The day I was appointed to the Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education was one of the proudest moments of my life. After working for decades as a mentor and coach, I was excited for the chance to help even more kids on a much bigger scale.
As a CPS graduate, like my parents, wife and son, I knew the powerful role that public education plays in the lives of our children and families. I was eager to use that power on their behalf. As a board member, that meant making sure our schools had the resources they needed.
I've never been afraid to ask voters for support when our kids needed it. In 2019, I voted for the 10-year renewal levy. In 2016, I co-chaired
the Preschool Promise campaign, which brought the district, business community and philanthropic organizations together to pass a levy that funded CPS and expanded quality preschool across our city.
Saying no to a school levy doesn't come easily to me. But I can't support Issue 4, the Cincinnati Public Schools levy.
Cincinnati families are already feeling the financial squeeze
As powerful as our public schools are, a child's education doesn't start in the classroom. It starts at home.
I've seen what happens when a family loses its footing. Kids who don't know where they'll sleep, or where their next meal will come from, have a hard time learning. They miss school, and they fall behind. Families end up in eviction court.
Right now, families are struggling. The cost of rent, groceries and gas is skyrocketing, while wages stay stagnant and more and more parents are coming up short at the end of the day.
When the math isn't mathing, it's our kids who suffer.
Now, the school board wants a 20% tax increase. Issue 4 would add $66 million a year in new taxes. That's more pressure on our families, and it's our kids who will pay the price.
We can't afford it. Not now.
CPS needs a clearer plan and greater public trust
The school board needs to have its house in order first before it asks for a tax increase this big − no matter when. This board has not approached this levy correctly from the beginning. They chose an earnings tax, then reversed course days later when their own supporters pushed back. Instead of taking a step back, the board rushed a property tax onto the ballot at the last minute.
They put this levy on the ballot before adopting a strategic plan and did so without taking the time to align spending with the goals of that plan. That's not how you earn trust.
It doesn't have to be this way. I know because I've seen CPS do it the right way.
With Preschool Promise, the district and the community build the plan together. We listened. We made changes. We earned people's trust before we ever asked for their vote. Voters knew exactly what they were paying for.
And they said yes.
Metro did the same with Issue 7, putting a 25-year plan in front of voters that showed what every dollar would do. That's the standard our families deserve. Issue 4 doesn't come close.
It is my God's purpose to stand for kids. I've spent my life fighting for Cincinnati's kids, as a mentor, a coach and a school board member. I'm not going to stop now.
This isn't no forever. It's no for now.
When the school board comes back with a real plan, built with the community and at a time when families can bear it, I'll be the first to stand up for it. But right now, there is no plan, no public input and no room in family budgets for a 20% tax increase.
I can't vote for that. I hope you won't either.
If you care about our kids, vote no on Issue 4.
Ozie Davis III lives in Avondale and is a former Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education member. He is the co-founder of the political action committee The Coalition for an Affordable Cincinnati, which has launched an ad campaign opposing Issue 4.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: I served on the CPS board. I can't support the school levy | Opinion
