CINCINNATI — School board and community members continue to question the second phase of Cincinnati Public Schools’ growth plan. Phase 2 would create new middle and high schools in the district and place schools in the Central, West and East corridors.

Monday’s school board meeting was a continuation of last weekgetting more questions answered as the plan represents a major financial commitment for the district.

“We need to be very aware that making so many changes at once is not stable,” said CPS board member Brandon Craig.

And the price of these changes is set at $203 million.

However, no decision has been made yet.

“These are all recommendations,” said Mary Wineberg, vice chair of the board.

According to the district, the reason for this plan is to encourage growth and combat overcrowding in schools while maintaining a diverse student population. But some board members say that with other costs, it will be too high and not worth it.

“If we’re trying to add more than $350 million to a budget that already has a hole, I think there has to be a very compelling rationale for why this is a necessity,” said Ben Lindy, a member of the board of directors. “And I just haven’t heard that yet.”

At Monday night’s meeting, many spoke in favor of Montessori education, asking the board not to adopt the current proposal that would remove seventh and eighth grade students from Clark Montessori.

“I hope you will side with the families who don’t want this to happen.” I also think if you side with the families who want it, this choice will benefit more people,” said Ephram Coats, a CPS student.

Even former Clark Montessori students spoke out.

“We face a very real capacity-building problem, but I hope we can come together to find a solution that has the least disruption to the students and staff of our schools,” said Elena Jordan-Keller, former pupil.

Phase 1 of the plan has already been implemented, displacing several students and teachers.

In Monday evening presentationFeedback shared in Phase 1 showed that staff felt rushed and families were not always informed. CPS board member Kendra Mapp asked how this could be avoided in Phase 2.

“I think the important change is that the planning, foresight and time we have for this phase versus Phase 1 will make a night and day difference,” said member of Interim Superintendent Shauna Murphy’s team. who developed the plan.

Given that some students have already been displaced, student displacement is a major concern for many.

“We really have to be very careful saying we’re just going to move people from one place to another because for some students it’s not just one move, it’s now the second move,” Craig said .

If phase 2 is successful, it will be implemented for the next school year. There is no date set yet for a board vote.