Cincinnati Public Schools told the board that it will redesign the John J. Gilligan Digital Academy and add a satellite virtual campus on the West Side to support nontraditional learners, multilingual learners and students needing flexible scheduling.

“We completed our audit around enrollment, absenteeism, state compliance, and staffing,” Assistant Superintendent Randolph said. Randolph said the digital academy was “one of the most expensive schools for the number of students that they had,” and the audit informed recommendations to realign staffing, use district curriculum, and set clearer expectations for student engagement and face‑to‑face time.

As part of the redesign, district staff proposed a satellite location on West High School property to provide in‑person support for multilingual learners and other students who do not typically travel downtown for virtual services. The satellite would operate shifts (morning, afternoon and select evening sessions) and remain connected to the virtual high school IRN; the plan would reallocate staff rather than add a full additional IRN.

Randolph said the district is exploring CreditFlex, individual graduation planning and revised use of Edgenuity to support graduation for students who need flexible schedules. He also said staff are pursuing work‑based and evening course options for students who must work and cannot attend during the day.

Republican Coast Guard JROTC application: Randolph told the board that the district submitted an application for a Coast Guard JROTC unit at Sayler Park (Sailor Park) the previous day. Board members encouraged district leaders to seek support from local elected officials.

Randolph said data on dropouts at Dater and West High showed the majority were English language learners or Hispanic students; he said that informed the decision to locate a satellite on the West Side to improve access.

Less critical details: the digital redesign aims to maintain the digital IRN while improving efficiency; virtual high school continues to operate at its Taft‑adjacent facility while a West Side satellite would operate under that IRN.