Cincinnati Public Schools will use a $320,000 state grant to hire manufacturing instructors, buy equipment, and launch employer-linked training for students who have never had access to those programs in the district.

Gov. Mike DeWine announced the funding July 24, as part of $3.2 million in Career-Technical Education Access Grants awarded to 10 districts and technical centers across Ohio. CPS is the only recipient in Hamilton County.

"We have a responsibility to ensure that our students are prepared to take advantage of those opportunities," DeWine said in the announcement. "By expanding access to career-technical education in manufacturing, we're providing these opportunities to more communities across Ohio and helping more young people discover their talents, build valuable skills, and live up to their God-given potential."

The district will spend the 2026-27 school year planning the program. Students will begin classes by the start of the 2027-28 school year.

What the money covers

According to the governor's office, CPS can spend the $320,000 on:

  • Hiring and onboarding manufacturing career-tech instructors
  • Purchasing industry-standard equipment, instructional materials, and lab supplies
  • Developing curriculum aligned with local employer needs
  • Student recruitment and family engagement
  • Paid work-based learning with manufacturing employers
  • Transportation assistance to reduce barriers to participation

The grants are a partnership between the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and the Ohio Manufacturers' Association. Recipients will use OMA's WorkAdvance Model to build programs in coordination with local employers.

School site not yet announced

CPS has not said which of its 66 schools will house the new program. The grant was awarded to the district as a whole, not to a specific building. Withrow University High School, the east-side campus serving about 1,300 students in grades 7-12, has an existing career-pathway structure that could make it a candidate, but the district has not confirmed any site.

Neither CPS's career-tech director, Mike Turner, nor Superintendent Shauna Murphy has commented publicly on the grant.