November 4, 2009

Dear Friends of Cincinnati Public Schools,

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Once again, the caring voters of our school district - who know that good schools are essential to community progress - stepped up to show their support for children by approving Issue 52 on Election Day.

Issue 52 won't raise taxes, but, in today's difficult economy, approval of this renewal is a huge victory for our students and our community. It means that we can keep our focus on accelerating academic achievement, without the distraction of having to plan for reductions in the basics of education.

On behalf of all of us at CPS - and our extended family of parents and community partners - I'd like to express our deep appreciation to the voters for realizing that the success of our schools and the success of our community are linked. The future of our students and our city is brighter because of this vote.

I also want to express my personal appreciation for the remarkable support for the Issue 52 campaign that was provided by scores of organizations and countless individual volunteers. A broad array of groups - representing more diverse sectors of our community than we've experienced in several years - joined forces to endorse Issue 52 and to lend financial support to the campaign.

Hundreds of individual contributors also did their part - registering voters, putting out yard signs, calling voters, organizing "honk and wave" events after school and working at the polls on Election Day.

So, thanks to everyone who worked to put Issue 52 over the top and to make a positive difference for our students.

And, now, back to our core mission: accelerating academic achievement. We are committed to continuing to focus on increasing graduation-rate gains, implementing academic innovations such as our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) high school and elementary school programs, and enhancing collaboration with community partners - all of which have attracted national recognition for our district. At the same time, we will intensify our work to turn around struggling schools to ensure that both our magnet and neighborhood elementary schools perform at high levels.

The momentum of progress is on our side. Thanks to the voters - and to you - it will continue.

Best regards,