Cincinnati School Board Reduced Superintendent Rating
Parents should note that new academic benchmarks have been set following a decline in the superintendent's evaluation score.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Administration
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The Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education recently lowered Superintendent Shauna Murphy's annual evaluation score from 4.6 to 3.3 on a 5-point scale. This adjustment follows missed performance targets in core subjects, which carry significant weight in leadership assessments.
Why it matters
The evaluation decline reflects missed proficiency targets in third grade reading and algebra I, areas that directly impact student academic progression. These metrics are tied to district accountability, influencing how the school system monitors performance and allocates resources.
Superintendent Murphy's score fell to 3.3 out of 5, with student performance accounting for 60% of that total. Currently, the district reports third grade reading proficiency at 58.9% and algebra I proficiency at 48.9%.
The players
Shauna Murphy
The superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools who took office in November 2024.
Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education
The local governing body responsible for setting district performance standards and managing leadership oversight.
Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
The state agency that provides the standardized report card data used to assess school district performance.
The details
The school board assesses the superintendent using a mix of performance objectives, professional standards, and a midpoint check-in. Student outcomes, sourced from Ohio Department of Education and Workforce data, drive the majority of this evaluation score. Because specific targets for literacy and math were not met, the board approved four new performance goals on October 12, 2026, to address these gaps before the next cycle.
Timeline
November 2024: Shauna Murphy assumed the superintendent role.
October 12, 2026: The board approved four new performance goals.
The Home Front
Local school leadership accountability is increasingly tied to the Ohio school report card performance system. This shift reflects a broader trend of school boards using state-mandated academic outcomes to dictate the performance goals of district administration.
Families should check the upcoming academic benchmarks for reading and math, as these targets now drive the district's strategic plan through 2027. Consider attending board meetings to track how these new goals translate into classroom instruction and student support resources.
The takeaway
The district is pivoting its focus toward specific 2027 targets for reading and workforce readiness to recover its evaluation standing. Parents can monitor these outcomes by reviewing their student's individual progress reports against the new district-wide literacy and algebra goals.
Further reading
For more information on district management, visit the Administration section.
More information
You can view the full details in the superintendent evaluation report.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Cincinnati.
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