Less than two weeks after the start of the school year, principals at several schools in the Cincinnati Public School District say the administration's plan to reorganize a handful of schools and move some students to different buildings has gone well so far.
Just weeks before the start of the academic year, CPS moved forward with a plan to move students from kindergarten through 8th grade at Riverview East Academy to Mt. Washington School to make room for students from the Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students, who were moved to the first floor of the Riverview building. The building will be shared by both Spencer Center and Riverview high school-aged students for the remainder of the 2024-25 school year. After that, Riverview students will need to enroll in a different school of their choice and the Riverview building will become the new permanent home of Spencer Center. The district plans to use that building to expand its enrollment.
The restructuring also moved 7th and 8th graders from Shroder High School into the building previously used by the Dr. O'dell Owens Center for Learning, which serves students with behavioral and academic difficulties to create the new Shroder Middle School.
Students from the Owens Center are now using the building that previously housed Spencer Center.
At the district's school board meeting on Monday, principals of those schools spoke to the board about the transition so far.
Spencer Center Principal Nina Ginocchio told the board students from both schools have embraced sharing the space, and while they're still getting used to each other, there are plans to bring the two school communities closer together.
"Our 11th and 12th graders from Spencer and Riverview East eat lunch together every day, and we haven't yet seen many students sharing tables but they're starting to come up with ideas that they want to co-host dances and social events together," Ginocchio said.
For Riverview East, principal Rebecca Wolf agreed saying staff from both schools have been working hard to create an inclusive environment. Still, Wolf says this year won't be easy for Riverview students who will all be heading elsewhere after the final bell rings next spring.
"This is obviously an emotional time for the Riverview community," Wolf told the board. "We are dedicated to making this a great year for our kids. We are going to celebrate the community, celebrate the school's history, and honestly just have fun together."
RELATED: Community group to hold listening sessions for CPS families
Principals from Shroder High School and Shroder Middle School hailed the launch of the district's only middle school as a positive change that has given students and staff at both schools more room while creating a more focused learning environment for 7th and 8th graders.
Leaders from Owens Center added that the move to the Spencer Center has allowed the school to offer more services to students.
"The space just makes it feel a little different for us," Owens Center principal Nicole Issacs said. "[It's] an opportunity to expand because we run groups, we run therapy, interventions, and the opportunity to expand our continuum of care for students who need mental health supports, I'm excited about that."
Board members told the principals while they enjoyed the positive feedback, they want to hear from them again later in the year to ensure the transition remains smooth.
