The Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously Monday night to approve the district's 2023-2024 fiscal year budget.
In August, Superintendent Iranetta Wright presented the proposed budget plan to the board, saying it would prioritize students and build a strong foundation for the district.
Over the past few months, the budget has undergone a few changes. When Wright first presented the proposed plan in March, it received criticism from some in the school community for attempting to reduce the amount of reading specialists and technology coordinators in the district along with other staff reductions.
Some of those positions were added during the pandemic and Wright says those reductions were made to prepare CPS for the loss of pandemic relief funding in the 2024-2025 fiscal year when the district is expected to lose more than $100 million in relief dollars.
This summer, the budget plan hit another roadblock as the administration waited for Ohio lawmakers to finalize its two-year state budget. Without knowing how much money CPS would end up getting from the state, district leaders were not able to begin working with exact numbers until July.
Finally, Wright was able to present a completed budget which now totals more than $609 million. The final budget is slightly larger than what was proposed a few weeks ago because CPS is putting more dollars toward expanding preschool programs.
Board members had stated in previous meetings the new budget targets the most important areas for the district. CPS is bringing in new graduation counselors and attendance social workers to help the district address chronic absenteeism and improve its graduation rate, which received a one-star rating from the state last year.
The plan also adds counselors and expands CPS programs for English language learners while maintaining some reading and math specialist positions.
The board's next meeting is September 18 at 5:30 p.m.
