COLUMBUS, Ohio — Parents made another plea for Columbus City Schools to stop its process to potentially close and consolidate schools in the coming years.
Monday morning at Trinity Episcopal Church, several parents voiced their opinions about the task force recommendations which could affect 20 schools in the district.
RELATED: CCS superintendent emphasizes district's need for improvement amid possible building closures
CCS parent Susan Cavendish said she's worried for her children.
“I cannot imagine what it will be if her school closes and she loses her friends and the staff she has come to love at a time she needed it the most,” said Cavendish.
Two of Cavendish’s children attend West Broad Elementary School. The building is more than a century old and it’s on the list of buildings that could potentially close under the initial recommendations from the Community Facilities Task Force.
She is a former CCS student herself. Her elementary and middle schools fell victim to previous district closures. She said it causes disruption to young kids and it’s also going to put extra strain on parents when getting their children to and from school.
“The next closest school my children might be sent to is Highland Elementary School. It's double the distance. That might be a 20-minute walk, but with four children I will have to shepherd out of the house in the morning, it will be much longer,” Cavendish said.
Elizabeth Brown has children at Hubbard Elementary School, another building that is at risk of closing. She said she’s not opposed to school closures but feels this is being forced through too quickly and hasn’t given parents enough time to give any input.
“You asked me where they would go if Hubbard closes? I have no idea. There are four school zones that surround us. Two of them in addition to ours are on the list for slated closures. One is over capacity and the other is at capacity,” she said.
The district announced the initial recommendations in early May and has held several input sessions for parents, but these moms said that isn’t enough.
District Superintendent Dr. Angela Chapman spoke one-on-one with 10TV’s Tracy Townsend last week about some of the concerns from parents.
Chapman said the consideration to close and consolidate some of the district’s buildings is one that isn’t being taken lightly.
"The board could certainly decide to vote on all of the recommendations, some of the recommendations or none of the recommendations. So there's lots of opportunity here for the actual recommendations that are implemented to be refined throughout the process," Chapman said.
The district is spending too much money on maintaining and operating an aging portfolio of buildings. Chapman said that money would be better spent on academics.
The district spokesperson said the district anticipates the task force to present its final recommendations at the June 25 meeting of the Board of Education. There is no mention of school closures on the agenda for the June 18 meeting.
Parents are demanding this process be postponed until next school year and offer more time for feedback. They believe doing this over the summer months isn’t a convenient nor transparent time to make a decision as large as this.
“The Superintendent has asked for the community's trust in this process. We are committed to ensuring that the pace of this transition feels right and includes meaningful, continued community engagement. This means that we will keep the community informed about the progress of the changes, and we will continue to actively seek their input and feedback. We will ensure that our community members are fully included if boundary adjustments are necessary, and we will make every effort to address their concerns and accommodate their needs,” read a portion of the statement from the district Monday.