Parents to CPS board: Backtrack on magnet change

Scroll to the bottom of this story to have your say about whether CPS made the best decision on magnet school enrollment policies.

CORRYVILLE – They rolled up in a yellow school bus about 30 minutes before the start of the meeting.

They carried a map of the city, a portable lecturn and a dry erase board, their name scrawled in big, black letters: Cincinnatians for School Access.

Then, they laid out three demands for the Cincinnati Public Schools board of education:

Acknowledge there were problems with the process – when the board changed enrollment rules for magnet schools – and that parents and community members should have been given more opportunity for input.

Enact a one-year moratorium on the new policy or find another “acceptable compromise” for the 2015-16 school year.

Hire a third-party consultant to ensure transparency and community engagement going forth.

CPS in August changed the rules for how students get seats at the most-coveted magnet schools, going from a first-come, first-served model to a random lottery.

District officials say the lottery is more equitable and will give them a truer picture of demand.

Some parents argue the new model leaves them powerless.

It was “unacceptable” how it was passed, said Jeff Cramerding, one of the parents leading the CSA effort. There were problems with the old system, Cramerding said, but the school board changed the rules “in the middle of the summer, when no one was paying attention,” and without a clear plan for a new policy.

Monday evening, CSA members were matched about one-to-one by reporters during a press conference. But the group as a whole is about 50 strong, Cramerding said.

It’s “parents from all across the city who were surprised and shocked by the decision,” he said. “CPS to date has done a very poor job of soliciting citizen engagement. ... It’s the uncertainty that’s causing a lot of angst.”

The district has been dealing with fallout from the decision since it was passed. Board members argue it was not done quietly, and that it was discussed in many public meetings before the final vote.

President Alex Kuhns said the board has been discussing the decision for “months and months and months,” but “we don’t get a lot of good attendance (at meetings) until after we’ve made a decision.”

Kuhns encouraged parents to attend a magnet information session, and to stay engaged.

Several of the CSA parents said they feel “tricked” by the school board. They made decisions thinking they were operating under one system, and now – just a few weeks from the start of enrollment, and too late for anyone to file to run for election against any of the board members – the rules are different.

“They might have great intentions,” said Betsy Sundermann, “but the appearance to the public is that it was done in a sneaky way.”

Rick Wolf, dad to a just-turned 5-year-old, called it “awful politics.” His daughter could have started school this past year but instead stayed in preschool an extra year, Wolf said. Now, he has to “roll the dice" for kindergarten.

Wolf picked three CPS schools he’s comfortable with, he said, and he hopes his daughter gets into one.

“But I’ll still be thinking about all the people who lost in the lottery,” he said.

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