We, the undersigned, urge the Columbus Board of Education to IMMEDIATELY PAUSE the June vote on the proposed school closure and consolidation recommendations of the Superintendent’s Community Facilities Task Force and commit to deeper and more comprehensive engagement with impacted school communities throughout the 2024-2025 school year.  

The Columbus Board of Education is scheduled to vote in June to close at least 20 schools based on the recommendation of the Superintendent’s Community Facilities Task Force. There is absolutely no good reason to rush the most significant decision the district has made in decades. We urge the Columbus Board of Education to IMMEDIATELY PAUSE THE VOTE for the following reasons:  

• A rushed decision to close schools will further erode trust between the community and the Columbus Board of Education. It will likely lead to thousands of families leaving CCS for good.

• Instead of acting hastily, the board should initiate building and neighborhood-level engagement and decision-making to ensure authentic dialogue and inform future building-use. Nothing less will restore community trust.

• The Taskforce is handpicked, and co-chaired by a for-profit real estate developer. It is not representative of the Columbus City Schools Community and those most impacted by proposed school closures. A handpicked taskforce is no substitute for authentic community engagement.  

• The Taskforce is operating with incomplete data which fails to take into account neighborhood-based growth projections that will dramatically impact future enrollment.

• Less than one month of public presentations during the busiest time of year for parents is not nearly enough community engagement for decisions as consequential as closing schools.

• CCS has given insufficient effort and intention to translating taskforce recommendations beyond English. Nearly 15% of CCS students and families do not speak English as their first language. The voices and concerns of all families must be valued.  

• The Teachers’ Union President resigned from the taskforce citing concerns about intent, lack of community input, faulty data and the negative impact of school closings.

• The district does not currently have a Treasurer. CCS should hire a new Treasurer before making their largest financial decision in decades.

Columbus families deserve safe, equitable, fully-resourced, and engaging schools. These decisions cannot be reduced to buildings, budgets and spreadsheets; they are about the shared future of our students’, our families, our educators, and our neighborhoods, and they are decisions that must be made TOGETHER.  

At the end of 2023, Columbus was the fastest growing city in the United States. More work must be done to align CCS planning with the city’s current and future growth. Columbus City Schools has reached a crossroads, and will make decisions in the next several years that will shape the district for the next several decades. Those closest to the classroom – students, parents & families, educators, support staff, and broader school communities – must be at the heart of decision-making. We urge the Columbus Board of Education to immediately pause the June vote on Taskforce recommendations, and commit to deeper and more comprehensive engagement with impacted school communities throughout the 2024-2025 school year.