During his annual State of the Schools address, Alton Frailey highlighted students' improvement in attendance and on state tests last year - as well as the district's progress with its $1 billion construction plan.

He also lauded the teachers, administrators and business community for helping the 38,800-student district climb out of "academic emergency," the worst of five state rankings for student achievement.

"Not only did we get out of one category, but we created a new category - almost continuous improvement," Frailey said, referring to the district's near miss of the state's middle category.

"That's not stalled progress, that's real progress."

Frailey acknowledged that the district has had financial troubles, having overspent its 2003-04 budget by nearly $22 million. But he reminded the audience that he and Mayor Charlie Luken convened an independent budget task force to analyze the district's finances. He said he plans to align staffing and the number of schools with declining enrollment.

Mark Turner, president of Cincinnatians Active to Support Education and parent of two children in the district, said the superintendent's message that the district is making progress came across loud and clear.

"But continuing that message is that you've got to pass Issue 32 (the renewal levy)," Turner said.

Yet not everyone thinks the district has made enough progress. Cincinnati school board members Melanie Bates and Rick Williams have been campaigning against the levy, and the campaign has lost support from other traditional supporters, such as the Cincinnati Business Committee and the Baptist Ministers Conference.

"Rick and I support the superintendent and the authority of the superintendent," Bates said. "Our position always has been that Alton is very capable.

The five-year levy would raise $65 million a year. The owner of a home valued at $100,000 now pays $299 a year for the levy, and that tax would remain the same.

E-mail jmrozowski@enquirer.com