From the editor: After Wright's exit from CPS, we must confront our appetite for change

It was one of the most unsettling Enquirer editorial board meetings I’ve been a part of.

Sitting at the head of our conference room table was Iranetta Wright, the embattled Cincinnati Public Schools superintendent who was hours aways from resigning as the leader of Ohio’s second-largest public school district.

It had been a long week for Wright. The six unions representing the district’s approximately 6,000 organized employees each had delivered no-confidence votes in her leadership, and support was quickly eroding at the board of education.

Although Wright did not tell us she was about to resign, in retrospect, it was clear at that moment her mind was made up. When asked if she saw a path forward, her response was pure defeat.

“I want to be where I’m wanted,” Wright said.

The Iranetta Wright we spoke to that day sat in stark contrast to the confident new superintendent who met with us shortly after arriving from Detroit in 2022. My impression back then? She’s here to kick ass and take names. She was an agent of change.

Perhaps we weren’t ready.

Much has been reported on why the situation deteriorated. District employees painted the picture of a capable but noncollaborative leader who showed either an indifference or lack of experience working with union members. Wright said the no-confidence votes took her by surprise, showing an alarming lack of self-awareness. In our meeting, she detailed numerous efforts on her part to build consensus for the changes she wanted to make. She said she ran into a brick wall of “that’s not how we do things here” defiance and that employees confused her invitation to be heard with giving her “permission to make decisions.”

So what was it? A flawed leadership style or a workforce set in its ways and resistant to change brought about by an outsider.

“The truth is always in the middle,” Wright said during our editorial board meeting.

If we accept that, and I think we should, the CPS community needs to take this moment to reflect and come together on three key considerations:

What kind of culture do we value?

One undeniable lesson learned during Wright’s tenure is that it’s not enough for CPS’s next leader to have a stellar resume and a proven track record of improving student outcomes. Equally important is the fit from a cultural standpoint. But what exactly is the culture at CPS?

According to Wright, the culture was fractured. After her first 100 days, she told Enquirer education reporter Madeline Mitchell that central office staffers were disconnected from teachers and principals in the school buildings. She advocated for a "one CPS" vision that never materialized. It's one thing to say kids come first, but what does that look like in practical terms? Wright’s departure clears the table for the district to find that vision and reaffirm its culture.

Is the board up to the challenge?

Letters to the editor and guest columns published by The Enquirer have questioned whether the school board has the ability and intestinal fortitude to see the district through the transition. That criticism also is coming from within.

School board member Ben Lindy, the most vocal supporter of Wright, abstained from voting on the district’s interim superintendent. "The whole thing has been rushed and conducted behind closed doors in the middle of a budget crisis of our own making," Lindy said before the vote. “This is not the way to provide good governance for our district."

Are we ready to embrace change?

Change is hard and will always bring a certain amount of dissent in an organization before things normalize. You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, the saying goes. Those of us in the news business know all to well the daunting nature of change management and the disruption it brings.

Before hiring a new superintendent, the school board needs to take an honest assessment about how much change rank and file will support and the speed at which it can be tolerated. Then, the board needs to commit to standing by its next superintendent while they weather the inevitable storm of change.

Enquirer Executive Editor Beryl Love writes a biweekly column that takes you behind the scenes at The Enquirer. Occasionally, he shares his thoughts on local issues, particularly as they pertain to a free press and open government. Love also serves as regional editor for the USA TODAY Network Ohio. Email him at blove@enquirer.com. He can’t respond personally to every email, but he reads them all.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Editor Beryl Love: Iranetta Wright resignation tough lesson for CPS