and training due to COVID in the county? What are your plans to address the fact that most CPS elementary schools have poor report cards?”

According to her email, she is also upset by other expulsion proposals:

• Summer Electives and Summer Recovery Classes at Walnut Hills High School
• Summer school activities on site, with the exception of summer school.
• Staff, including school resource coordinators, the College Information Center and mental health professionals.
• Walnut Hills Retention Policy
• Schedule E facilities for events and sports in Walnut Hills

“Walnut Hills has a proven model for success in the area and should learn from it,” she wrote. “In my opinion, improvement efforts within the district should be focused on reversing the learning losses due to COVID at the elementary level and bringing Iowa’s test-taking rates in line with results outside the district.

“We should not be talking about lowering the Walnut Hills entry standard, but about raising achievement levels across all schools so that Walnut is the choice for all CPS students. In times like these, these resources are needed to keep our students set for mental, physical and social success.”

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