Cincinnati Public Schools is facing a difficult financial moment. The district is working to close a $58 million budget gap, and district leaders have warned that balancing next year’s budget could mean difficult decisions affecting staffing, services and more than 120 positions across schools.
Families are understandably concerned. Educators are worried. Parents are showing up in record numbers because everyone recognizes the stakes of this moment. And they should.
Budgets matter.
But as conversations around reductions intensify, I keep coming back to one question: Are we simply deciding what to cut, or are we finally willing to confront the real crisis sitting in front of us?
The budget crisis and literacy crisis are connected
While Cincinnati debates a budget crisis, our children are still living through a literacy crisis. And the truth is, these two things are deeply connected.
For years, families like mine have watched students move from grade to grade without truly mastering foundational reading and math skills. We have watched report cards tell one story while student outcomes tell another. We have watched children receive As and Bs while still struggling to read at grade level or solve basic math problems.
That is not just an academic issue. It is a systems issue. And systems issues eventually become financial crises.
When students are not reading proficiently by third grade, districts spend more later on remediation, intervention, absenteeism, behavioral supports, credit recovery and re-engagement. When students fall behind in literacy, they often fall behind across every subject. When families lose trust in outcomes, enrollment suffers, and enrollment pressures eventually become budget pressures.
So yes, budgets matter. But student outcomes matter too. In fact, they go hand in hand.
As a mother and advocate, I have spent years listening to families across this city. What parents want is not complicated: transparency, honesty, schools that focus relentlessly on whether children are actually learning and investments that make sense.
The question before Cincinnati is not simply: What can we afford?
The harder question is: What are we willing to continue funding despite poor outcomes?
That does not mean cutting nurses, counselors, social workers, or student supports. Those services matter deeply, and many students rely on them every day. But it does mean asking harder questions about whether our overall system is aligned around getting children to read and do math on grade level and whether every investment is connected to that goal.
Are we investing in systems that produce literacy gains? Are we building clear pathways for intervention? Are we giving parents information early enough to act? Or, are we investing in maintaining a status quo that too often leaves families finding out years later that their child was never truly on track?
Because if only a fraction of our students are reading and doing math on grade level, then we have to honestly ask ourselves whether we are funding success or managing failure. That conversation may be uncomfortable. But it is necessary.
Families deserve honest academic data
Earlier this year, I wrote about my own daughter receiving strong grades while still struggling in math because the real data about her proficiency was not communicated to me soon enough. I knew how to advocate. Many parents do not.
That experience reinforced something I already believed deeply: Transparency is not optional. Families deserve to know whether their children are truly on track.
At We Excel Cincinnati, we have pushed for clearer report cards, stronger literacy accountability, and parent-centered communication because when families have honest information, they can act earlier. They can partner with teachers. They can seek interventions before students fall years behind.
Transparency is not a burden on the system. It is a lifeline for families.
Cincinnati must invest in what actually works
And if we are serious about addressing budget concerns, then we should be doubling down on what works: evidence-based literacy instruction, targeted interventions, strong parent engagement, early identification and systems that actually track student growth honestly.
Those are not expenses. Those are investments.
Cities do not become stronger by managing decline more efficiently. They become stronger by investing in the future.
Right now, Cincinnati stands at a crossroads.
We can continue making decisions that protect existing structures without demanding better outcomes. Or, we can align our spending with the urgency of this moment and build a district where literacy is truly treated as foundational.
Because budget cuts or not, our children only get one shot at third grade, one shot at learning to read confidently, one shot at building the foundation that shapes the rest of their lives.
Years from now, our city will not remember every line item. But our children will remember whether the adults in this moment chose to invest in their future or continue investing in failure.
Terana Boyd is the founder and executive director of WeExcel Cincinnati, a movement of parents, grandparents, guardians, caregivers and community members united to demand change and excellence in Cincinnati’s education system.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: CPS can’t solve budget crisis without confronting student outcomes | Opinion
Reporting by Terana Boyd, Opinion contributor / Cincinnati Enquirer
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