Greg Harris on City Hall and Cincinnati Public Schools

Q. In the past when I have raised concerns about the public school system to council members, I have always been told that is an issue for the board of education. It seems once candidates are elected to City Council, the priority of our public schools is passed off to the board of education. If you are elected, what is your specific plan to have City Council to be more directly involved in the public school system issues? And will you regularly attend the board of education meetings? (Garry Smith, Madisonville)

We may have reached an era when a part-time school board served by members who receive only token pay does not cut it anymore. A recent performance audit of Cincinnati Public Schools by McKinsey & Co revealed a good deal of dysfunction between the central office and the board, including a lack of long-term planning, inefficient budgeting and human resources, lacking role clarity, etc. (Disclaimer: my employer, KnowledgeWorks Foundation, played a role in facilitating this independent performance audit.) Of course, the current school board's "discovery" of a $79 million deficit represents an oversight of such magnitude that it is nearly impossible to comprehend.

We may have to revisit the issue of State or mayoral takeover of Cincinnati Public Schools. Now please know, this does NOT mean CPS would be run by City Council. What it means is that a State appointed local board that is paid real salaries for their time is charged with CPS' overhaul via clear benchmarks and clear chain of command. (Earlier in my campaign I proposed that such a board be formed of corporate and community leaders to conduct a performance audit of City Hall to streamline operations, improve performance, and shine light on a culture of entrenchment that aways seems to outlast reform-seekers.) Now that such an audit has been performed on CPS (the McKinsey report), we might consider empowering an emergency independent board to remake CPS' central office--especially if the levy fails this Nov. (which would put the district in crisis mode).

Of course, there are ways City Hall can work with CPS. Our city-supported community centers house after-school programs (my son is bussed to one such program when school lets out). We can beef up truancy patrols. We can ensure that new school buildings or rehabbed building are consistent with neighborhood land use plans, and engage the communities that house them. It's a cop out to pass the buck when it comes to our public schools. City Council can and must be critical partners in ensuring their success.

Our teachers teach the hardest to teach in a city that is third in the nation in poverty. We must bolster their ability to do their jobs with community centers equipped to provide quality after school offerings, truancy patrols to ensure students aren't cutting class, and school facilities that are designed with neighborhood input and that serve as centers of community.