By Jennifer Mrozowski
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Cincinnati Public Schools superintendent Alton Frailey he greets Ashley Ross, a senior at the School for Creative and Performing Arts, before last Friday's commencement at Cintas Center. The Cincinnati Enquirer/MICHAEL E. KEATING

Alton Frailey, the leader of Cincinnati Public Schools, surprised a student early this school year by recognizing her during one of his weekly school visits. Jeannetta Jackson, 18, hadn't met the superintendent before, but he knew her. "She's number 12 on the volleyball team," Frailey said to Clark Montessori Principal Tom Rothwell.

Jackson was stunned that of all the district's 38,800 students, he recognized her. "I felt cared about," she said.

Frailey, who wraps up his second school year, said his love of kids guides his every decision.

But he presides over a district that is increasingly fractured because of teacher contract disputes, tension over changes to the district's curriculum, and backlash from community leaders who say the district must hold teachers accountable for poor student results.

The school board this year expects demonstrated improvement in student achievement in the low-performing district. School officials also expect to ask voters to approve a $65.5 million levy renewal in November, and a system in crisis is likely to turn off constituents. Some traditional levy supporters already have said they won't support the levy.

The stakes are clear. Enrollment has dropped 13 percent since 1999, forcing the district to scale back its $1 billion building project. And parents are flocking to charter schools or moving to suburbs, leaving the future of the city's public school system uncertain.

KEY EVENTS

Major changes have occurred within the Cincinnati Public Schools since Alton Frailey's arrival in November 2002. The groundwork for some of those changes was laid by the previous superintendent, Steven Adamowski, who led the district from 1998 to 2002. Here are some of the highs and lows over the past six years: Under Adamowski: • Enrollment declined, from 47,184 in 1998-1999 to 41,248 in 2001-2002, a drop of nearly 13 percent. • CPS climbed out of state's lowest category for student achievement to "academic watch" for the 2000-01 school year. • A $1 billion school reconstruction project was unveiled in January 2002. District said taxpayer support of a bond issue of about half that amount was needed. • A $437 million budget - 2.2 percent more than previous year - was announced in June 2002. Under Frailey: • Enrollment has continued to decline, from 40,346 in 2002-2003 to 38,786 this year, a 3.8 percent drop. • A $480 million bond issue to build and renovate 66 schools failed in November 2002, 50.8 percent to 49.2 percent, six days before Frailey officially took over the top post. • In early 2003, the district slipped to "academic emergency," the lowest of five state rankings for student achievement, based on test scores from 2001-02 school year, the year before Frailey arrived. • The bond issue to finance the district's largest rebuilding plan in history passed 52 percent to 48 percent in May 2003, after vigorous lobbying by the superintendent among business and community leaders. • The "Count Me In" attendance campaign helps the district reach 94 percent attendance rate, officials say in March 2004. • In April, district says it will scale back its $1 billion school construction plan by nearly 8 percent because of declining enrollment. • Tumultuous contract talks with teachers finally result in a contract this month. • School board starts the process to place a $65.5 million levy renewal on the November ballot. • Preliminary test scores this month indicate that the district may climb out of "academic emergency" when state report cards are released in August for the 2002-03 school year. • The district this month projects going over budget by $6 million, to $442 million for this fiscal year. Jennifer Mrozowski

Frailey said changes are painful, but he is aligning the district's curriculum with what the state demands, making sure kids come to school and trying to give more support to principals through three assistant superintendents he hired. He's confident that those plans will raise student achievement. Early results show test scores are up.

"It's hard to give myself a grade because I don't do this by myself," he said. "But as far as the game plan, it's a very solid game plan."

Collaboration is key

For nearly two years, Frailey has stressed collaboration in the struggling, high-poverty district, and some say that will be key to his and the district's success. School board members say that collaboration was key to achieving the goal the board set forth his first year here - passing a $480 million bond issue for school construction. They know it will be important for a November levy, too.

Before he started full time in Cincinnati, the bond issue lost in a tight vote in November 2002. He then began spending weekends mingling with churchgoers, lunchtime with business groups and weeknights at community council, talking about the importance of the construction. Seven months later, the issue passed, 52 percent to 48 percent, launching a 10-year project to build and renovate 66 schools.

"If we hadn't had Alton, we never would've passed the bond issue," said Craig Maier, co-chair of the education task force for the Cincinnati Business Committee, a group of the city's top business leaders.

Frailey, whose days often stretch to 14 hours, still rarely makes it home for dinner with his wife and three children. He continues to attend community council meetings, staff retirement dinners and parent forums and will have attended about 10 of the district's high school graduations by the year's end. That dedication and spirit of collaboration are especially valuable in a state like Ohio, where districts regularly must return to voters for levies, school board member Jack Gilligan said.

"He's done a first-rate job ingratiating himself with the community," Gilligan said.

Results count

Board members, who praised him for passing the bond issue a year ago and bumped up his salary $6,800 to $187,800, say they want proof of improved student performance this year. The district is labeled in "academic emergency," the lowest of five state rankings for student achievement. His next evaluation is this summer.

Frailey said this month the system likely would shed its "emergency" label.

"I know there's a lot of anxiety," Frailey said. "But what we are doing is designed to help, not to hurt."

His initiatives include:

• Emphasis on student attendance. Principals and social workers called parents when students missed school, and schools raffled off prizes for good attendance.

• Alignment of math and reading lessons with state standards. Science and social studies are in progress. Teachers test students throughout the year to assess their knowledge.

• Implementation of the Instructional Management System that provides teachers with lessons matched to state standards and tracks students' progress.

State report cards released in August will show if his plans are working. Preliminary results show gains in third-grade reading scores on state tests.

Yet changes, including mandatory quarterly tests for students, have irked some parents. They worry the tests, which they call too formulaic, will interfere with successful programs like Montessori schools.

The superintendent, who reiterated his support of popular magnet programs, said the district must meet federal and state requirements for school improvement.

"Montessori schools do a great job of working with their children, but a case can be made about a disconnect between the Montessori approach and the legal system we're being held accountable for," he said. Frailey noted the specialty programs, which are some of the highest-achieving in the district, still have troubling achievement gaps between whites and blacks.

Still, teachers and parents credit Frailey for listening to the concerns of the magnet school community.

Mike McCarthy, a Fairview German Language School parent, applauds the superintendent for tackling issues head on.

"Do I agree with everything he's done?" McCarthy said. "No, but at least he's not backing away."

Adversity arises

But Frailey has lost support in some circles.

In March, he withheld support for a tentative teacher contract. Frailey, who wasn't at the table, said he was surprised the agreement included items the board hadn't approved. The board rejected the deal.

Gilligan and other board members at the time said Frailey should've known what was being negotiated. Angry teachers picketed at district headquarters in April.

Yet, signs of recovery from the bitter negotiations are evident.

Frailey announced his support for the contract after a state fact-finder made revisions, such as removing a costly severance incentive program and securing his input in overhauling low-performing schools. Teachers ratified the deal Thursday.

Sue Taylor, president of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers union, said regaining teachers' trust would be hard.

"Obviously CFT and the teachers are disappointed in his leadership during negotiations. That was an opportunity to show real leadership and problem solving. Unfortunately, he's been an abject failure in terms of negotiations."

Frailey said it's time to work together on what he calls the "main thing" - raising student achievement. School board president Florence Newell said no one issue like negotiations will determine his performance.

Some community members say Frailey is doing the best he can under constraints of large city school district's bureaucracy.

Maier, who is chief executive of Frisch's Restaurants, blamed the school board for taking too much of the superintendent's time. He criticized the weekly meetings they require - some of which last up to four hours - adding they restrict Frailey from operating like a true CEO.

Ronda Deel, vice president of publicity of a coalition of religious groups called the Amos Project, gave Frailey an incomplete on the job he's done to date.

"I have concerns about the system not giving him the opportunity to do what he's capable of," she said.

Board member Rick Williams agrees.

"This system is wedded to the status quo," he said. "He understands that the status quo is not what works for children, but it's difficult at CPS to even question how we've been doing something with the intent of making it better."

While some disagree over his ability to lead effectively through every battle, Frailey is a hero in some corners. And those are often the people he cares about most: kids.

Cornella Reynolds, an eighth-grader at Lafayette Bloom Back on Track Accelerated Middle School, said she met Frailey when he visited her school. Bloom students are behind one or more grades and follow an accelerated program to catch up.

"He's really great," she said. "I met with him last year when he came here from Texas and we just started talking."

She and her family have had dinner with him and Frailey visited her again at the school. He also asked her to attend a student forum, where he solicited feedback from students on how to improve the district. What came out of it?

"It made me feel special," she said. "Many students don't get the opportunity."

E-mail jmrozowski@enquirer.com