Students in Cincinnati Public Schools returned to class on Wednesday.
Over the summer, CPS leaders were busy working to close the district's multi-million dollar budget gap brought on by the loss of pandemic emergency relief funding, which will dry out this fall.
The loss of funds forced the district to make reductions in several areas, including transportation, health services, and management. On top of that, CPS has a new leader in Interim Superintendent Shauna Murphy, who was appointed to the top job by the Board of Education in May.
Murphy, a long-time CPS employee, used the first day of school to visit students and teachers at Bond Hill Academy and Woodward Career Technical High School, where she answered questions about the changes in the school system this year.
Changes, and some updates
According to Murphy, her first school year as the head of the district is off to a good start. Last month, CPS announced all 7th and 8th graders would have to ride Metro buses to school instead of yellow buses due to budget cuts. While the move is an adjustment for some students, Murphy says families are handling it well, and Metro is working to make the transition easier by assisting students at schools and transportation hubs in the city.
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CPS will also start the school year with fewer nurses in its buildings than in the years immediately following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Murphy says despite the change, schools won't go without health professionals.
"We went back to the model we had pre-COVID where we also employed LPNs and school-based health assistants to help with distributing medications," Murphy told WVXU. "We feel very confident that no child's medical needs will go unmet this year."
Murphy also says CPS is still working to follow through on its obligation to get free menstrual products in bathrooms at all of its schools. Before the start of the 2023-2024 school year, Ohio allocated millions of dollars for schools to purchase period products. While CPS doesn't have them available in every bathroom yet, Murphy says students can still access them.
"We're in the process of putting canisters in the bathrooms," Murphy said. "But in the meantime, teachers have them, resources coordinators have them, administrators have them for ease of students' use."
Another change is the district's new cellphone policy. This year, schools in Ohio are required to establish more uniform rules around student cellphone use. CPS is drawing influence from a pilot program used at Hughes High School last year that made students put their phones in secured pouches during the day to limit access to their devices. School leaders called the program successful and decided to purchase pouches for every high school student district-wide. As of the first day of school, several schools already have the pouches while others are waiting for them to arrive. CPS says its new cellphone policy will be implemented over time once those pouches arrive.
One of the most notable changes this school year is the district's reorganization of several school buildings, which was put in motion just weeks before the first bell rang. The reorganization moved several schools into different existing buildings and launched CPS' only middle school, now comprised of 7th and 8th graders from Shroder High School.
RELATED: What's new for Cincinnati Public School students this fall
The plan, which was presented as a way to better utilize school buildings, was met with resistance by some teachers and community members. It was also challenged by some on the school board who questioned Murphy's decision to move forward with the reorganization despite holding an interim position. Still, Murphy says she knows the district well and felt it was the right time for the school system's long-term health.
"If not now, when?" Murphy said. "I've been a part of this district for 25 years as an employee, but also, I spent time as a student; I have a child who graduated from Cincinnati Public Schools, and I have grandchildren in Cincinnati Public Schools. This is the school district I care about and if we can make these changes that are good for kids, then why not?"
It's likely similar changes are on the way. Murphy says her goal is to expand CPS middle schools and have more buildings dedicated to students in the 7th and 8th grades in the coming years.
