April 14, 200916 yr CPS pursues Rothenberg renovations http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090413/NEWS0102/904140348/1055/NEWS Over-the-Rhine will get its wish - renovations of the old Rothenberg School instead of a completely new building - the Cincinnati school board affirmed Monday. But objections to the long-stalled, controversial project remain, and it's still unclear whether the district will have enough money to complete it. So far, the state agency that oversees school construction refuses to help pay for the renovations, and district administrators are uncertain whether local funds will cover the cost without a change of heart from the state.
April 14, 200916 yr Too bad the additional of the gymnasium fronting Main leaves MUCH to be desired. The design that was presented was not the final version. The community school planning team is going to work it's damnedest to make that better. It remains to be seen if we will be successful.
April 14, 200916 yr I don't know what much more they can do, when it's a blank wall facing Main Street.
April 14, 200916 yr I agree, and with there being budget issues, there won't be much left to even try to add some "architecture" to it.
May 4, 200916 yr Three neighborhoods, one gripe about Cincinnati Public Schools: arrogance Business Courier of Cincinnati - by Lucy May Seinor & Mark Bowen It sounds like the start of some Cincinnati inside joke: What do Westwood, Hyde Park and Over-the-Rhine have in common? But for those involved in battles over school building plans in those three very different neighborhoods, the answer is anything but funny. Community activists in those neighborhoods are protesting the plans Cincinnati Public Schools officials have developed for their schools. Read full article here: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/05/04/story5.html
May 4, 200916 yr ^ Some additional good news about Rothenberg: Tomorrow CPS will announce that the OSFC will contribute their portion of the funding for a renovated Rothenberg. The state had previously denied contributing to a renovation project, even though it had contributed to numerous renovation projects in the past. The state's contribution will be what it would have contributed for a typical new school building, about 23%. Also, CPS will be presenting the revised gym design at the next OTR Community Council meeting and shortly thereafter to the Historic Conservation Board. Don't expect too much.
May 4, 200916 yr And now for some positive press: Pleasant Ridge is one of the five green schools highlighted in this AFT publication. http://www.aft.org/topics/building-conditions/downloads/BMMB_GREENGUIDE.pdf BTW, really like that Maywood HS in LA.
May 4, 200916 yr I like this line. ...in Over-the-Rhine, one of the city’s poorest yet most promising neighborhoods...
May 5, 200916 yr Millions more expected for CPS construction Officials from a key state commission are expected to announce today that they will increase their future enrollment projections for Cincinnati Public Schools, a decision that would pump millions more state dollars into the district’s construction project. Michael Shoemaker, executive director of the Ohio School Facilities Commission, will be at a news conference at 2 p.m. today at the old Rothenberg school in Over-the-Rhine. Officials will announce “the commission’s response to Cincinnati Public Schools’ request to increase the capacity.” Read full article here: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090505/NEWS0102/305050073/1055/NEWS/Millions+more+expected+for+CPS+construction
May 6, 200916 yr Increase capacity? I wish they would increase the amount of detail to design for the gymnasium for Rothenberg. :(
May 6, 200916 yr Increase capacity? I wish they would increase the amount of detail to design for the gymnasium for Rothenberg. :( Those are two entirely different issues...not to mention that the Rothenberg School renovation wasn't even mentioned in this article. The reference, towards Rothenberg, was about the location of the press conference.
May 6, 200916 yr ^ While not mentioned in this particular article, state co-funding of the Rothenberg renovation was also announced at the press conference today. Unfortunately, this does not mean additional funds for the project, in fact the design is still being value-engineered to bring it within the $20.2M budget.
May 14, 200916 yr CPS approves schematic design for Mount Washington School http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/05/cps-approves-schematic-design-for-mount.html The Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) board approved the schematic design and site plan for the renovation of Mount Washington School at its April 27 meeting. Moody Nolan, Inc. presented plans for the 62,300-square-foot school that include a new gymnasium, cafeteria, elevator system, parking and drop-off areas, and mechanicals.
May 18, 200916 yr Nine CPS schools on the block June 9 By Ben Fischer and Lisa Bernard-Kuhn • [email protected] and [email protected] • May 18, 2009 Cincinnati Public Schools will auction off nine old school buildings in eight neighborhoods June 9, the first mass disposal of property by the district in almost four years. The buildings, all vacant, run the gamut in size, age and architecture, ranging from Madisonville's old Bramble school, a modest building from the early 1960s, to century-old behemoths such as Bloom Middle School in the West End. All together, the buildings total nearly 508,000 square feet on 22 acres. Read full article here: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20090518/NEWS0102/905190337/
May 18, 200916 yr Ohio, where education pays? I would assume an architectural firm drew up those plans and renderings.
May 19, 200916 yr Ministers' group warns CPS on levy The president of the Baptist Ministers' Conference on Monday threatened to oppose Cincinnati Public Schools' renewal tax levy this year if the schools don't start hiring more African-American workers to build its new buildings. "We're here to say, we must see more African-American contractors or we will stand against any renewal or any tax levy," said the Rev. Dock Foster during a school board meeting. "It's not a threat; it's for real, so we're here today to tell you that we want to see more African-Americans on these jobs. Read full article here: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090518/NEWS0102/905190354/1055/NEWS/Ministers++group+warns+CPS+on+levy
May 19, 200916 yr I don't really like that line "we pass the levies". The levies wouldn't pass if the white community didn't vote "yes" for them, too. White voter turn out is statistically higher, and white represenation in CPS is lower than that of black students, so there's a fair ammount of white Cincinnatians voting against their personal interests. I'm sorry, but I think the contracts should go to the lowest bidder. That way maybe CPS could use money to buy other useful things such as text books.
May 19, 200916 yr I'm sorry, but I think the contracts should go to the lowest bidder. That way maybe CPS could use money to buy other useful things such as text books. I agree, but I will say "best bid." The lowest bid may not always make the most sense in certain cases.
May 19, 200916 yr "We pass the levies; we want to see more of the monies coming back into our community." Since about 70% of the CPS students are African-American, most of the monies do come back into their community. Does he want to risk a cut in that money just to get business to African-American owned businesses? Since like a bad political stance to me.
June 9, 200916 yr Walnut Hills, Wyoming repeat on Newsweek’s top 100 public high schools list Cincinnati’s Walnut Hills High School and Wyoming High School again made the top 100 in Newsweek’s annual ranking of the top public high schools in the United States. Walnut Hills, Cincinnati Public Schools’ top academic high school, ranked at No. 60, down from 56 last year. Wyoming, part of the Wyoming City School District, ranked 69th, up from 87th in 2008. Read full article here: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/06/08/daily25.html
June 9, 200916 yr Also, does anyone know how many of the schools sold at auction today? I can't find any info, I am sure it will be on the evening news.
June 10, 200916 yr Nine vacant CPS schools draw bids http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20090609/NEWS0102/906100350/ Cincinnati Public Schools' vacant building auction on Tuesday could have doubled as a high school economics class - it was a classic example of what happens when high supply meets low demand. (See original article for full text.)
June 10, 200916 yr Cross-posted from the other CPS thread: Nine vacant CPS schools draw bids Cincinnati Public Schools' vacant building auction on Tuesday could have doubled as a high school economics class - it was a classic example of what happens when high supply meets low demand. Nine vacant schools eventually attracted bids, but six fell short of the district's target price. The high bids added up to $1.49 million for the nine buildings - even though one school alone was assessed at more than that. Read full article here: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20090609/NEWS0102/906100350/
June 10, 200916 yr Westwood School celebrates centennial Contributed By Shauna Steigerwald | The Enquirer Built in 1909, Westwood School turns 100 this year. A centennial celebration for the school will be offered from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 13. Because the school is closed for renovation, part of the Cincinnati Public Schools Master Facilities Plan, the festivities will take place at the nearby Westwood First Presbyterian Church, 3011 Harrison Ave. There, an open house featuring displays will allow former classmates and staff to mingle. School grounds will be open, and very limited access into school will be available. Read full article here: http://rodeo.cincinnati.com/getlocal/gpstory.aspx?id=100282&sid=149775
June 17, 200915 yr CPS weighing bids for school buildings The Cincinnati school board could sell up to nine buildings on 22 acres of public land today to private buyers, but some of those buyers' identities and intentions for the prominent real estate remain secret or vague. On June 9, the school system auctioned off the buildings, drawing bids that mostly fell short of expectations. Three vacant schools will definitely be sold under the terms of the auction, but the school board will have final say over the remaining six. Board members promise they will consider the needs of the surrounding neighborhoods before agreeing to sell. But with a meeting scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, there are unanswered questions about the potential sales, including those that will definitely change hands. Read full article here: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090616/NEWS0102/906170329/1055/NEWS/CPS+weighing+bids+for+buildings
June 17, 200915 yr "Is it possible, that just for the sake of getting rid of the buildings and taking the money and running, have we done the communities a disservice?" Yes. It sounds like some of these people have no idea what they are getting into. Heberle and Bloom deserve better.
June 18, 200915 yr I apologize if I missed it, but has the Vine Hill Elementary been sold (Temporary Rothenberg)? That will become a very valuable piece of property if the streetcar happens. The lot measures 600x200ft., is within walking distance of Findlay Market, and upper floors of a new condo or apartment building would have great city views.
June 18, 200915 yr No it has not been sold yet. I think until recently it was still an optional location for the permanent school. Now that Rothenberg rehab is going to happen it will probably go on the block in the next year or two. I don't know about how great the location is though. It is hard to imagine Vine Street hill area being desireable. Maybe.
June 18, 200915 yr It's at the intersection of Mulberry, which is already fixed up to a large degree. Loth St. might attract investment before Vine if the streetcar happens, but those buildings do not have a city view without rooftop decks, and even then it's not that good. Also this lot is big enough to allow for surface parking for a fairly large new building.
July 29, 200915 yr $35 million Hughes High School renovation restoring Uptown landmark http://www.soapboxmedia.com/devnews/0728hugheshs.aspx In September of 2008, work began on restoring Hughes High School located prominently at the western terminus of Calhoun Street in Uptown Cincinnati. The nearly $35 million project is still underway with an anticipated completion date of fall, 2010. The work drawn up by the team of Cincinnati-based firms C+R Architecture and Design, Fanning Howey and Moody Nolan is extensive from the reprogramming of space and functions, to facade restoration and upgrades to the interior of the building that will house 1,200 students in grades 9 through 12. Read full article here: http://www.soapboxmedia.com/devnews/0728hugheshs.aspx
August 3, 200915 yr A little more than just CPS, but whatevah... Cincinnati schools grateful, cautious Local districts plan spending, no hiring, for one-time funding Business Courier of Cincinnati - by Dan Monk Elementary and high schools in Southwest Ohio are expected to receive more than $180 million in federal stimulus dollars over the next two years, but the one-time nature of the funding and strings attached to the money are making school district treasurers cautious about starting new programs and hiring new employees. “A lot of people think it’s free money and we can spend it however we want. That’s not the case,” said Jonathan Boyd, treasurer for Cincinnati Public Schools, which is slated to receive more than $50 million in stimulus funding for the two fiscal years ending June 2011. Roughly 60 percent of that money is Title I grants, intended to help low-achieving students in high-poverty districts, and IDEA funding, geared toward students with developmental disabilities. CPS has committed to using several million stimulus dollars for its new “Fifth Quarter” program, which provided classroom and enrichment opportunities in June for kindergarten through eighth grade students at 13 schools. Boyd said this year’s funding was covered with non-stimulus Title I funding, but the stimulus will pick up the tab for the next two summers. Read full article here: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/08/03/story4.html
August 5, 200915 yr Redesigned CPS schools get early start Cincinnati Public Schools will hit the reset button Tuesday on three long-struggling elementary schools, part of a growing national trend of educators taking drastic steps in hopes of finally stopping the decades-long plague of failing urban schools. When more than 1,800 students start the academic year Tuesday at the three schools, they will notice new, more advanced class offerings and mostly new teachers and administrators, who were brought in after the old staff was reassigned en masse. Perhaps most significant, they're starting school two weeks before the rest of the 34,000-student district. All of this is an effort to "redesign" or "turn around" the schools, the most severe option available under the 2001 No Child Left Behind law. Read full article here: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090803/NEWS0102/908040316/1168/NEWS0101/Redesigned+schools+get+early+start
August 19, 200915 yr CPS' start gets passing grade By Ben Fischer • [email protected] • August 18, 2009 Summer's over in Cincinnati, at least as far as 34,000 Cincinnati Public Schools students are concerned. The remaining buildings in the region's largest district opened for classes on Tuesday, with only a few widely scattered reports of student transportation problems. Four schools opened earlier this month. Read full article here: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090818/NEWS0102/908190338/1055/NEWS/CPS++start+gets+passing+grade
October 6, 200915 yr Students Protest Proposed SCPA Name Change http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Students-Protest-Proposed-SCPA-Name-Change/KAILQWTnpkuAGfOoh8KwRQ.cspx Some students at the School of Creative and Performing Arts are protesting a plan to change the name of their school. "We are SCPA. and we won't change our name!"
October 6, 200915 yr Can't you just call it the Erich Kunzel School for the Creative and Performing Arts or the School for the Creative and Performing Arts at the Erich Kunzel Educational Complex?
October 6, 200915 yr From what i've read Kunzel put more into that school than any of those kids. What brats. E.K.S.C.P.A seems like a good name.
October 6, 200915 yr Well, if you guys and the public knew more about his behavior around some of his students, you'd know he doesn't deserve to have his name put on anything. That's all I can say about that.
October 6, 200915 yr There were a LOT of people who were vocal against the co-signing of Elm in front of Music Hall.
October 6, 200915 yr Jmeck I agree. Kunzel gave a lot to the school but he was crazy. Besides, making the name longer just doesn't sound right. They should put a statue of him or a plaque somewhere.
October 6, 200915 yr Westwood School project gets goahead By Ben Fischer • [email protected] • October 6, 2009 http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20091006/NEWS0102/310060044/ A Cincinnati City Council committee sided with Cincinnati Public Schools today in a long-running controversy over the fate of Westwood School, reversing a zoning examiner’s ruling that barred the district from adding a gymnasium onto the school’s eastern side.
October 6, 200915 yr There are those kinds of rumor about any number of very famous conductors - something about egos and the like.
October 7, 200915 yr There were a LOT of people who were vocal against the co-signing of Elm in front of Music Hall. I haven't been by there yet. So it was co-signed, not changed completely?
October 7, 200915 yr Well, if you guys and the public knew more about his behavior around some of his students, you'd know he doesn't deserve to have his name put on anything. That's all I can say about that. Why is that all you can say? is there some sort of legal gag-order on this? or is it just wild speculation and allegations?
October 7, 200915 yr There were a LOT of people who were vocal against the co-signing of Elm in front of Music Hall. I haven't been by there yet. So it was co-signed, not changed completely? Co-signed, sort of an honorary designation that I've seen in other cities. If only we could have done that with Rosa Parks and all the renaming crap at The Banks, it would make navigation that much easier.
October 7, 200915 yr >or is it just wild speculation and allegations? I'm not going to talk about it, other than to say the guy was a sleaze, as are many professionals in the arts. The guys on sports talk shows had a great point when they brought up Huggins getting the axe for drunk driving, but not the symphony conductor.
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