Cincinnati School Board Lowered Superintendent Score
The board reduced Shauna Murphy's annual evaluation rating to 3.3 following missed performance benchmarks.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Administration
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The Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education has lowered Superintendent Shauna Murphy's annual evaluation score from 4.6 to 3.3 on a 5-point scale. This decline follows the district's failure to meet specific performance targets for third grade reading and algebra I proficiency.
Why it matters
The board uses evaluation scores to hold leadership accountable for academic outcomes, with student performance goals accounting for 60% of the final assessment. In response to recent results, the board has approved new performance objectives for the 2026-27 school year.
Superintendent Shauna Murphy's evaluation score dropped to 3.3 from a previous 4.6. The district holds a 3-star state report card rating, an improvement from its two-year streak of 2.5-star ratings.
The players
Shauna Murphy
Shauna Murphy serves as the superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools.
Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education
The board is the governing body responsible for overseeing district policy and the superintendent.
Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
This state agency sets educational standards and issues report cards for school districts.
The details
The evaluation process weighs student performance goals at 60%, board surveys at 30%, and a midpoint check-in at 10%. Assessment metrics are grounded in data from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, focusing on proficiency gaps and readiness measures.
Timeline
Shauna Murphy assumed the role of superintendent in November 2024.
The board finalized the 2025-26 evaluation goals in October 2025.
The board approved four new performance goals on October 12, 2026.
Culture Shift
The school board's move toward performance-based administrative accountability mirrors a wider trend of using standardized metrics to drive systemic improvements. This approach emphasizes quantifiable outcomes in alignment with state reporting standards to pressure leadership for measurable change.
The changes to performance goals may shift the focus of daily instructional routines in local classrooms to meet specific state-mandated targets. Families can track how these administrative adjustments influence literacy and readiness programs as the district targets improvement by September 2027.
The takeaway
Board oversight reflects a commitment to prioritizing student proficiency targets over prior operational standards. Setting clear, data-driven goals for the upcoming academic year provides a roadmap for the district to potentially improve its state standing.
Further reading
For more context on district oversight, see the Administration section.
More information
Review the full superintendent evaluation report to understand the metrics applied.
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Should school boards primarily use student test scores to evaluate a superintendent's performance?
