I am a mother in Cincinnati, and I am tired.
Tired in the way families become when they’ve spent years carrying the weight of a system that keeps failing their children. The kind of exhaustion that comes from watching leaders make promises while our kids continue to struggle in classrooms that do not have what they need.
Our school board has not been held accountable for the budgets it has passed − budgets that have produced poor outcomes, widening achievement gaps and classrooms where children in our highest-poverty neighborhoods are trying to learn without the support they deserve. And now, after years of mismanagement, the district is turning back to us − the parents, the taxpayers, the families already stretched thin and asking for more money.
Let me say this plainly: You cannot keep asking us to pay for what you refuse to fix.
Results before revenue
Every morning this summer, I have carried the weight of wondering whether my daughter will be ready for fifth-grade math. She finished fourth grade still below grade level. Even with summer tutoring, I worry that when she returns to school, the stretched resources and limited support will make it even harder for her to reach the benchmarks she deserves. She is bright, capable, and full of promise − but promise alone cannot close gaps created by adults who refuse to act.
And she is not alone.
Across Cincinnati Public Schools, too many children are struggling to master the foundational skills they need to succeed. On the most recent Ohio State Tests, only 47% of students in grades 3–8 were proficient in reading, and just 39% were proficient in math. That means more than half of our students are not reading or doing math at grade level. Those aren’t just statistics − they represent thousands of children whose futures depend on the decisions adults make today.
Across our city, parents are watching their children move from one grade to the next while their academic support stays stuck. We see the cracks widening. We see the inequities deepening. We see the same neighborhoods, those with the least economic stability, continuing to bear the burden of under-resourced classrooms and inconsistent intervention.
Cincinnati Public Schools has passed multiple levies over the past decade. The 2016 levy promised expanded preschool opportunities and stronger classroom support. The 2020 renewal was intended to maintain that stability. Yet here we are in 2026, still fighting for literacy achievement to rise, still asking for intervention staff, and still wondering why our lowest-performing schools remain under-resourced.
Now, CPS is proposing a new 7-mill property tax levy, while board members themselves are not even aligned. When leadership is divided, our children pay the price.
This is not just a governance issue. It is a community issue.
Parents are not blank checks. We are tired of being asked to pay more while the people responsible for making decisions refuse to fix what is broken.
Trust must be earned
We are watching our children lose opportunities they will never get back. We are watching teachers try to perform miracles with broken tools. We are watching a district continue to say, “Trust us,” while giving us every reason not to.
Before asking taxpayers for more money, CPS must show us:
- Where previous dollars went.
- Why outcomes look the way they do.
- What concrete changes will be made, not recycled talking points.
- Who will be held responsible when results fall short.
Our children’s futures are too precious to gamble on another round of “trust us.” Our community’s stability is too important to risk on budgets that don’t match reality. Our families’ financial limits are too real to ignore.
If the board wants more money, they must first earn more trust.
Because our children deserve better. Because our community deserves better. Because Cincinnati deserves better.
And we will not stop saying so.
Terana Boyd is the founder and executive director of We Excel Cincinnati - a movement for parents by parents.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Before we vote yes on a new tax, CPS must show us results | Opinion
