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Community members raised concerns Monday about changes to Cincinnati Public Schools’ bilingual social worker positions.
The concerns came during the district’s final Board of Education meeting before students return Wednesday, Aug. 19.
The district has four English Language Learner, or ELL, social workers. They previously worked across multiple school buildings to provide specialized support to students who speak languages other than English.
Under the new arrangement, each ELL social worker will serve as the primary social worker at a specific school. The change reduces their ability to provide ELL-focused services across multiple buildings.
The staffing change comes as CPS addresses a major budget shortfall. The district cut 12 social worker positions this summer as part of efforts to close a projected $58.6 million deficit.
CPS now has 66 social workers, according to WVXU. That number allows the district to place one social worker in each school building, but it changes how specialized ELL services reach students.
CPS bilingual social workers face reassignment
The reassignment has drawn concerns from educators, social workers and community members who spoke during Monday’s board meeting.
One speaker said staff at Western Hills High School learned last week that its bilingual social worker would no longer remain at the school. The speaker said the change could leave students without a bilingual staff member specifically trained to help during crises.
FOX19 reported that CPS will begin the new school year with 111 fewer filled positions than the previous academic year. Twelve of those eliminated positions were social worker jobs.
The district’s four ELL social workers had previously provided services across multiple schools. That arrangement allowed them to respond to students who needed language-specific social and emotional support.
The new model instead assigns the workers to individual buildings.
Another speaker told the board that the change could represent an oversight in how CPS structured the positions. The speaker questioned whether the district considered the broader needs of English-learning students.
The concern centers on access rather than simply the number of social workers. Community members said students may lose access to staff with specialized bilingual skills when those workers remain assigned to one building.
CPS itself lists bilingual school social workers as part of its English Learner support resources. The district’s current contact page identifies four ELL social workers and provides a dedicated email for families seeking their assistance.
CPS bilingual social workers serve more than one school
More than 2,000 students across CPS are classified as English learners, according to WVXU.
Western Hills High School has more than 200 students learning English. Those students represent about 20 percent of the school’s total student population.
Teachers at Western Hills said the school will not have a dedicated bilingual social worker during the 2026-27 school year.
The change could affect other schools that previously relied on the ELL social workers for specialized assistance. The workers told the board that their new assignments limit their ability to respond to crises elsewhere in the district.
ELL social worker Sarah Madrigal described the restriction during Monday’s meeting. She said staff were specifically told to function as building social workers rather than respond to trauma or crises at other schools.
Madrigal questioned where students could receive comparable services if the bilingual social workers could no longer provide them.
The comments highlighted a distinction between a building-based social worker and an ELL specialist. A school social worker can provide broad student support, while bilingual staff can communicate directly with families who face language barriers.
CPS provides English Learner services through its Student Services department. Those services include English as a Second Language programs, interpreter services, document translations and bilingual employee recruitment.
The district’s English Learner program also operates welcome centers at several CPS locations. Families can use those resources for enrollment and English Learner support.
CPS budget cuts drive staffing changes
The changes to CPS bilingual social workers come from a larger districtwide effort to reduce spending.
CPS adopted a balanced $634.6 million general fund budget for the 2026-27 school year after closing a projected gap of nearly $58 million. The district said its plan includes staffing reductions, five furlough days, a 10 percent reduction in non-personnel spending and tighter spending controls.
The district’s budget documents also show changes across multiple departments and services. CPS said the staffing changes were part of its effort to address immediate financial pressures while protecting core instruction and student support.
The budget pressure has already affected other CPS operations. The district eliminated the English as a Second Language Manager position as part of the cuts, FOX19 reported.
The four ELL social workers remain employed, but their roles have changed.
That distinction matters because the current controversy involves reassignment rather than the complete elimination of all four bilingual social worker positions.
Community members nevertheless argued that the restructuring could reduce specialized support for students who need it most.
The issue also reflects the broader staffing challenges CPS faces as it prepares for the new school year.
CPS bilingual social workers raise concerns about student support
Speakers at Monday’s meeting pointed to previous incidents involving immigrant students as examples of situations that required specialized support.
One speaker referenced an April incident at Western Hills involving officers who sought to verify information about immigrant students on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. The speaker said bilingual social workers provided important emotional support to students afterward.
WVXU separately reported that local advocates raised concerns about the impact of that incident on immigrant students.
ELL social worker Naomi Green also addressed the board. She said some students have experienced major disruptions involving family members and need trusted adults who can communicate with them.
Green urged the board to reconsider the restructuring.
The social workers who spoke Monday asked CPS to consider moving resources again so ELL staff can serve multiple schools. They said the previous districtwide model better matched the needs of English-learning students.
The board did not publicly resolve the issue during the meeting.
FOX19 reported that CPS had not discussed the concerns after the public speaking portion of Monday’s meeting. The station said it contacted the district for clarification about the positions and the plans for the coming school year.
CPS bilingual social workers begin new assignments Wednesday
CPS students return to classrooms Wednesday, making the timing of the changes significant for families and school staff.
The district’s new staffing structure will place the four ELL social workers at individual school buildings. Students at other schools will no longer receive the same districtwide access to those specialists.
CPS has not announced a reversal of the assignments.
The district’s English Learner program continues to provide other forms of support, including instructional assistance, interpreter services and language education programs. Families can also contact CPS through its English Learner department for assistance.
The debate now centers on whether the new building-based model can meet the needs of students across the district.
For Cincinnati families, the issue is part of a larger discussion about how CPS will maintain student services while managing a significant budget shortfall.
The reassignment also puts a spotlight on how staffing reductions can affect specialized programs even when positions remain within the district.
The Cincinnati Exchange previously reported on the district’s efforts to address its CPS budget shortfall. That coverage provides additional context on the financial pressures behind the staffing reductions. (Internal link: add your relevant CPS budget story URL.)
The Cincinnati Exchange also has previous coverage of CPS staffing cuts and school changes that can provide additional background.
For families seeking current information about English Learner services, CPS maintains an official English Learner contact page with program contacts and bilingual social worker information. CPS English Learner contact page
The staffing changes remain in place as the district begins the 2026-27 school year. Further clarification from CPS could determine whether the district modifies the assignments after hearing concerns from staff and community members.
