Some of the information is encouraging. For example, State Auditor Mary Taylor notes that CPS had a graduation rate of 60.2 percent in 2002 and a graduation rate of 77 percent in 2005, a significant increase in three years.
Some of the information in the report is quirky -- or perhaps telling. For example, in 1997 the school district had one social worker for every 139 teachers. Last year the ratio was one social worker for every 78 teachers.
Some of the information is troubling -- if true. For its data on leading employers in the school district, the state auditor curiously relied not on a government agency but on the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The report shows the city of Cincinnati had 364,040 residents in 1997 served by 5,964 employees. By 2006, the population had dropped to 331,285 while, according to the Chamber's figures, the number of workers on the municipal payroll had risen by exactly 1,000 -- to 6,964.
Below are a few excerpts from the 178-page audit report, for the period July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006. The entire report is available at auditor.state.oh.us.
1997 CPS enrollment, K-12: 48,482 Psychologists employed by CPS in 1997: 50
2006 CPS enrollment, K-12: 35,566 Psychologists employed by CPS in 2006: 78
1997 ratio of students per psychologist: 970-to-1 2006 ratio of students per psychologist: 456-to-1
Librarians employed by CPS in 1997: 78 Librarians employed by CPS in 2006: 27
In 1997 CPS had 1.56 librarians for every psychologist In 2006 CPS had 2.9 psychologists for every librarian
CPS classroom teachers, 1997: 3,355 CPS classroom teachers, 2006: 2,719
Social workers employed by CPS in 1997: 24 Social workers employed by CPS in 2006: 35
2002 cost per student in CPS: $9,983 2005 cost per student in CPS: $12,734 2005 state average cost per student: $9,028
1997 CPS minimum teacher salary: $27,617 2006 CPS minimum teacher salary: $35,824
1997 CPS maximum teacher salary: $60,381 2006 maximum teacher salary: $81,008
2006 CPS average teacher salary: $60,275 2006 state average teacher salary: $50,772 Percentage by which CPS average teacher salary exceeds state average: 18.7
