Let's Talk Cincy: Sit-down interview with the outgoing CPS superintendent Iranetta Wright

CINCINNATI TWO YEARS AGO, HOPING TO TURN AROUND A SCHOOL DISTRICT FACING MANY CHALLENGES. TEACHING IS MY PASSION. IT IS A PART OF WHO I AM BECAUSE WE TOUCH EVERY PHASE OF THE OVERALL COMMUNITY. BUT THE SUPERINTENDENTS TENURE FACED MANY CHALLENGES ITSELF AS SCHOOL UNIONS VOTE NO CONFIDENCE IN HER LEADERSHIP. WE FIND OURSELVES IN A SITUATION WHERE, UH, WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT, UH, TO DO A VOTE LIKE THIS IN ORDER TO TRY TO GET THIS DISTRICT TO MOVE FORWARD, BECAUSE IT'S NOT IT'S AT A STANDSTILL. A VOTE LEADING TO A SUDDEN RESIGNATION AND CHANGE OF DIRECTION. THIS WILL BE OUR FOURTH TOP LEADER IN THREE YEARS. THIS LEVEL OF CHURN SHOULD BE AN ENORMOUS RED FLAG. A CONVERSATION WITH THE OUTGOING SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT FROM WLWT. THIS IS LET'S TALK CINCY PRESENTED BY WESTERN AND SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP. PUT OUR FINANCIAL STRENGTH BEHIND YOU. HELLO EVERYONE, I'M CURTIS FULLER AND WELCOME TO LET'S TALK CINCY TODAY, A VERY SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH CINCINNATI SCHOOLS CEO, SUPERINTENDENT IRANETTA WRIGHT AND FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING IN AND JOINING ME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE S FROM ALL SIX UNIONS. AND YOU DECIDE TO SUBMIT YOUR RESIGNATION. ALLEN WALK ME THROUGH THIS BECAUSE YOU HAD TOLD ME THAT YOU WERE SOMEWHAT BLINDSIDED BY THE VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE. I ACTUALLY WAS, UM. THIS STARTED FOR ME THAT I WOULD WOULD KNOW ABOUT PROBABLY ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO OR SO. UM, I THINK WE HAD A BOARD MEETING ON APRIL THE 29TH, AND THE WEEK BEFORE THAT, MAYBE THURSDAY OR FRIDAY, I RECEIVED A MESSAGE THAT THE UNIONS HAD ASKED TO MEET WITH THE BOARD AND, UM, IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, WHICH IS WHAT THEY DID, BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO TALK ABOUT CONCERNS WITH THE DISTRICT. UM, SO I THOUGHT, OKAY, THIS IS A GOOD THING. AT LEAST THIS TIME THEY'RE MEETING WITH THE BOARD AND IT'S NOT GOING FARTHER THAN THAT. IF THEY'RE CONCERNS. UM, AND THAT WAS ON THE THAT WAS THE 29TH OF APRIL. UM, AND THEN AFTER THAT, IT WENT FROM THERE TO THE MOVEMENT ON MAY 7TH OF STARTING WITH THE VOTES OF NO CONFIDENCE IN. AND I THINK THE LAST SET OF VOTES MAY HAVE BEEN THE 14TH. I'M NOT QUITE SURE. I THINK IT WAS REALLY A SURPRISE FOR ME BECAUSE YOU RECALL LAST YEAR, LAST MARCH, WHEN THE ADMINISTRATIVE UNION ACTUALLY SENT A LETTER SAYING THAT THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT MY LEADERSHIP AND A LOT OF DIFFERENT AREAS IN THERE, AND I WAS SURPRISED BY THAT. THEN. BUT I THOUGHT, OKAY, WAIT A MINUTE, THIS IS NOT GOOD. AND SO WE WANT TO WORK THROUGH THESE CONCERNS AND SO AFTER THAT I MET WITH ALL OF THE UNION LEADERS. WE SAT DOWN TOGETHER TO REALLY TALK ABOUT WHAT WE COULD DO DIFFERENTLY. AND HOW WE COULD BUILD A RELATIONSHIP. AND WE STARTED DOING THAT, AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR ABOUT THE LAST YEAR. AND I THOUGHT THAT WE WERE DOING JUST THAT BUILDING RELATIONSHIP. I THOUGHT THAT IF THERE WERE CONCERNS, THEY WERE BEING ADDRESSED, IF THERE WERE ISSUES THAT WERE BROUGHT UP, WE WERE ADDRESSING THOSE ISSUES. NOT JUST NOT JUST ME INDIVIDUALLY. MY TEAM WAS MEETING AS WELL, BECAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY THOUGHT WAS IMPORTANT. AND SO WE REALLY WERE WORKING THROUGH WHAT I THOUGHT. ANY CONCERNS WOULD BE. AND HAVING WORKED WITH UNIONS FOR A LONG TIME, THAT'S THE WAY THAT I'VE ALWAYS DONE THAT WORK. RIGHT. YOU, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE THINGS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO AGREE ON. THERE ARE THINGS YOU'RE GOING TO DISAGREE ON, AND YOU JUST CONTINUE TO DO THE WORK TOGETHER. AND WHAT I RECOGNIZED AFTER THE VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IS, IS WHATEVER IT WAS THAT HAPPENED. AND AGAIN, I STILL DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS, BUT WHATEVER IT WAS THAT HAPPENED, IT MOVED TO ANGER AND IT MOVED TO A TYPE OF ANGER ABOUT ME AND MY LEADERSHIP THAT I'VE NOT SEEN BEFORE. AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT AS YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT LEADING AN ORGANIZATION, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T LEAD THAT ORGANIZATION WITHOUT THE THE SUPPORT OF THOSE THAT ARE WORKING WITH YOU. YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR YOUR YOU NEED YOUR TEACHERS. YOU NEED YOUR STAFF. AND WHILE I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS, I'VE HEARD SEVERAL DIFFERENT NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, 130, 230, WE HAVE 6200 EMPLOYEES, REGARDLESS OF HOW MANY THERE WERE. IT IS IMPORTANT, AND IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME. AND SO THIS IS WHERE WE ARE. YOU SAID THAT IT GOT ANGRY. UM, I HEARD DIRECTLY FROM FOLKS THEY USED THE TERM BULLYING. YEAH, THEY USED THE TERM, UM, PUBLIC SHAMING. THAT'S TOUGH CRITICISM BEYOND JUST THAT. SO IT WAS MORE SO STYLE THAN THAN JUST A DISAGREEMENT ABOUT POLICY. WERE YOU SURPRISED AT THAT? YEAH. SO SOMEONE ACTUALLY SAID TO ME YESTERDAY THAT SOMEONE TOLD THEM THAT THAT I MADE SOMEONE CRY IN A MEETING. AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT'S REFERRING TO. UM, I DON'T KNOW. AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT ME AND THE WAY THAT I SHOW UP, I AM NO NONSENSE. I AM ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING WHAT WE NEED TO GET FOR KIDS AND OFTEN. AND IF YOU THINK THROUGH ALL OF THE SCENARIOS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW, NONE OF THE CONVERSATIONS HAVE BEEN ABOUT CHILDREN, NONE OF THE CONVERSATIONS. CONVERSATIONS HAVE BEEN ABOUT OUTCOMES FOR KIDS, BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN OUR DISTRICT IS IMPROVED OUTCOMES. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, AS YOU SAID, STYLE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, THE WAY THAT INDIVIDUALS MAY SAY THAT I SHOW UP AND IT IT SURPRISES ME. IT REALLY DOES. BECAUSE BECAUSE YOU HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT THEY'RE DOING, FOR WHAT YOU EXPECT. DOES THAT MAKE YOU A BULLY BECAUSE YOU HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT THEY SHOULD DO? DOES THAT MAKE YOU A BULLY? SO SOME MIGHT SAY, WELL, IT'S A BULLYING BEHAVIOR. I DON'T KNOW THAT I AGREE WITH THAT. AND AND I THINK THAT AS WE THINK ABOUT CHANGE AND WHAT IT MEANS TO GET TO CHANGE, CHANGE IS HARD. AND I SAID, I'VE SAID FOR TWO YEARS NOW, EVERYBODY WANTS CHANGE UNTIL CHANGE SHOWS UP. BECAUSE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT CHANGE, THAT MEANS I, I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. I BELIEVE THAT ALL FEEDBACK IS GOOD FEEDBACK. I SAID THAT I THINK THE LAST TIME I SPOKE WITH YOU AND I AM VERY, VERY REFLECTIVE ON WHO I AM AND HOW I, HOW I INTERACT. AND YOU KNOW, I AM ALSO, UM, INTENSE AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT INTENSE, YOU KNOW, SOME, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN ASKED, YOU KNOW, WHY DO YOU SPEND SO MUCH TIME IN SCHOOLS? WELL, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE WORK IS. THAT'S WHERE THE KIDS ARE. THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE SEEING WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE DOING IN THE CENTRAL OFFICE. ACTUALLY SHOW UP IN THE CLASSROOM, AND IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE TO ME. UM, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THAT WE CONTINUE TO, TO WORK THROUGH THAT. SO I'VE HEARD A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT ME. AND WHEN I HEAR THOSE THINGS, I'M, I THINK I'M NOT SURE WHO THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. RIGHT. AND SO, SO BUT IT'S SOMETHING TO CONTINUE TO REFLECT ON BECAUSE THAT IS NOT WHO I AM. YOU KNOW, I'VE HEARD PEOPLE THAT SAY I GO IN BUILDINGS, THAT I DON'T SPEAK TO PEOPLE. I AM A SOUTHERN GIRL. I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, BY MY GRANDFATHER AND MY GRANDMOTHER. MY GRANDFATHER WAS BORN IN 1918. I DON'T UNDERSTAND NOT SPEAKING TO PEOPLE. THAT'S NOT HOW I WAS RAISED. YOU KNOW, IF ANYTHING, I SEE YOU THREE, THREE TIMES A DAY AND I SPEAK TO YOU THREE TIMES A DAY, BUT SOMETIMES TIMES THOSE THINGS GET STARTED AND YOU, YOU HEAR THEM AND AS A RESULT OF THAT, IT SNOWBALLS BEFORE YOU CAN DO MUCH ABOUT IT. MM. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A BREAK. YOU TALKED ABOUT BEING A SOUTHERN GIRL. WE'LL TALK JUST TO ADD PERSPECTIVE TO THIS. UM, YOU DIDN'T COME HERE WITH NO EXPERIENCE, RIGHT. YOU HAVE A LONG HISTORY BEHIND YOU. SO WE'LL TAKE A BREAK AND WE'LL COME BACK IN JUST A MOMENT. WELCOME BACK, EVERYONE. WELCOME BACK, EVERYONE. I'M HERE WITH IRANETTA WRIGHT, THE SUPERINTENDENT OF CINCINNATI PUBLIC. SCHOOLS. AS YOU, IF YOU'VE BEEN KEEPING UP WITH THE NEWS, YOU KNOW, SHE SUBMITTED HER RESIGNATION, ACCEPTED BY THE BOARD. UH, TWO PEOPLE VOTED TO NOT ACCEPT THAT. UM, AND WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT IN A MOMENT. YOUR BACKGROUND, YOU COME FROM JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, AS YOU SAID. I REMEMBER WHEN YOU FIRST ARRIVED AND YOU YOU TOLD THAT STORY OF COMING UP THROUGH THE SYSTEM AND BEING STILL A TEACHER AT HEART. RIGHT. YOU GO UP TO DETROIT, RIGHT? UH, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT UP THERE, AND THEN YOU COME HERE FOR FOR THIS ROLE. TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM THOSE EXPERIENCES THAT YOU BROUGHT HERE, BECAUSE YOU HAD TO DEAL WITH UNIONS. YEAH. UH, BEFORE COMING TO CINCINNATI, OFTEN THINGS BECOME RHETORIC, RIGHT? AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT ME AND MY EXPERIENCES, UH, APRIL 27TH WAS MY 31ST YEAR IN PUBLIC EDUCATION. RIGHT? I'VE BEEN AROUND FOR A MINUTE. RIGHT. AND AND BUT WHEN I THINK ABOUT THAT, EVEN MORE SO, UH, SOME OF THE CONVERSATION HAD STARTED THAT I HAD NEVER WORKED WITH UNIONS BEFORE. I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND UNIONS, AND I, I DID NOT KNOW HOW TO WORK WITH THEM. WHEN I CAME HERE, ONE OF MY LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION WAS FROM MY UNION PRESIDENT IN DETROIT. I WAS DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT THERE AND WORKED VERY, VERY CLOSELY WITH UNIONS. AND THE REASON I THINK THAT HAPPENED IS, AND I'VE ALWAYS HAD POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH UNIONS. AND I THINK IT'S BECAUSE I'M HONEST. IF I IF SOMETHING'S GOOD, I'LL SAY IT'S GOOD. IF IT'S NOT GOOD, I'LL SAY IT'S NOT AND I'LL WORK THROUGH WHATEVER IT IS IN MY EXPERIENCES, EVEN, EVEN EVEN PRIOR TO THAT. YOU KNOW, MY GRANDFATHER WAS A TILE MASON, UNION JOB. MY FATHER WAS A WELDER UNION JOB, MY MY UNCLES AND MY AUNT MOVED IN THE LATE 50S 60S TO DETROIT TO WORK IN THE PLANTS UNION JOBS. AND SO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT A UNION HAS ITS PLACE. SO I RESPECT THE ROLE OF A UNION. I RESPECT THE CBA AND WHAT IT MEANS. BUT I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE THE GOAL, AND THE EXPECTATION IS THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH PEOPLE AND YOU ARE ACKNOWLEDGING THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH PEOPLE AND THAT YOU ARE LOOKING TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEM AND SOMETIMES THOSE THOSE THINGS DON'T ALWAYS CONNECT. THEY DON'T ALWAYS GO TOGETHER. UM, IN MY EXPERIENCES, I'VE HAD JUST THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO TO WORK IN SCHOOLS AND WITH SCHOOLS LEADING PRINCIPALS, WHERE WE ALWAYS GET TO IMPROVE STUDENT OUTCOMES. AND AT THE END OF IT ALL, THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT FOR ME. I SAID THAT WHEN I CAME TO THE DISTRICT. IT'S ABOUT IMPROVED STUDENT OUTCOMES. WHAT I HAVE FOUND IN THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION IS THAT WAS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS WHETHER OR NOT SOMEONE LIKED ME OR NOT, YOU KNOW, LIKE IS NOT A I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT IS A FAIR ASSESSMENT AROUND PERFORMANCE BECAUSE AT THE END OF IT ALL, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE IMPROVING. AND THIS IS A TOUGH TIME. YES, OUR STUDENTS HAVE GONE THROUGH THE PANDEMIC AND WE ARE TRYING TO GET BACK TO PRE-PANDEMIC GROWTH AND START SOME OF THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE NECESSARY IN THE DISTRICT IN TERMS OF PERFORMANCE. BUT WHEN YOU GET SO CAUGHT UP ON THAT TERM OF LIKE, I WAS BROUGHT TO THE DISTRICT TO CHANGE OUTCOMES, I WASN'T BROUGHT TO THE DISTRICT TO BE LIKED. RIGHT? I WANT TO BE LIKED. I LIKE PEOPLE, I LIKE BEING AROUND PEOPLE. I AM A PEOPLE PERSON. I LOVE, I LOVE THAT THAT'S WHO I AM. BUT AT THE END OF ALL OF THAT, IT'S ABOUT OUTCOMES FOR KIDS. AND IN OUR DISTRICT RIGHT NOW, I'M SO PROUD OF THE FACT THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO SEE IMPROVED OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN. OUR RECENT DATA JUST CAME OUT EARLIER THIS WEEK FOR MATH, SCIENCE, AND SOCIAL STUDIES. YOU KNOW, OF THE 1213 AREAS THAT WERE ASSESSED, WE SHOWED IMPROVEMENT IN 62% OF THEM. THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT, BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE NEED TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE'RE SENDING OUR STUDENTS OFF INTO THE WORLD, PREPARED TO DO WHATEVER IT IS THEY CHOOSE TO DO. AND THAT STARTS WITH US. IT DOESN'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. AND GENERALLY WHEN THERE IS AND AND ALL OF THE RESEARCH SHOWS THIS, GENERALLY WHEN THERE IS A CHANGE IN A SUPERINTENDENT, ESPECIALLY IN AN URBAN DISTRICT, YOU SEE PERFORMANCE DECLINE BEFORE YOU SEE PERFORMANCE IMPROVE. AND I THINK THAT ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SEE IMPROVEMENTS LAST YEAR, BECAUSE WE HAD INCREASES IN GRADES LAST YEAR IN STARS LAST YEAR WITHIN INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS, EVEN THOUGH AS A DISTRICT OVERALL, WE DIDN'T GO UP TO THE THREE STAR, WE ACTUALLY HONESTLY WERE ABOUT FOUR STUDENTS OFF FROM BEING AT THE THREE STAR. SO THAT'S GOING TO THAT'S GOING TO PLAGUE ME FOR A LONG TIME. BUT BUT WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO SEE IS IMPROVEMENT IN THOSE AREAS. AND THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT AREAS THAT ARE ASSESSED AS A PART OF THE REPORT CARD. AND SO SO, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU GENERALLY SEE A DECLINE SEEING IMPROVEMENT LAST YEAR WAS THE BEGINNING, AN EARLY INDICATOR THAT WE WERE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THE REASON ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I THINK THAT IS THE CASE IS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I WAS ABLE TO START MAY 2ND AND WE HAD ABOUT THREE WEEKS LEFT IN THE SCHOOL YEAR. AND IF YOU RECALL, I HIT THE GROUND RUNNING IMMEDIATELY. I WAS IN SCHOOL BUILDINGS. I WAS LOOKING AT WHAT WE WERE DOING IN SCHOOLS. AND SO I WAS ABLE TO DO SOME EARLY ASSESSMENTS. I HAVE A KEEN EYE FOR INSTRUCTION AND WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN AROUND IMPROVEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY. I WAS MEETING WITH THE I DID IT FOR 100 DAYS, SO EVEN WHEN WHEN PEOPLE START SAYING, YOU KNOW, I JUST CAME IN AND I STARTED CHANGING THINGS, I DID NOT. I ACTUALLY SPENT TIME GETTING FEEDBACK AND GETTING INFORMATION. WHAT'S GOING WELL? WHAT'S NOT GOING WELL? WHAT SHOULD WE DO DIFFERENTLY? I WORKED WITH A TEAM THAT THEN CONDENSED ALL OF THAT INFORMATION AND GAVE ME RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON THAT, AND THAT'S HOW WE ENDED UP WITH THE ABCS AND THE AREAS THAT WE FOCUSED ON LAST YEAR. SO I THINK AS A RESULT OF BEING ABLE TO COME IN AS EARLY AS I DID, I WAS ABLE TO SEE SOME THINGS THAT I KNEW THAT WE COULD TWEAK REALLY, REALLY QUICKLY AND BE ABLE TO BEGIN TO SEE IMPROVEMENT FOR STUDENTS. AND THAT'S WHAT WE DID. AND OUR TEACHERS BOUGHT INTO IT. OUR LEADERS BOUGHT INTO IT. MAYBE THEY DIDN'T NECESSARILY LIKE IT, I'M NOT SURE, BUT THEY DID IT. I'M NOT TEACHING THE STUDENTS I'M CARRYING THE VISION AND THE THE THE TEACHERS ARE TEACHING THE STUDENTS THE PRINCIPALS ARE MONITORING WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THEIR BUILDING, BUT THEY NEED SOMEONE WALKING ALONG SIDE OF THEM TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE DOING. SPECIFICALLY, AND HOW THEY CAN THEN LOOK AT THE INFORMATION, PROVIDE THE NECESSARY FEEDBACK TO MOVE TO THE NEXT LEVEL. SO I AM I'M PROUD OF THAT, AND I BELIEVE THAT, UM, OUR PRINCIPALS WILL CONTINUE TO DO SOME OF THAT WORK BECAUSE THEY'VE SEEN THE VALUE OF IT. THEY'VE SEEN THE VALUE OF REALLY UNDERSTANDING STUDENT DATA AND HOW YOU'RE ABLE TO ASSESS WHERE STUDENTS ARE AND GIVE THEM THE RIGHT KIND OF STRATEGIES SO THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO SEE IMPROVEMENT. WE'VE HAD SEVERAL SUPER INTENDANTS IN THE PAST FEW YEARS, SO I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT. AND THE IMPACT, HOW YOU THINK THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT THE DISTRICT. WE'LL BE BACK IN A MOMENT. WELCOME BACK EVERYONE. WELCOME BACK EVERYONE. I AM HERE WITH IRANETTA WRIGHT, THE SUPER PERINTENDENT OF CINCINNATI PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR FOR JOINING ME. YOU'RE WELCOME. UM, BOARD MEMBER BEN LINDY SAID THIS WILL BE OUR FOURTH TOP LEADER IN THREE YEARS. THIS LEVEL OF CHURN SHOULD BE AN ENORMOUS RED FLAG. WE WILL DO VERY POORLY. ME FOR FUTURE SEARCHES. BECAUSE OF THIS DYSFUNCTION, I UNDERSTAND. UH, BOARD MEMBER LINDY'S CONCERN, AND I WOULD BE CONCERNED AS WELL. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT TWO YEARS IS ENOUGH TIME. I DON'T I DON'T THINK IT'S ENOUGH TIME TO TRULY ACTUALIZE WHAT YOU SAY. YOUR VISION TRULY IS. BUT THE GREATER CONCERN FOR NOW IS FINDING SOMEONE THAT IS GOING TO BE ACCEPTED. AND BECAUSE THEY'RE ACCEPTED, THEY WILL THEN BE ABLE TO LEAD IN A WAY THAT WILL WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE STUDENT OUTCOMES. UM, YOU ALSO TALKED ABOUT NOT WANTING TO BE A DISTRACTION. THAT'S RIGHT. BECAUSE ON THE ONE HAND YOU SAY TWO YEARS ISN'T ENOUGH, RIGHT? UM, YOU STEP ASIDE. UH, YOU JUST SAW THIS STARTING TO TURN INTO A HUGE DISTRACTION FOR YOU. I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE WHERE I'M WANTED, WHEREVER THAT IS. I'VE NEVER WANTED ANYTHING THAT DIDN'T WANT ME. AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT I BRING A LOT OF VALUE. BUT IF THE VALUE THAT I BRING IS NOT WHAT'S NEEDED IN OUR ORGANIZATION, THEN I DO NEED TO STEP ASIDE BECAUSE. BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK LEFT TO DO. AND AND AT THE END OF IT ALL, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS WIN. AND I WOULD NOT SAY THAT JUST ANYBODY CAN DO IT BECAUSE OF JUST ANYBODY COULD DO IT. IT WOULD ALREADY BE DONE RIGHT. AND AND SO I WON'T SAY THAT, BUT I WILL SAY THAT I DO BELIEVE THAT WITH THE RIGHT KIND OF SUPPORT, WITH THE RIGHT KIND OF, UM, CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS, UM, WITH THE RIGHT KIND OF INSTRUCTIONAL FORTITUDE THAT'S NEEDED TO MOVE FORWARD. STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, IT CAN BE DONE AND IT CAN BE DONE IN A WAY THAT WILL BE SUCCESSFUL FOR THE COMMUNITY. SO FOR, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH ANY OF IT, I AM JUST AS COMMITTED TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT RIGHT NOW AS I WAS WHEN I CAME ON MAY THE 2ND. BUT WHEN IT GETS TO THE POINT THAT THAT IS NOT WHAT IS SEEN AS IMPORTANT OR THAT'S NOT WHAT IS SEEN AS NEEDED, THEN YOU NEED TO MOVE ASIDE AND LET SOMEONE ELSE DO WHAT'S NECESSARY, BECAUSE AGAIN, YOU KNOW, GOING THROUGH ANOTHER YEAR OF OR NOT NECESSARILY GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE THERE IS THE BELIEF THAT WE CAN RECOVER, RIGHT? I BELIEVE THAT WE COULD RECOVER. I BELIEVED IT FROM DAY ONE. I BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE CAN DO WHATEVER THEY CHOOSE TO DO. IF THEY IF THEY'RE REALLY COMMITTED TO DOING THAT. BUT IF YOU'RE REALLY COMMITTED NOT TO DO THAT, THEN THEN WHAT BATTLES ARE YOU FIGHTING? AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT I NOT BE THE DISTRACTION. SCHOOL IS CLOSING THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL IS MAY 23RD FOR STUDENTS. WE HAVE THE SUMMER TO GET READY. YOU KNOW, THE SCHOOL YEAR NEVER STOPS FOR ADMINISTRATION, FOR LEADERSHIP. IT DOESN'T STOP. WE WORK THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER GETTING READY FOR THE NEXT YEAR TO START. IT'S A VERY, VERY SHORT SUMMER. WE COME BACK EARLY AUGUST AND SO GETTING SOMEONE IN THE SEAT THAT CAN WORK WITH THE BOARD, THAT CAN WORK WITH THE UNIONS, THAT CAN BRING ALL OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS TOGETHER TO MOVE FORWARD. I THINK THAT THAT IS A SERVICE THAT I'M OFFERING TO TO THE CITY AS WELL. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE ONE MORE BREAK AND WE'LL BE BACK WITH SUPERINTENDENT IRANETTA WRIGHT. I'VE BEEN TALKING TO I'VE BEEN TALKING TO SUPERINTENDENT IRANETTA WRIGHT FROM THE CINCINNATI PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SHE SUBMITTED HER RESIGNATION. UM, THE BOARD VOTED TO ACCEPT YOUR RESIGNATION. AND IT MADE ME WONDER. DO YOU THINK YOU HAD THE SUPPORT OF THE BOARD ALL ALONG? THEY THEY DID, UM, GIVE YOU A THUMBS UP BACK IN DECEMBER, BUT WERE YOU ABLE TO GAUGE OVERALL THE TYPE OF SUPPORT THAT YOU HAVE? I THINK THAT, UM, ALL OF THIS IS DIFFICULT FOR THE BOARD BECAUSE THE BOARD HAS SO MANY PEOPLE THAT THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE TO. UM, SO JUST LIKE I'M A CONSTITUENT, THE UNION LEADERS ARE CONSTITUENT. IT'S THE MEMBERS AND STAFF ARE CONSTITUENTS. AND THEN THE GREATER COMMUNITY. SO I THINK IT'S HARD SOMETIMES TO KIND OF TAKE A POSITION, SO TO SPEAK, WITHOUT RECOGNIZING THAT WHATEVER POSITION YOU TAKE, SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE ON THE ALT RIGHT OR SOMEBODY IS NOT GOING TO BE PLEASED WITH THAT. SO I THINK THAT IT'S JUST BEEN DIFFICULT FOR THEM. AND I HONOR THEM. I HONOR THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO TOGETHER THERE. I DO THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT, THOUGH, THAT THERE IS CLARITY AROUND AROUND WHAT GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE IS NECESSARY TO TRULY SUPPORT A SUPERINTENDENT THAT'S TRYING TO MAKE CHANGE, BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE REALLY WORKING TO MAKE CHANGE, PEOPLE AREN'T GOING TO BE HAPPY ABOUT THAT. THEY'RE NOT. WHEN YOU'RE REALLY TRYING TO GET TO MOVEMENT AND FORWARD MOVEMENT, THEY'RE GOING TO BE SOME DARTS THAT COME FROM THAT AND SO KNOWING THAT THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AND TAKING THE POSITION THAT SAYS THIS IS THE SUPERINTENDENT THAT WE'VE SELECTED AND WE WANT YOU TO WORK TOGETHER BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT FOR OUR CHILDREN, BECAUSE WHAT WE SEE, WE ARE IMPROVED OUTCOMES. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ABOUT. AND SO I THINK THAT IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT FOR THEM. AND IN TERMS OF MOVING FORWARD, I THINK THEY'LL BE VERY THOUGHTFUL ABOUT THE KIND OF LEADER THAT THEY HAVE IN THE SEAT AS THEY THINK ABOUT MOVEMENT AND THINK ABOUT WHAT'S NECESSARY FOR THE DISTRICT. THIS MAY BE TOO SOON, BUT BUT HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT'S NEXT? I'M ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT WHAT'S NEXT, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, MY WORK IS NOT DONE. I CAME WHEN I CAME TO CINCINNATI, IF YOU RECALL, AND IN ONE OF OUR FIRST CONVERSATIONS, YOU KNOW, I SET MY DESIRE WAS EIGHT YEARS. AND THE REASON FOR EIGHT YEARS, NOT JUST THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT AT THE RETIREMENT STAGE YET, BUT THE REASON FOR EIGHT YEARS IS GENERALLY IT TAKES UP ABOUT FIVE YEARS TO TRULY GET THE FOUNDATION STABLE. AND THEN AFTER THAT YOU MOVE INTO SUSTAINABILITY. I AM A CHANGE AGENT AND I'M A TRANSFORMER. THAT TO THAT TOO I AM AND AND I FEEL GOOD ABOUT THAT BECAUSE AS ONCE YOU'RE ABLE TO TRANSFORM, THEN AFTER YOU DO THAT, YOU'RE REALLY ABLE TO MOVE TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF SUSTAINABLE CITY. AND THAT'S WHAT I WANT MY LEGACY TO BE. YOU KNOW, I'M PROUD OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE IN CINCINNATI PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND JUST A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AND AND OUR RECORD IN TERMS OF DATA SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. AND SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT GOES ALONG WITH ME BECAUSE WE'VE DONE THAT WORK TOGETHER. AND SO AS I THINK ABOUT AS I THINK ABOUT NEXT, IT'S REALLY HAVING A SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT'S READY FOR MY KIND OF LEADERSHIP. THEY'RE READY FOR SOMEONE THAT'S GOING TO COME IN AND HIT THE GROUND RUNNING. THEY'RE READY FOR SOMEONE THAT'S GOING TO PUSH THE STATUS QUO. THEY'RE READY FOR SOMEONE THAT UNDERSTANDS INSTRUCTION AND INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS THAT UNDERSTANDS DATA AND KNOWS HOW TO USE THAT DATA TO MOVE, TO MOVE ACHIEVEMENT FORWARD, THAT UNDERSTANDS SYSTEMS AND PROTOCOLS. AND THEY'RE THEY'RE READY TO MOVE. AND SO GIVEN THAT OPPORTUNITY, I BELIEVE I'LL BE GIVEN THAT OPPORTUNITY. BUT GIVEN THAT OPPORTUNITY, I LOOK FORWARD TO IT. WELL, BEST OF LUCK. THANK YOU FOR COMING IN AND TALKING ABOUT THIS. I KNOW IT'S BEEN A BUSY, DIFFICULT TIME, BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. WELL, THAT DOES IT FOR THE PROGRAM TODAY. I'M CURTIS FULLER, THANKS FOR JOINING US. I'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME FOR ANOTHER EDITION OF LES TALKS CINCY.