Schools’ Progress Seen in Individuals, Says Board Prez

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Huge deficits connected with inflation; voters to decide on first new operating levy since 2000

Hamilton county voters will decide on Tuesday, March 4, whether or not public schools are worthy of receiving a boost to cut into the $72 million deficit they’ll be facing by the end of the 2008-2009 school year.

Proponents of the levy say most citizens do not understand how financial support of public schools works. They explain that when a school district doesn’t perform well on state tests, tax payers become impatient and hold it against the school system, as if it were a report card. This causes many to feel that a levy is undeserved, as was reflected in the November 2007 levy’s failure.

Eve Bolton, the new president of the Cincinnati Public Schools Board, argues that putting trust in state tests is not a reliable measure for progress. She says public schools are being disadvantaged by “ridiculous state tests that frankly drive curriculum down.”

Despite the story told by controversial state testing standards, Bolton says, the new concept of Value Added measurements within public schools tell a different tale.

According to Value Added findings, the results for elementary schools performing lowest in state testing are actually showing the most progress in terms of yearly individual student growth. "Value Added" judgements use a variety of tests to measure how much growth should be expected for individual students within a year’s time.

Bolton further cites graduation rates that have improved from 51% in 2000, to 79% in 2007, as well as the elimination of the racial gap between students, as indicators of progress. Due to this progress, levy proponents argue, CPS deserves the funds that would be made available by the levy.

“If charter schools were to close, it would cost the state approximately $300 million to reintegrate charter students back into the traditional public schools,” says President of OAPCS, William Simms, in an statement.

Total and per pupil spending within CPS have both increased since charter schools were initiated 13 years ago, by 26.3% and 79.5%, respectively, according the report.

There has been more money to distribute amongst a smaller CPS student body, since 1995, when many students began leaving CPS for charter schools. The locally raised funds remained with CPS.

Despite extra local funds Walsh points to the lack of an inflationary growth rate on property taxes when explaining the cause of the deficit. Millage --or property tax rates -- always remains the same, she explains. This means CPS continues to get the same amount of money from taxes even as inflation occurs.

With a fixed amount of money coming in through tax millage, and coinciding rising inflation, it has been difficult for CPS to adjust to this growing imbalance. In response to this, CPS has cut 1,300 staff since 2003, according to Walsh.

Covering expenses like rising school utilities, employee health care and teacher’s salaries, while also struggling with a fixed level of funding, has strained the budget for CPS.

Walsh says CPS has reached the point where they cannot make more cuts without seriously hurting educational quality; this is the essential reason supporters say they are pushing for the levy.

Public schools’ staff has suggested permanent budget cuts of over $30 million, regardless of whether or not the levy passes. Such cuts would avoid affecting the core of the school system: students and teachers.

The proposed levy is the first supporting new revenue since 2000. If the levy does not pass, the board says, there will be $26 million more in cuts. Proponents say this will affect class size which are crucial to student success.

The plan to counter this coming deficit must be in place by June 2008.

editors@queencityforum.com

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