COLUMBUS, Ohio — Dozens of parents, teachers and community members packed the Columbus Board of Education’s meeting Tuesday night asking the board not to vote on whether nine different schools within the Columbus City Schools District would close. The board ultimately moved forward with the vote and agreed on the closure of five of the schools. 

Schools slated for closure and consolidation include: 

  • Broadleigh Elementary School

  • Buckeye Middle School

  • Columbus Alternative High School

  • Moler Elementary School

  • West Broad Elementary (*Contingent on funded Facility Master Plan moving forward to replace current building)

Community members expressed their concern to the board before the vote. Many said they feel the process has been rushed and they wanted more time to find solutions. They also felt there’s been a lack of transparency from the board. 

What You Need To Know

  • Ohio’s largest school district will soon be a few schools smaller

  • The Columbus City Schools Board of Education has decided to close five of its schools

  • The board voted Tuesday night after reviewing recommendations from a task force 

  • The task force had initially suggested closing up to nine schools within the district

Christina Vera, the president of the Columbus Board of Education said board members took the time to visit and spend time in each school community to get an idea of what the student experience was like. She said board members also attended open houses, parent nights, had a survey that was circulating and held special meetings that were public facing as well as zoom meetings with constituents. While she said board members are tasked with making tough decisions, they will continue to listen to the community to drive decisions moving forward.

“I never will argue someone's feeling about what they feel because they're, they’re, they're valid in being able to have those feelings and certainly, you know, as a board member, I know the process we took, I know the amount of time. And this was not an overnight decision,” Vera said. “This has been conversations we've been having for quite some time now, over a year, of really, you know, being able to talk about the landscape and the future of this district.”

Vera said there’s a series of reasons as to why certain schools were selected to close. One of the main reasons is the conditions of the school buildings. She said some of the buildings are more than 100 years old and in really bad shape.

“In one building, there was a clear odor of mold. I mean, I walked in and I instantly felt it on our back end of one of the buildings,” Vera said. “You had some classrooms that they were in a gymnasium that was split by a divider with a tarp because the roof was leaking. You had one building that you couldn't even, the auditorium was not, they couldn't even use the auditorium because the electrical outlets in there don't work. I mean, it was one issue after another after another. And like I said, the leadership and the principals in these buildings were making magic. They were just like, oh, it's fine. Like, we move kids here, we do this and it's like, but it’s not fine. You know, like, this is not okay.”

As for the specific complaints, some within the community asked why the district is closing schools at a time when it’s predicted that its enrollment will be rising.

Vera said she hopes the decision to close schools whose buildings were in poor condition will eventually lead to the district building bigger and more modern schools.

“In some cases that that definitely is the plan,” Vera said. “The district went through a really intensive community driven process called the facility master plan and so that did include looking at different school communities and talking about building new, bigger school facilities. So that is something that has been brought to this community that has been voted upon by this board. It's certainly something that we want to be able to combine as part of this closure, consolidation conversation.”

Vera said the closures are about making sure all 47,000 students have the best educational experience possible. 

She said none of the changes will take effect next school year, instead the time will be used for more conversations and planning. She said the board expects by June 2025 they’ll have the phases of the transiton plan ready for each building. She also said the board will provide updates on the process at their monthly meetings. 

“We want to spend the time which is critically important for us in the coming weeks just to be able to address questions, concerns, but recognizing that, you know, the next steps in this process will not be done without you,” Vera said. “This will be done in community, in partnership. Certainly, you know, there's more work to be done. So now that we've been able to, as a board, make a decision on which schools that we will be moving forward with at this time, because this is a continued process. Just know that this is not something that we will want to do in isolation. This is something that we want to do alongside of our families and our students and staff. And certainly, you know, we recognize the weight and the gravity of these decisions and it wasn't a decision that the board took lightly."

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