Leaders from Columbus City Schools and Columbus City Council met June 15 for the first meeting of a joint committee aimed at finding solutions for the biggest challenges facing young people in the city.
While the two bodies have had informal partnerships for years, this new initiative is formalizes their collaboration. At the inaugural committee meeting in the City Council chambers, Council President Shannon Hardin said “anything is one the table” when it comes to solving problems.
“When it comes to the loving of our children, there is no conversation too scary for us, there’s no challenge that we will not face at home,” Hardin said. “What we can do here at the local level is confronting these challenges, with honesty and with partnership and a commitment to solutions.”
CCS Board President Antoinette Miranda said that her goal was to make Columbus City Schools stronger.
“Too often we operate in silos and that means you don’t get things done,” Miranda said. “Having this partnership with City Council will help us be able to do that.”
In April, council and the school board announced the effort to collaborate on challenges facing students, the district and the city. During the announcement, city council members announced a $250,000 investment aimed at funding a position for a “community campus” pilot program at Northland High School to help the school become a neighborhood hub, connecting residents with resources they need.
The city-school partnership comes at a time when funding assistance from the state is ebbing away and the district faces financial headwinds. CCS Treasurer Ryan Cook shared a presentation during the meeting laying out what he said was a legislative disinvestment from the state that is making the district’s budget problem worse.
Superintendent Angela Chapman said CCS faces “real challenges” related to state funding. She said the group is also aimed at tackling issues like safety, development and furthering collaboration between the district and the city.
“We will continue to fight and advocate for our students every single day – and we are clear that failure is not an option,” Chapman said.
During public input, nine speakers, some representing nonprofits or other organizations, shared their thoughts on how the two bodies could collaborate.
LaCrisha Darling, a CCS attendance specialist among those laid off by the district in May, said that despite the fact that she lost her job, she was there because she “believes in Columbus City Schools.”
“I put two children through (the district), and I do not want this work to go underneath,” Darling said.
Chris Monteiro, a Northland High School English teacher who helped pilot the community campus program, said he feared the program would be watered down and that “the voices of those in power would dominate the conversation.” He said he encouraged the committee to find a way to engage with all stakeholders when coming up with solutions.
“I say all of this with confidence that we can do this work, we can transform Columbus, we can improve our schools for everyone in our communities,” Monteiro said.
The next meeting is scheduled in September.
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Schools, council launch first joint meeting to tackle problems
Reporting by Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
