CPS board president stepping down

Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education President Alex Kuhns is stepping down.

Kuhns starts Monday as program director for UpSpring, a nonprofit dedicated to educational programming for homeless children in Greater Cincinnati. He will finish out his term with CPS, but he already pulled his name from the board of elections site for the November election.

”It is with a heavy heart that I share this message,” he wrote in an email announcing his decision to fellow board members. “…I could not be more excited about this new opportunity because of the direct impact I can make in the lives of children every single day. I do not believe I will be able to balance the demands of the CPS Board over the next 4 years while working full time with UpSpring.”

Kuhns’ departure means a rather humdrum race this fall, with now three candidates running for three open seats. Board members Eve Bolton and Chris Nelms are running for their own open seats, according to the board of elections, and newcomer Carolyn Jones is running for the seat vacated by Kuhns.

Jones is coming off two terms with the North College Hill Board of Education. This will be her first term with CPS.

“This was not an easy decision at all,” Kuhns said Wednesday afternoon, adding that part of what made it palatable was his faith in Jones. “I totally understand how important the role of school board member is. ... It’s just a lot about timing. It’s just not the right time for me.”

Kuhns was elected to the CPS board in 2012. He served as vice president in 2013 and president this year.

In 2007, he was a student teacher. He remembers a day one of his students had her head down on the desk, clearly not listening to the lesson. He decided to investigate. It turned out her best friend had killed herself within the past 12 hours, Kuhns said, “and so, first thing in the morning, she’s at school, supposed to learn?”

Kuhns asked his mentor teacher what they could do for the student, how they could help, and the teacher told him there was nothing, since the school psychologist was only there two days a week, and that day wasn’t one.

That’s why Kuhns became a board member, he said.

“Now, we’re heading into a new school year, and we are hiring as many as eight school counselors,” he said. “... Some of the decisions we make on the board, we can see the impact that has on our kids day to day, and I’ll miss that.”

The announcement comes at a sensitive time for CPS. In August, the board voted unanimously to suspend the first-come, first-served policy that led to weeks-long campouts at magnet schools such as Fairview-Clifton German Language School and Sands Montessori. There has been loud outcry since, with some parents saying a lottery system is much fairer, while others argue the campouts were an integral part of the magnet system, fostering tight-knit school communities that will now disappear.

Kuhns said he doesn’t regret that decision at all – the board believes a lottery is more equitable – but he does regret how it was communicated. The next four months, while he’s still on the board, that will be a focal point, he said.

“We can’t undo the past; I think we should have engaged (families) earlier,” he said. “But I think there are things we can do moving forward to engage families better.”

Kuhns said he accepted the UpSpring job this past week. He could have remained on the CPS board, provided he was re-elected, but he didn’t think he could do both jobs well.

On Wednesday, an email to his account, apk4cps, bounced back:

“Thanks for reaching out to me!” the auto-reply reads. “I am transitioning to a new personal e-mail account. Please update your records accordingly.

“Regards, A. Kuhns.”