WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.440 --> 00:00:05.839 Collect all six of participating Skyline restaurants while supplies last addiction will charge the supply 2 00:00:13.320 --> 00:00:17.920 by Billy Cunningham, the Great American and read Spaceball off tonight, thank god, 3 00:00:18.440 --> 00:00:21.000 and they're going to rest today. Got the Pirates in town Friday, 4 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:24.760 Saturday and Sunday, then off on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in Cleveland, 5 00:00:25.079 --> 00:00:28.160 off on Thursday. Last three games in Saint Louis. One game out of 6 00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:32.719 the playoffs. We'll see what happens. But plus Bengals on Monday night against 7 00:00:32.759 --> 00:00:35.719 the Rams. All kind of good stuff going on. And as you know, 8 00:00:35.799 --> 00:00:39.439 the governor is with us yesterday and I had some reports he's doing much 9 00:00:39.479 --> 00:00:43.759 better today. So this is the second time the governor has had COVID and 10 00:00:43.799 --> 00:00:47.880 he seems to be in pretty good shape and we wish him the best. 11 00:00:47.960 --> 00:00:51.520 And in the studio with me now is Ironetta Wright, who's the superintendent, 12 00:00:52.119 --> 00:00:55.840 the head person at the Cincinnati Public Schools. And Ironetta Wright, good to 13 00:00:55.880 --> 00:00:58.520 have you in the studio, and welcome to the Bill Cunningham Show. Thank 14 00:00:58.560 --> 00:01:00.920 you for having me, glad to be here. Let's talk about some of 15 00:01:00.920 --> 00:01:04.680 the issues. Number one, the test scores and Cincinnati Public Schools we're not 16 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:07.040 good. I don't know if they've been up and down a little bit. 17 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:10.920 What do you attribute to the fact that, over a number of years, 18 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:14.719 test scores in Cincinnati, not just under your administration, you've been here about 19 00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:17.280 a year and a half or two years, but they tend to be in 20 00:01:17.319 --> 00:01:21.239 the f category or below failing. Why is that well? I think that 21 00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:23.879 there are a lot of different factors that we look at as we think about 22 00:01:23.879 --> 00:01:26.719 the accountability system. I think it's important that we are looking at how our 23 00:01:26.760 --> 00:01:32.280 students are truly assessed and what we're assessing our students on on the accountability system 24 00:01:32.599 --> 00:01:34.799 has changed quite a bit over the last several years. And then we know, 25 00:01:36.319 --> 00:01:38.840 just as the district was really beginning to see some pretty good strides and 26 00:01:38.920 --> 00:01:44.239 progress, COVID happened. And from there it's really trying to get back now 27 00:01:44.280 --> 00:01:47.840 to that pre COVID work so that we can make sure that we're seeing the 28 00:01:47.840 --> 00:01:49.560 outcomes that we want to see for our students. Now goal, of course, 29 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:55.760 to everybody to pass everybody's happy long periods of time. Urban districts, 30 00:01:55.920 --> 00:01:57.959 a lot of poor whites, a lot of poor black kids have more difficulties 31 00:01:57.959 --> 00:02:05.120 in education than other isn't it true that parents, mothers and fathers are the 32 00:02:05.239 --> 00:02:10.159 first teachers, the last teachers, and the best teachers. And in a 33 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:15.199 sense, no one can be blamed for failing schools if the kids shows up 34 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:19.039 not able to read, not able to come to school. What part the 35 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:22.639 bad parents play in this? Well, I think that you know, when 36 00:02:22.639 --> 00:02:27.680 you're talking about the specific populations that you're talking about, you're talking about norms 37 00:02:27.719 --> 00:02:30.360 that are outside of just what's happening in a day to day basis. Many 38 00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:34.680 of the challenges that we see with students, especially when you're talking about urban 39 00:02:35.039 --> 00:02:38.599 students, are talking about rural students as well, is that there is a 40 00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:43.520 difference in terms of how families and some of the challenges that they're dealing with 41 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:46.280 in terms of the family, and so thinking about that, it looks different 42 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:50.360 when you start to work with school many of the students. You're right, 43 00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:53.599 there are many students that don't come to school already on great levels. So 44 00:02:53.639 --> 00:02:58.080 it causes teachers and additional staff members that are working with them to really have 45 00:02:58.199 --> 00:03:01.039 to work even more specifically with the students to try to get them to the 46 00:03:01.120 --> 00:03:05.159 level that they need to be during the time that they have with them. 47 00:03:05.240 --> 00:03:08.560 So I think that parents parents. You know, I often say that parents 48 00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:12.719 they do the best that they can, and they do the best that they 49 00:03:12.759 --> 00:03:15.560 know how to do. So it's not necessarily my responsibility to say that a 50 00:03:15.599 --> 00:03:19.520 parent is a bad parent or not a bad parent. What I want all 51 00:03:19.560 --> 00:03:22.400 parents to do is make sure that when they send their kids to us, 52 00:03:22.639 --> 00:03:24.319 they share with them, do what you should do while you're there, They 53 00:03:24.360 --> 00:03:28.360 find a place for them to do their homework in the afternoon, They give 54 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:30.360 them the necessary support that they can, and that's a part of our be 55 00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:35.240 Present initiative. That's one of the reasons that we're talking about be present because 56 00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:38.319 for years, especially when you look at just the poverty rate in Cincinnati as 57 00:03:38.360 --> 00:03:42.520 a whole, when you're thinking about that and then you're looking at how that 58 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:46.120 looks in school buildings, we have many families that are working two or three 59 00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:49.599 jobs, trying to make ends meet, and they don't necessarily know what they 60 00:03:49.639 --> 00:03:52.840 can do to be present. Now, that's not all of our families, 61 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:57.439 and I don't want to say that there is that's all of the families that 62 00:03:57.439 --> 00:04:00.759 are in the district, but a vast majority of them, they are working, 63 00:04:00.840 --> 00:04:03.080 doing the best that they can, and so we want to make sure 64 00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:06.199 that we're partners with them and their children's education. All Ronata, did I 65 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:13.639 read that forty seven percent of the students are chronically absent? Forty seven percent 66 00:04:13.759 --> 00:04:15.399 this year? I think actually the number. I think the number this year 67 00:04:15.480 --> 00:04:18.439 is forty two, but that's accurate, and believe it or not, that 68 00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:23.519 is an improvement over last year. That's a seven percentage point improvement over where 69 00:04:23.519 --> 00:04:27.319 we were last year. Across the state, the goal is about twenty percent, 70 00:04:27.639 --> 00:04:30.160 and so we have all of the urban school issues that urban school districts 71 00:04:30.199 --> 00:04:33.680 and urban communities have, and that's one of the reasons that this year we're 72 00:04:33.720 --> 00:04:39.839 really taking a concerted focus around chronic absenteeism. And we also believe that it's 73 00:04:39.879 --> 00:04:43.959 important that we do that in partnership with the community because that's not just a 74 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:46.759 school based issue, it's a community issue as well. How is a community 75 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:51.000 how is the city of Cincinnati going to support us to make sure that if 76 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:55.319 students are not in school, that we're doing what's necessary to get them to 77 00:04:55.360 --> 00:05:01.360 the school building. If you overt chronically absent, I can't imagine when they 78 00:05:01.399 --> 00:05:05.519 do show up for school, how far behind they are and the behavioral issues. 79 00:05:06.199 --> 00:05:11.480 And to me, that's a family that's a cultural problem more than an 80 00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:14.639 education. If they don't show up to be educated, they got little chance. 81 00:05:15.079 --> 00:05:18.759 And so what what can you do as a leader in Cincinnati to say 82 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:24.000 this is unacceptable. We can't have forty two forty five percent not showing up. 83 00:05:24.199 --> 00:05:27.519 We can't have these kind of results. And so is there's something as 84 00:05:27.560 --> 00:05:31.000 superintendent can do with parents? And if you're sixteen years old, that's different 85 00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:33.399 than a six year old. You've got a six or seven year old in 86 00:05:33.439 --> 00:05:36.120 the first second grade, they're not showing up, that's on the parent. 87 00:05:36.319 --> 00:05:40.560 If the sixteen year old's not showing up, that's on the kid. So 88 00:05:40.720 --> 00:05:44.720 what can you do to motivate them to actually come to school? I think 89 00:05:44.759 --> 00:05:47.800 before we get to motivation, I think we can actually define what it means 90 00:05:47.800 --> 00:05:54.680 to be chronically absent and chronic absenteeism is defined as being out of school ten 91 00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:58.240 percent of the school year, so for us, that's about eighteen days. 92 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:01.600 I think it's important that we share with students and we share with families that 93 00:06:01.759 --> 00:06:06.480 any absence, whether it's an excuse absence or an unexcused absence, counts against 94 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:11.759 them being chronically absent, and so making sure that they understand. You know, 95 00:06:11.879 --> 00:06:14.120 if you take off a day a month, or if you take off 96 00:06:14.120 --> 00:06:16.000 two days a month, by the end of the year you're not feeling well, 97 00:06:16.040 --> 00:06:18.160 you have a headache, you have a running nose, you have a 98 00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:21.560 stomach ache. By the end of the year, you will be chronically absent. 99 00:06:21.800 --> 00:06:26.399 That does not mean that every student that has been chronically absent has not 100 00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:29.279 been successful. When you think about just the example that I just use, 101 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:31.879 two days a month gets you to chronic absenteeism, but it doesn't put you 102 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:35.519 necessarily in a place where you can't be academically successful. So I think that's 103 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:39.680 the first. We want to educate our parents, our students, the community 104 00:06:39.720 --> 00:06:43.079 around what it means to be chronically absent. I think the second is we 105 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:47.360 want to make sure that we are communicating with parents early and often about attendance, 106 00:06:47.639 --> 00:06:50.879 making sure that they understand that students need to be in school, but 107 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:55.199 not only do they need to be in school. If you're planning a vacation, 108 00:06:55.279 --> 00:06:59.600 we publicize our calendar much earlier. The calendar is online for two years. 109 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:02.160 Make sure you're reviewing the calendar before you plan vacation in the middle of 110 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:05.759 the school year. If a student is working and they're a working student, 111 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:10.439 there is a period of time that they should not work because they have school. 112 00:07:10.839 --> 00:07:15.079 The other thing is making sure that when there is an issue and we 113 00:07:15.240 --> 00:07:18.680 see it starting, because as the school year progresses, it's when we also 114 00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:24.000 see that the numbers begin to increase in terms of the attendance. We want 115 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:29.600 to make sure that we're doing attendance intervention meetings and planning with families, really 116 00:07:29.639 --> 00:07:32.319 trying to get to the root cause of what's causing the attendance, what's causing 117 00:07:32.360 --> 00:07:36.040 the challenge. Even with the challenges that we had last year with transportation, 118 00:07:36.399 --> 00:07:41.079 some would have thought that our chronic absenteeism would have been higher. We actually 119 00:07:41.079 --> 00:07:43.360 had a decline. So it's not where we want to be, but it's 120 00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:46.160 moving in the right direction, and I believe it's because we're really taking an 121 00:07:46.160 --> 00:07:48.839 intensive focus on it all. Right, another right, superintendent of schools in 122 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:55.279 Cincinnati yesterday Children's Hospital, which is a great facility run by my good friend, 123 00:07:55.360 --> 00:07:59.399 doctor Michael Fisher, said that all the staff have got to wear masks. 124 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:03.480 Do you see a time when once again, even though masks don't work, 125 00:08:03.879 --> 00:08:09.319 even though masks are irrelevant, even though masks are harmful to children, 126 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:13.399 that you may require staff to wear masks. I think it would be difficult 127 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:16.360 for me to answer that right off, just with me and you, because 128 00:08:16.399 --> 00:08:18.920 that's a decision that I would do in partnership with the school board. I 129 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:22.360 will share based on what I understand that did happen at Children's It's not just 130 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:26.160 about the expectations of the concerns around COVID, but there are a lot of 131 00:08:26.319 --> 00:08:31.800 different issues in terms of medical issues that they were looking to cover and prepare 132 00:08:31.879 --> 00:08:35.840 for as well. I'm hopeful that we don't go back to that space because 133 00:08:35.879 --> 00:08:39.720 I think that we want our students to have an opportunity to interact and to 134 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:43.080 engage without them currier against them. Basically, well, I think it depends 135 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:46.279 on the situation. It depends on whether or not if there is an increase, 136 00:08:46.320 --> 00:08:50.639 if someone has actually had a virus and they feel like they would be 137 00:08:50.720 --> 00:08:54.759 more comfortable wearing a mask, I feel like they should have the opportunity to 138 00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:58.440 do that, absolutely, but not mandatory. It depends on the situation. 139 00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:01.679 Now, what about tuition? Right now, my friends and Columbus have put 140 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:07.799 together that anyone and Cincinnati or elsewhere can get about eight thousand dollars to send 141 00:09:07.879 --> 00:09:11.799 their kid to a private school. Many times it's a Catholic school that's a 142 00:09:11.879 --> 00:09:15.480 first, second, or third grader, or go to LaSalle or go to 143 00:09:15.559 --> 00:09:20.559 Mall or whatever it might be. What impact has the tuition program had and 144 00:09:20.679 --> 00:09:24.360 attendance at CPS, Well, Billy, you know that I am definitely a 145 00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:28.399 public school educator, so I support all funding going to public school students, 146 00:09:28.440 --> 00:09:33.320 to support the funding to support the overall work that's happening with children. When 147 00:09:33.399 --> 00:09:37.200 parents are selecting to go to a private institution, that's their choice to do 148 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:39.919 that. But I don't think that public dollars should be used to do that. 149 00:09:39.080 --> 00:09:41.639 But it is. It is. That's correct. But you ask me 150 00:09:41.720 --> 00:09:45.120 what I think, and that is actually what I think. Is it hurting 151 00:09:45.159 --> 00:09:48.759 the schools? I haven't seen it yet. It's just started. In terms 152 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:52.200 of our enrollment right now, our enrollment is pretty steady with where it was 153 00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:56.279 last year, So we would have to really go through this year spend some 154 00:09:56.320 --> 00:09:58.480 more time looking at whether or not it has had a great impact on us. 155 00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:01.879 But do you understand that from a Columbus perspective, most of the people 156 00:10:01.960 --> 00:10:07.759 that run state government are from like Bucyrus and Aida, and they look at 157 00:10:07.240 --> 00:10:13.720 Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland is not necessarily in a positive fashion, and they 158 00:10:13.840 --> 00:10:18.399 say that if parents can get a tuition voucher and take that to Saint Susannah 159 00:10:18.519 --> 00:10:22.799 or take that to our Lady of Victory and get eight thousand dollars of taxpayer 160 00:10:22.879 --> 00:10:26.559 money, that do you have a concern that may I use the term the 161 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:31.600 cream of the crop of schools and Cincinnati are gonna lose the top twenty percent 162 00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:35.679 because you can go into a more functional environment, which is a Catholic grade 163 00:10:35.679 --> 00:10:41.320 school. I have a concern about it across the board because as the budget 164 00:10:41.440 --> 00:10:45.120 happened for us this year, the House budget and the Senate budget were not 165 00:10:45.240 --> 00:10:48.279 the same, and in order for us to get an addition the additional funding 166 00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:52.519 that we did receive, which was about twelve million dollars, the way that 167 00:10:52.679 --> 00:10:56.519 that was done was to agree to this universal vouchers. So ultimately, it's 168 00:10:56.600 --> 00:11:00.600 taking money from public school students, is taking money from students in the greatest 169 00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:03.519 need. So there is not a time that I would agree with public dollars 170 00:11:03.639 --> 00:11:09.039 going to fund a child going to a private school, whether that is a 171 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:13.200 child that those that anyone would consider to be the highest performing child, or 172 00:11:13.240 --> 00:11:16.440 whether that's a child that's more challenged. I don't support it. Thirty five 173 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:20.960 hundred kids or so I read that report, are homeless. I can't imagine 174 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:26.639 educational achievement of a seven, eight, nine, ten year old who's homeless, 175 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:31.440 living on the streets. What special programs do you have in CPS to 176 00:11:31.559 --> 00:11:35.519 help an eight year old girl who's homeless. So we do. We do 177 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:39.159 our work through a program called Project Connect, and through Project Connect, it 178 00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:45.440 allows us to really work with families, to work with our agencies that are 179 00:11:45.480 --> 00:11:48.879 within the city to make sure that we're working to help our families get sheltered. 180 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:54.240 Just recently, we had a presentation at a joint meeting that we had 181 00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:58.639 with the city Council and our school board, and one of the things that 182 00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:03.159 we're shared is that we see more students right now that are unsheltered. Over 183 00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:07.240 a hundred students in our district right now sheltered. So essentially that means that 184 00:12:07.399 --> 00:12:09.480 these would be students that would be living in a car, or they may 185 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:13.000 be living on the streets, and so we do intensive work with them. 186 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:16.879 Do follow up with the families. We provide vouchers for them in terms of 187 00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:22.080 clothing vouchers, in terms of food vouchers through working with our partners, we 188 00:12:22.200 --> 00:12:24.639 work with the Free Store Food Bank to make sure that there's food that's provided 189 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:28.159 for them. We provide what they need in terms of uniforms, and then 190 00:12:28.200 --> 00:12:31.879 we also want to make sure that academically everything that we can provide for them. 191 00:12:31.960 --> 00:12:35.960 All of our schools our community learning centers, so that gives opportunity for 192 00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:41.080 students to be at school longer sometimes so they're getting additional services that way as 193 00:12:41.120 --> 00:12:45.960 well. And one of the things that we notice is with our students, 194 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:48.399 our homeless students, and this was just shared last week in that meeting, 195 00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:54.240 that we see a higher percentage of our homeless students that are graduating than the 196 00:12:54.399 --> 00:12:58.759 national average, and so that really says that we are doing some intensive work. 197 00:12:58.799 --> 00:13:01.399 That work is lit by one of our team members, Rebecca Beach, 198 00:13:01.679 --> 00:13:05.200 and she's been doing it for a long time and has a heart for the 199 00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:07.399 population. I think one of the things that we want to address in the 200 00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:11.200 city is there is a need for affordable housing and so as we think about 201 00:13:11.559 --> 00:13:16.639 even our homeless families, that are able to get vouchers for a property, 202 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:22.200 They're not able to necessarily find a property where they're able to use the voucher 203 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:24.679 for that to happen, right right, correct now. Issue one's coming up 204 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:31.080 in about five or six weeks, and many on the Republican conservative side, 205 00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:37.759 I think it's evil if the school systems are making referrals to plan parenthood or 206 00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:43.039 transgender rights. What is if I'm at went through high school, and I'm 207 00:13:43.039 --> 00:13:46.320 a sixteen year old girl, and women have babies, men do not have 208 00:13:46.440 --> 00:13:50.360 babies, and a girl comes and she's pregnant. Would you notify the parents 209 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:56.519 of that sixteen year old girl that she's pregnant. So, I think we 210 00:13:56.639 --> 00:14:00.320 have policies and processes that are in place for what we can share what we 211 00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:05.039 cannot share. A part of this information came up because the concern was not 212 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:09.159 necessarily about students that were pregnant as much as it was about students that were 213 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:13.919 identifying with an alternative lifestyle. And there is a responsibility that educators have if 214 00:14:13.960 --> 00:14:18.240 there's something that's harmful in the Code of Ethics, they have to report that. 215 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:22.240 However, in terms of looking at this particular scenario, it's not one 216 00:14:22.279 --> 00:14:24.919 that's been determined harmful. So if a child is in trouble in any way, 217 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:28.600 if they're looking at self harm or any of those kinds of things, 218 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:31.679 then we are required to do follow up and follow up with the parents. 219 00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:35.799 Outside of that, not so much if a child shows up and says I'm 220 00:14:35.840 --> 00:14:39.240 a boy and I want to be a girl, and there's a clinic inside 221 00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:43.840 the high school, or would you notify the parent that a student of tender 222 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:48.480 years wants to become a transgender? Would you notify parents' guardians? Even with 223 00:14:48.639 --> 00:14:52.799 our clinics that are in our high schools, they have to have parent permission 224 00:14:52.840 --> 00:14:54.360 to go to the clinic, So that child wouldn't be able to go to 225 00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:58.080 the clinic and start any services or any of those things without their being parent 226 00:14:58.159 --> 00:15:01.679 noticed and parent permission. But once they get there, would you make a 227 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:09.039 referral to planned parenthood for an abortion without notifying the parent? In terms of 228 00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:13.000 thinking about what needs to happen next for the child, I think that collectively 229 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:16.279 their privacy expectations around working with children and working with families as well, and 230 00:15:16.360 --> 00:15:20.279 so it would really be important to make sure that we acknowledge what's in our 231 00:15:20.320 --> 00:15:22.919 policy for that and we follow the policies in the guide Lives. Yes or 232 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:28.080 no, I know that's your question. I know that's your question. Yes 233 00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:31.519 or no, I know that's your question. So you can't say yes or 234 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:35.919 no in terms of thinking about the specific question that you're asking. You know, 235 00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:39.559 it depends on the circumstances. It depends on the situation. I don't 236 00:15:39.559 --> 00:15:41.320 have enough information to know that answer. I don't know whether or not that 237 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:48.679 child is a child that has been a product of incests, if they have 238 00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:50.440 had a challenge, if they have been a victim of some sort. So 239 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:54.440 I can't just say yes, I would do this, or know that I 240 00:15:54.440 --> 00:15:56.720 wouldn't, because it very much depends on the circumstance. Now we have a 241 00:15:56.840 --> 00:16:02.480 terrible situation on the southern border, and millions and millions of illegals are pouring 242 00:16:02.519 --> 00:16:06.679 across the southern border, and Governor Abbot is declared in an invasion. We 243 00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:10.159 don't know what's happening. I imagine CPS is not like New York or Los 244 00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:15.000 Angeles, but I would assume there's hundreds or many individuals who may show up 245 00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:18.960 for education at the age of ten or twelve without educational achievement. In the 246 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:23.960 background to give them the opportunity to be able to read and to think critically. 247 00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:29.039 Do you have special if we have a duty legally to educate everyone that 248 00:16:29.080 --> 00:16:33.759 shows up your respective of status, because that's the law. How good or 249 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:37.720 bad is it if you have to educate a thousand kids from Nicaragua who show 250 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:41.039 up in the public schools without any educational background, what do you do with 251 00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:44.240 them? I think that's one of the examples, a very specific example. 252 00:16:44.279 --> 00:16:48.559 I'm glad you shared that because that's one of the examples of what makes an 253 00:16:48.679 --> 00:16:53.360 urban school district very different than a suburban school district because everyone that comes you 254 00:16:53.399 --> 00:16:56.759 know, when we think about Cincinnati, there has been an increase since COVID 255 00:16:57.279 --> 00:17:02.879 of families that are coming into sin Sinnati that are from different places. And 256 00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:06.720 so even in our own school district, we've seen about a forty percent increase 257 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:08.759 in our English language learning families. And that's what we call them, our 258 00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:12.480 families that are bilingual or multi lingual families. And you're right, we have 259 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:17.599 an expectation and a requirement to make sure that the children are served, and 260 00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:19.440 so we work with them in a variety of ways. We bring them in. 261 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:23.599 We do as required by the state as well. There is a language 262 00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:26.640 testing that goes along with it, so that we really can try to get 263 00:17:26.640 --> 00:17:30.200 an idea of where the students are, where they were performing in their own 264 00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:33.920 language, so that we can get them the level of support that they need 265 00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:37.400 and work to get them to proficiency. Social promotion, let's say you're twelve 266 00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:41.200 years old and you're performing at a second or third grade level. You can't 267 00:17:41.240 --> 00:17:45.079 put a twelve year old and the third grade. So is social promotion a 268 00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:48.240 fact at CPS. By know what I mean, you promote the kid to 269 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:52.440 the next grade level even though educationally they're not there. So last year we 270 00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:57.079 actually had an update in our policy because during the time of COVID there was 271 00:17:57.160 --> 00:18:00.920 a change in the policy. The goal was to promote as many students as 272 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:04.319 possible through COVID. Last year we had an update in our policy where we've 273 00:18:04.359 --> 00:18:08.440 gone back to really looking at the requirements that students need to meet in order 274 00:18:08.480 --> 00:18:11.839 for them to be promoted. I think that there are some outlying situations like 275 00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:15.480 the one that you're talking about, and so in those kinds of examples, 276 00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:18.240 we would work with students, we would work with families get a really good 277 00:18:18.279 --> 00:18:22.319 idea of where the students are, do individualized planning for them so that we're 278 00:18:22.319 --> 00:18:23.119 able to get them on track. I mean, there are a lot of 279 00:18:23.160 --> 00:18:26.960 different reasons that you wouldn't want a twelve year old is that should be in 280 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:30.000 the sixth or seventh grade in a class with a third grader, And so 281 00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:33.240 it's important that we think through that and that we're working with the students and 282 00:18:33.319 --> 00:18:37.519 the families and the teachers to get that done well astly. What's the ats 283 00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:42.640 So our graduation rate right now, it's about eighty five percent across the district 284 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:48.160 and a slight improvement we do expect moving into next year. I do think 285 00:18:48.240 --> 00:18:52.640 it's important that we clarify what graduation rate means because our students that come to 286 00:18:52.680 --> 00:18:56.319 school every day. To your earlier question about attendance, our students that come 287 00:18:56.359 --> 00:18:59.200 to school every day. Our schools do a great job of making sure that 288 00:18:59.240 --> 00:19:02.079 those students are promoted. They work with them. If they're students that are 289 00:19:02.119 --> 00:19:04.480 behind, they work with those students as well. But when you think about 290 00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:08.119 graduation rate, this is an area of education for our community as well. 291 00:19:08.480 --> 00:19:11.720 It's not just the students that are in the building. It depends on when 292 00:19:11.799 --> 00:19:15.880 students started in ninth grade. So if a child starts in the ninth grade 293 00:19:17.319 --> 00:19:19.640 and they move away, and they move outside of Ohio and we don't know 294 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:25.759 where they are, those students count against that school and the district's graduation rate. 295 00:19:26.039 --> 00:19:29.359 So it's really important for families to know and for the community to know. 296 00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:33.440 Most of the students that we have challenges with our students that move away, 297 00:19:33.640 --> 00:19:37.240 that they move, they don't give us any information. We don't know 298 00:19:37.319 --> 00:19:38.920 where they are. We have not been able to find them, so they 299 00:19:40.039 --> 00:19:42.799 count against us. As long as we can't say that this child went from 300 00:19:42.920 --> 00:19:48.200 location X to location why then they count against that particular school. And that 301 00:19:48.400 --> 00:19:51.920 is that's the national way that it's done. And so it's important that families 302 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:55.440 understand that. A right gam many questions for me about sports, politics, 303 00:19:55.559 --> 00:19:59.279 world capitals, something else confused you over the years. I just want to 304 00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:02.240 make sure the next time you go to Sawgrass you hit the ball from me. 305 00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:06.000 I've played there once or twice, and that's your kind of your home 306 00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:08.480 airy Jacksonville, Duval right, I know how much you love Duvall I do 307 00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:12.559 really, And then you went to Detroit. Don't you like Cincinnati? And 308 00:20:12.680 --> 00:20:18.799 Cincinnati better than Jacksonville. Listen, I love Cincinnati, but Jacksonville is home 309 00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:23.640 for me. There there are many things that remind me very much of Jacksonville 310 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:26.480 and Cincinnati, but I love it here, but Jacksonville is home. I 311 00:20:26.599 --> 00:20:30.160 run out, all right. Thank you very much for coming on the Bill 312 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:33.640 Cunningham Show. Thank you for having me. Let's continue. Bill Cunningham News 313 00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:37.799 Radio seven hundred w l W join the reddits for the final homes.