Wright debacle rests squarely in the hands of Cincinnati Public Schools board | Opinion

Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education will officially turn the page on Iranetta Wright's tenure as superintendent Monday evening when members meet to approve a settlement agreement with her and appoint an interim leader for the district. Still, there's much debate throughout Cincinnati about whether moving on from Wright is the right decision.

Whether you side with Wright or the six district unions that took votes of no confidence in her leadership, a few things are clear: the relationships among those charged with educating our kids is fractured, taxpayers dollars are being wasted and students are the collateral damage. Or, as Jerry Malsh of Anderson Township put it, "imagine the unimaginable pettiness of adults at the expense of our children's future."

The school board, which has mishandled the Wright situation badly, is now tasked with launching another superintendent search − a process the district's unions, parents, students and taxpayers can only pray they won't botch again. This school board has a lot to prove now, or they just might pay the price at the polls in the future. Don't just take my word for it.

Vickie McMullen of Price Hill said the Wright debacle "rests squarely in the hands of the school board."

"I, for one, when reelection of the board members occurs again, will rethink my election of many of them," McMullen said in an email response to the Enquirer's recent editorial on Wright's resignation. "This debacle and their unwillingness to uphold the responsibility of the roles that we have elected them to do for the benefit of the children of CPS is astounding at the least. They folded like a hand fan at the time when they were needed most to show leadership.

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"It is time for many of them to go," she continued. "Some have been there too long, and others from this episode maybe should not have been elected at all."

Brian Frank of Mt. Adams said "the root cause for this fiasco is the CPS board's ineffective recruiting, vetting and selection process for hiring the outgoing superintendent. They need to do a much better job. Several of them should consider resigning for this completely avoidable blunder."

Tough words, for sure. And while these views certainly might not reflect those of every voter in the district, a seemingly clear message for board members is being sent by those who've written to the Enquirer: confidence in school board members' judgment and leadership is wearing thin.

Here is how some other Enquirer readers have responded to recent events.

CPS has been ineffective for years in preparing, educating our students

The Cincinnati Public Schools District has been ineffective at having students ready to be 21st-century learners. As a district, they have been ineffective in securing teachers who will put in the effort to make sure that even our youngest students learn to read at an early age. This district has been ineffective for years taking the necessary steps to adequately discipline students with behavioral problems. This district has been ineffective for years handling bullying and violence in their buildings.

This one superintendent/CEO could not possibly be the answer to the many ineffective and dangerous problems in our school district. Many teachers and administrators need to resign. The school board needs to resign. We need intervention at the United States Department of Education to handle the civil rights issues of not delivering an "equal" education to many inner-city public school children. We need intervention from the top of this nation to fix these problems across this country to provide a quality education to our children and to keep students and families safe in our school buildings.

Time to stop blaming CPS superintendents and other opinions you read most this week

I'm happy to see (Iranetta) Wright go, but she was just another ineffective layer to a district that is drowning in problems. Parents and the Cincinnati community, we are also part of the problem because we have allowed this to continue in CPS for way too long.

Larae Dean, Avondale

Wright was dismissive of others and their ideas

I am the outgoing PTO president from Pleasant Ridge Montessori. I went to a couple of the coffee with Superintendent Iranetta Wright events. Whether she was responding to me or someone else, she had a way of demeaning people. I had mentioned how I would love to volunteer to help bring a program like Plant Powered Fridays from New York City to Cincinnati. I shared some of my personal experiences of how going plant-based had impacted my health and how we could help give the next generation a leg up and support lessening deforestation. She wasn't open to the idea at all and talked about how the program they have is lead by "an actual nutritionist," implying my hard-fought personal journey of reading research doctors didn't know to teach me was irrelevant. She was also dismissive of other people in the second event I attended.

Eva Borho, Amberley Village

Outgoing superintendent got a raw deal

CPS drastically needs a culture change. Been there, done that. Those that resist change need to go. Change is inevitable, and you must embrace it. I thought the superintendent got a raw deal. Hold the teachers and school board accountable. Get rid of the bad apples. It's not about them. It's about the students. They deserve better.

Gayle Paytes, Anderson Township

School board failed to help Wright improve her deficiencies

The resignation of Superintendent Iranetta Wright could have potentially been averted with more proactive intervention from the school board. Wright's shortcomings in interpersonal skills, characterized by a quasi-dictatorial and non-collegial style, were apparent early on. Unless these traits were deeply entrenched and resistant to change, the board should have taken the initiative to provide her with a private coach to address these deficiencies. By neglecting to offer such support, the board missed an opportunity to foster improvement and, ultimately, retain Wright in her leadership position. This intervention could have helped her develop the necessary people skills to lead the school system effectively and collaboratively.

Dennis Doyle, Anderson Township

Board doesn't seem clear on what it wants in a superintendent

The school board appears to have its work cut out to fix a mess it created, supported and enabled. Last week, I did a local radio interview and the show's host asked me what I thought the school board was looking for in the next superintendent. I told him I couldn't answer that question. How could I possibly have any inkling when it seems like the school board − which was reportedly split on what to do about Wright − doesn't have a clue what it wants?

Board members previously claimed they wanted a change-agent. As it turns out, not so much.

Opinion and Engagement Editor Kevin S. Aldridge can be reached at kaldridge@enquirer.com. X, formerly known as Twitter: @kevaldrid. Got thoughts on this issue or others, drop me a letter or op-ed. 

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: CPS board failed to help superintendent improve deficiencies | Opinion