Nearly two dozen Columbus City Schools are candidates for closure under a new package of proposals by the superintendent's facilities task force .
Why it matters: School consolidation is seen as a way for CCS to manage expenses and rid the district of old buildings needing costly repairs.
Driving the news: The task force presented initial recommendations to the school board on Tuesday.
- The task force was named earlier this year following voters' approval of a CCS levy funding general operating expenses and ongoing facility maintenance.
What they're saying: Superintendent Angela Chapman emphasized that no immediate board action would be taken and the district wants to hear community feedback over the coming weeks.
- She said half of CCS buildings are over 50 years old and require major renovations.
- "We know the learning spaces of yesterday are not preparing our students for the opportunities of tomorrow."
Zoom in: The school board is considering nine different scenarios that would close certain buildings and change the grade levels at others to accommodate new students.
- It's unclear how many of these scenarios the board will eventually approve.
Combined, the scenarios lay out possible closures at the following schools:
- Elementary: Fairwood, Siebert, Moler, West Broad, Valleyview, Lindbergh, Cranbrook, Hubbard, Duxberry, North Linden, Northtowne, Innis, Broadleigh, Everett (elementary and middle school gifted programs)
- Middle: Buckeye Middle School, Johnson Park, Sherwood, Old Eastmoor
- High: Marion-Franklin, Columbus Alternative/McGuffey
The other side: Some teachers, parents, and students criticized the recommendations and, the Dispatch reports , an alleged a lack of transparency with the consolidation process thus far.
- John Coneglio, president of the Columbus teachers union, resigned last week from the facilities task force over similar concerns .
Flashback: CCS received similar public backlash when considering closing schools in 2016 and 2018.
What's next: The district will host community forums and "gallery walks" for the public to view the scenarios and give feedback.
After that, the task force is expected to present a final recommendation to the school board in June.
- Board members will vote that month to approve any building closures and consolidations, which would begin to take effect at the start of the 2025-26 school year.
Public meeting schedule:
May 16 gallery walks
- 9:30am, Shepard Library, 850 N. Nelson Road
- 9:30am, Parsons Library, 1113 Parsons Ave.
May 16 community forums
- 5:30pm, East High School, 1500 E. Broad St.
- CEC Assembly Room, 270 E. State St.
May 22 gallery walk
- 10:30am, Whetstone Recreation Center, 3923 N. High St.
May 22 virtual meeting
May 23 gallery walks
- 9:30am, Barnett Recreation Center, 1184 Barnett Road
- 9:30am, Community Grounds Cafe, 1134 Parsons Ave.
May 23 community forums
- 5:30pm Olde Orchard Elementary School, 800 McNaughten Road
- 5:30pm, Briggs High School, 2555 Briggs
May 29 virtual meeting
May 30 gallery walks
- 9:30am, Schiller Park Recreation Center, 1069 Jaeger St.
- 9:30am, Bottoms Up Coffee, 1069 W. Broad St.
May 30 community forums
- 5:30pm, CRIS Ohio, 4645 Executive Drive
- CEC Assembly Room, 270 E. State St.
Radio Town Hall
- 11am June 1, live on Power 107.5/106.3 and Magic 95.5
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