COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus City Schools officials are continuing their work considering the closure or consolidation of over a dozen schools in the district.
Many parents and members of the community are questioning why the process is happening now and what it means for their children.
The preliminary list contains 20 schools at risk of closure or consolidation.
CCS Superintendent Angela Chapman emphasized the need for improvement in district school buildings and said many of them still look exactly as they did when she was in high school.
Chapman said CCS is spending and allocating more of its resources on facilities and maintenance of buildings rather than academic instruction.
"There is no way that we should be spending more of our money on maintenance of buildings," she said. "That gives me great pause. That keeps me up at night."
The Superintendent's Community Facilities Task Force presented initial recommendations on school closings and consolidation to the school board in May. The task force will make its final recommendations and submit them on June 18. The board will then make its final decision.
"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.
Chapman acknowledges that the possible closures are a major point of concern for parents and guardians of students in the district.
"What do you say to parents who say, 'What about my kids?' I know I'm a parent of a school-age child and I certainly know how much our school communities mean to our students," she said.
But Chapman is urging everyone to trust the process.
"We're not saying to our students and families, 'we're going to close and consolidate this school so that we can give you the same experience at the next school,'" Chapman said. "There has to be a value proposition as to why we're making this sacrifice."
For a list of schools at risk of closure or consolidation, click here.