School districts experienced in floating bond issues have three bits of advice for Cincinnati Public Schools six weeks before it asks voters to approve an unprecedented $480 million bond issue:

        Seek community input.

        Make sure the need is clearly defined.

        Ensure district stability.

        From Albany, N.Y., to Albuquerque, N.M., campaign managers and school board members say the district must spell out to voters why 35 new schools and 31 renovated schools are needed.

Craig F. Maier, 2002 Cincinnati Schools levy chair, speaks Tuesday with civic leaders Donald Spencer (left), Sheila Adams and Sister Joan Krimm. (Enquirer photo) | ZOOM |

        “The biggest thing I would recommend is to get the community involved early,” said Chip Gramke, board president for Wichita (Kan.) Public Schools. “Don't try to sell the community a bond issue. Have the community own the bond issue. If they own it, then you have your votes even before you get to the polls.”

        Cincinnati officials are analyzing their past failures, including the defeat of a $348 million bond issue in 1993 in which nearly 60 percent of voters opposed it.

        They say this campaign is different because the district:

        Has involved the community in dozens of meetings.

        Is stressing the dire needs to replace schools.

        Is in better educational shape than it's been in years.

        “This is far more comprehensive a plan,” said CPS spokeswoman Jan Leslie, who was campaign coordinator in 1993. “It is half-funded (by the state and other local funds). This is also different because we went out to the schools and the community and said "What is the need?' And we changed the plan to reflect people's suggestions.”

        In addition, school officials point out that the district has a unique opportunity to receive more than $200 million in state funding if it can raise the balance for the $1 billion project. In 1993, there was no state contribution.

        School officials also have identified an additional $300 million to go toward the four-phase project. That money comes in part from payments from the city and Hamilton County in lieu of taxes on Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ball Park.

        “We probably have a more open and broader information sharing process,” Ms. Leslie said. “People understand what this is for.”

Define the needs

        Arnold R. Pinkney ran the successful campaign for Cleveland Public Schools' $335 million bond issue in May 2001.

        “We had a good message,” he said. “The schools were in disrepair. We showed graphically the condition of the schools. Our thing was "Would you want your child to go to school under these conditions?”'

        Campaigners cited the collapse of a high school gymnasium roof the previous fall. Commercials depicted holes in ceilings, broken school steps and tiny bathrooms built for students in the 1920s.

        Cincinnati schools officials have reiterated the district's need, pointing to buildings that average 59 years old and their leaky roofs, drafty windows and crumbling facades.

        Officials want residents to know that the bond issue would ensure every district school is state-of-the-art and air-conditioned within the next decade, whereas the 1993 bond issue would have only paid to make the buildings “warm, safe and dry.”

        Campaign organizers in Colorado's St. Vrain Valley School District admit they didn't do enough to stress the need for better schools during the district's $353 million bond issue campaign in 2001.

        In Boulder County, where the vast majority of voters resided, 58 percent voted no.

        “We focused on money instead of the kids,” said Rick Samson, school board vice president and campaign chairman.

        This November, the district will attempt to pass a smaller bond issue of $213 million with a new focus. The old slogan was: “Vote yes on 3A.” The new slogan is: “Your vote. Their future.”

        St. Vrain Valley officials reduced the amount they're requesting after a poll revealed the community thought the last bond request was too high.

Community input

        The community must be central to the campaign, officials agree.

        “Our strategy was to get total buy-in and ownership by the community,” said Mr. Gramke, board president for Wichita Public Schools.

        Teachers, parents, business leaders and people without students in the district studied Wichita schools' facilities. The study revealed $450 million in critical needs. The district reduced the request to $284.5 million based on a prioritized list developed by a steering committee.

        “We had thousands of people in the community who felt as if this was their bond issue,” Mr. Gramke said. “It wasn't something that was being sold to them. It was something they created.”

        The bond passed by a 2-to-1 ratio in April 2000.

        Albuquerque Public Schools wasn't as fortunate in April when it tried to pass a $117.6 million bond issue and a $74.8 million levy. Both were defeated.

        Rigo Chavez, the district's director of community relations, said a poll revealed several factors contributed to the bond's failure. Among them:

        Property taxes had just risen by 8 mills for the hospital district.

        The board was in conflict with the superintendent.

        A narrow group of supporters was targeted through a stealth campaign. In it, they tried to secure support from the most loyal constituents, such as district employees, and others likely to be supportive. Mr. Chavez said officials would likely use different tactics for a bond issue under consideration for 2003.

        “We would try to get our message out to a broader audience and garner support that way.”

        Alton Frailey, a Texas assistant superintendent who Sept. 6 was named superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools, said much of the success of a $470.5 million bond issue in Cypress-Fairbanks (Texas) Independent School District could be attributed to community input.

        Mr. Frailey serves as a board member there and saw 85 percent of voters support the 2001 issue.

        “Much of what we did is/has been done in Cincinnati,” Mr. Frailey said. “A facility needs assessment was conducted. The community was surveyed and involved in other ways. We did have tours of facilities by community members.

        “Communication was critical,” Mr. Frailey added. “We still communicate progress on projects, and we made certain that we did what we said we would do.”

        Mr. Frailey and others said Cincinnati Public has to point out why the bond issue matters for the entire city, not just for students.

        “I used to say to people it's better that we make the economic investment and hope it will pay off,” said Patricia Fahy, board member for New York's Albany Public Schools. “We either take this gamble and do this economic development or be faced with a continually shrinking tax base.”

        Ms. Fahy said voters were told how the bond issue could bring development to the city, which has been steadily losing population.

        As in Wichita, Albany voters approved the $175 million bond issue by a 2-to-1 ratio.

        Cincinnati Public has emphasized what campaigners say could be an economic boon for neighborhoods throughout the city. They say the new schools would be neighborhood centers open to the community. Some would house YMCAs and school health centers or have space for community policing offices or small museums.

Instability can hurt

        The effect of the departure of former Cincinnati superintendent Steven Adamowskiremains to be seen. Instability is not a positive sign for a district asking for money.

        Spokeswoman Ms. Leslie said the district is more stable than in 1993 despite the leadership change. The 1993 campaign followed a watershed report by the business community that suggested massive cuts in administrative staffing. She said the educational system today is in better shape and the district has proven it's fiscally responsible.

        Opponents aren't so sure. Some still say Cincinnati should address its dismal 58 percent graduation rate before building new schools. The organized opposition says the district should slow down and use the money it has to pay for the first phase of the four-phase project before asking for all the money.

        “Taxpayer-subsidized building projects in this city and county have a history of cost overruns,” said Jim Urling, chairman for the anti-tax group, Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes.”

        Successfully completing the first phase before asking for more money “will keep the board and administration on their toes by having them demonstrate they can implement this on budget and on time,” he said.

        Bond campaigners say they want to guarantee that the entire district has state-of-the-art schools, rather than leaving some neighborhoods to worry whether their schools will ever be repaired. They say funding for all the repairs should be secured now.

        E-mail jmrozowski@enquirer.com

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