Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Shauna Murphy unveiled a new strategic plan Aug. 18, the day before students at Kilgour Elementary, Clark Montessori and Withrow University High School return to class for the 2026-27 school year. The plan lands as the district opens Wednesday with 111 fewer filled positions, a $58.6 million budget deficit it closed through cuts, and a November levy vote that will determine whether those cuts stick.

The district held a press conference at 11 a.m. Tuesday to share the plan and updates on school-year readiness. Murphy has described the plan's focus areas as academics, student support, college and career readiness, and opportunities for every child, according to a June 2026 district newsletter. A draft impact statement developed with consulting firm Bellwether at a June 23 board meeting reads: "By 2030, CPS will be a place where every student is known by name, taught by a consistent and excellent educator and supported to stay, grow, and graduate prepared for an opportunity-filled future."

The specific priorities in the final plan were not publicly available in text form as of Tuesday afternoon. The district's preliminary framework, presented at that June 23 meeting, outlined three pillars: student-centered equity and mobility, regional hub development and coordinated student support.

ELL social worker concerns hit the board Monday night

The strategic plan's promise of "coordinated student support" met immediate skepticism at Monday night's board meeting, the last before school starts. Community members told Superintendent Murphy and the board that English Language Learning social workers had been reassigned from district-wide roles to single-building positions, leaving some schools without bilingual staff trained to support immigrant and refugee families.

"I fear that there may have been an oversight last week when our positions were redesigned to be building focused and locked in on one building instead of serving our ELL students district-wide," one speaker told the board, according to FOX19.

The district currently employs four ELL social workers. Twelve of the 111 eliminated positions were social workers, and the English as a Second Language Manager position was cut entirely. WVXU reported that bilingual social workers were informed the prior week that their roles were changing, leaving several buildings without their services.

Speakers also cited an April incident in which Gratis County police entered Western Hills High School to verify immigrant student information on behalf of ICE. The district turned ICE away, but ELL social workers provided emotional support to students afterward.

The board did not respond to the concerns during Monday's meeting. The district had not responded to FOX19's request for clarification as of that outlet's publication.

November levy tied to the plan

The strategic plan's timeline aligns with a five-year, 0.75 percent earned-income tax levy the board placed on the Nov. 3 ballot. If approved, the levy would generate roughly $74 million annually. For a household earning $50,000, the cost would be $375 per year. The district's announcement lists "implementation of the District's strategic plan with clear measures of progress" among items the levy would fund.

CPS Treasurer Mike Gustin said in a July 27 press release that the district has gone more than a decade without new operating money and that one-time measures and repeated reductions cannot fix an ongoing revenue shortfall. The adopted $634.6 million budget for 2026-27 includes five teacher furlough days and relies on $6.7 million in one-time revenue that will not be available in future years.

As we reported Aug. 5, the budget was built on cuts east-side families will feel this fall. Whether the strategic plan offers a path back from those reductions depends on the levy's fate in November.