Cincinnati Classical Academy is a new community tuition-free school in the Cincinnati metropolitan area that provides students in grades K-12 with an outstanding opportunity to receive a classical liberal arts and science education. CCA plans to add grade after grade level until the school serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade. CCA's goal is to provide a quality education to disadvantaged students in Southwest Ohio who have historically suffered from subpar educational experiences.
CCA recently received a nearly $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to further develop the school. Once partisan elites and special interest groups learned of CCA's $2 million grant, they launched a smear campaign against the school, accusing it of only wanting wealthy children to attend CCA. Additionally, these partisan elites and special interest groups demanded that the Department of Education cancel a $2 million grant due to falsehoods in the application.
Having seen CCA's application to the Department of Education, I hereby report that the statements in CCA's application were accurate. Moreover, this attack on the school is not only unfounded, but also indicative of a broader problem. Partisan elites and special interests fear high-quality community schools (or “charter” schools) that compete with the state's traditional public options. .
Here's the thing: Just like in the business world, competition creates choice. As they say, the cream of the crop rises to the top. CCA is a tuition-free school that is open to all students, regardless of color, religion, or other demographics. Opponents of school choice fear that parents will learn of the academic richness of schools like CCA and decide to leave the current subpar education system.
This is the time to be honest. According to the Ohio State Board of Education, even though most public school teachers and administrators work hard every day to educate our region's youth, schools like Cincinnati Public Schools receive a five-star rating. It's very alarming that we only got two of them. of education rankings. One in three CPS public high schools provides a substandard education, and only one in three CPS elementary schools is rated above average. This is by no means a call to abolish public schools, but taxpayers are certainly entitled to a greater return on their investment, and parents are entitled to better educational options for their children.
I encourage students and parents to consider their educational options in Southwest Ohio. CCA is a necessary school to provide quality education to disadvantaged students who need better grades. Partisan elites and special interest groups are bent on continuing old and broken educational models that are to the detriment of students, their parents, and taxpayers. It's time for a change. As parents of school-age children, we demand transparency and need to know our options.Orlando Sonza is a U.S. Army veteran, attorney, certified public accountant, and father of four. He is the Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in Ohio's 1st Congressional District. He and his family now reside in Springfield township.
