Firing CPS Superintendent Iranetta Wright after two years would be a big mistake | Opinion

Recently, six unions that contract with Cincinnati Public Schools have expressed a vote of no confidence in Superintendent Iranetta Wright. While this certainly speaks to the brokenness in our school system, I disagree with the "fix" that they are suggesting. Seeking new leadership at this time would be a big mistake and voluntarily put us right back on the path to student learning loss and low academic performance.

Yes, we have a budget problem. With or without a new superintendent, that budget problem is going nowhere. And isn’t that budget problem the primary responsibility of the district's treasurer? I keep missing why our treasurer, who reports directly to the school board (or at least that’s how it was when I was a member of the board) isn’t a part of the union votes. Do the unions have confidence in the board? I missed the vote on that too.

From where I sit, deeply trenched in a communal care for public education, this is more about power and control than it is about human resources or our students.

CPS staffer says Wright crossed a line: Historic no-confidence vote in superintendent should send a message to CPS board | Opinion

And what about our students? Would a leadership change at this time support their success? I believe the opposite will happen. Our kids will suffer more if we go seeking new leadership at this time. So why would we support a process that could cause more pain and trauma for our kids? Shouldn’t our students be at the center of these discussions?

This past weekend, while at Teen Leadership Camp with my youth group, I spoke to CPS students about this situation − students from Aiken, Hughes, Gamble, Clark, Western Hills and Taft. Very few students knew about the union votes. Several expressed that the superintendent "was a nice lady" who "listened to them."

"Do you think she deserves to be fired?" I asked. No one said yes. I think, because they, like me, believe firing someone is the last straw when teams are broken. I stand with what’s best for these students and every other student across CPS.

I believe Wright is a natural-born educator with a deep sense of love for our children, unique experience in teaching and principal leadership, and administrating school systems, who holds the highest expectations for our students and those that are responsible for their performance. No, she is not perfect, but she is also not a butt-kisser. Does she have some relationship building to work on? Yes. Does that mean we should fire her after just two years? No.

The school board seems to have failed to maintain its control over the district. If there is a lack of clarity around the superintendent's role, it's because of the board’s inability to determine what level of control they want Wright to have. Wright worked to change the system immediately, moving from a model of complacency (hiding behind being Ohio’s highest-performing urban 8 district) to one of accountability. This is what CPS needs.

Firing our relatively new, Black, female superintendent can't be the only way the teacher's union and others can resolve their concerns. There has to be something else. From the outside looking in, it appears that CPS performance metrics are trending in a positive direction. The budget issue is of great concern, but nobody should be suggestion that how the district arrived at this place is all Wright's doing. She definitely can't be blamed for the COVID-19 pandemic. Under her leadership, we have wins in learning recovery that has garnered national recognition.

This move by the unions is a negotiation tactic. District employees are scared they may lose their jobs as a cost-cutting measure to close the budget gap. The no-confidence votes also beg the question: How many of the 6,000 union members actually voted not to support Wright? So far, the unions have been slow to share just how many members actually voted. And I am familiar with the room where union members gathered for their vote, and it doesn't hold that many people.

Are kids are doing better despite the criticisms being lobbed at Wright − "administrative bloat," "a culture of intimidation," "an inability to be collaborative." Whatever gaps our superintendent has, it is the school board's responsibility to close those gaps or show some receipts in trying.

Change is hard. When the school board hired Wright, change is what they were looking for. High accessibility and public engagement were things many of us in the community were looking for. With her "Be Present" initiative, the district’s attempts at accessibility and engagement seem to be working. I think we ought to give change some more time.

Let’s revisit this when her contract is up − there is already a remedy there. Shortchanging our own process − and our students − is not the answer.

Ozie Davis III lives is Avondale and is a former Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education member.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Unions' no-confidence vote in CPS superintendent a negotiating tactic