Thursday, July 22, 1999
City schools consider teaming with Great Oaks
BY DANA DiFILIPPO
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati Public Schools may partner with the Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development to improve the district's vocational education offerings.
Cincinnati Superintendent Steven Adamowski has proposed allowing up to about 40 CPS 11th- and 12th-graders to attend Great Oaks programs this fall. Under such a “consortium agreement,” the sending district pays $2,939 per pupil. CPS now spends about $5,200 per student in its vocational programs.
If that's successful, Mr. Adam-
owski said, the district could expand its partnership with Great Oaks next year.
Board members might vote Mon day on the recommendation, which arose at school board committee meetings Wednesday at district headquarters in Corryville.
About 3,000 juniors and seniors from 36 districts, excluding CPS, are enrolled in Great Oaks' four campuses in Dent, Milford, Sharonville and Wilmington, spokeswoman Jean Ciancio said. Programs range from cosmetology and construction technologies to sports marketing and aviation maintenance.
CPS students who want vocational training now can enroll in about 40 “Career Paths” programs at the high schools.
But some of those programs are weak, Mr. Adamowski said. Those partnering with a community group, such as the popular “Zoo School,” are most successful, while programs relying upon technology struggle, he said.
And many students pick Career Paths programs because they're eager to escape poor programs in their neighborhood schools, rather than being interested in that career, he added.
“We have lots and lots of people who recognize our need to have a vocational high school,” Mr. Adamowski said. “The question is: Do we have the best expertise to do that?”
Board members agreed to explore partnering with Great Oaks. Board member Harriet Russell stressed that administrators also must evaluate the success of existing Career Paths pro grams.
If CPS leaders decide to partner with Great Oaks, Mr. Adamowski said, they could:
• Become a Great Oaks “member.” CPS would lose its status — and accompanying state funding — as a vocational district, and Career Paths programs would be eliminated. Great Oaks then would start collecting 2.7 mills from district taxpayers to pay its $9,498-per-pupil program costs.
• Allow Great Oaks to operate a vocational school within the district.
Board members also are considering an open enrollment policy that would blur the boundaries between districts and allow city and suburban students to change schools.
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