COLUMBUS, Ohio – January 9, 2024 – The Columbus Education Association (CEA), the Union representing more than 4,500 Columbus City Schools educators, and the Columbus Education Justice Coalition (CEJC), representing students, educators and community members dedicated to the work of ensuring an equitable and quality public education for all students, have issued the following joint statement regarding an expected change in Columbus City Schools Board of Education Leadership during the January 9 School Board Meeting:
Current Columbus City Schools Board of Education President Jennifer Adair announced in December that she would not be seeking reelection as Board President. We view her announcement, along with the scheduled swearing-in of two newly elected School Board members, as the latest in a series of changes brought about by difficult but necessary struggles for the soul of the state’s largest District. These struggles, led by educators and community members, include a historic teachers’ strike in 2022, the resulting change in Superintendent, and a difficult but ultimately successful levy campaign in 2023. The forthcoming changes to School Board composition and leadership at tonight’s Board meeting provide an opportunity to finally turn the corner and usher in a new era of growth and transformation for our District.
For decades, community members and educators have watched our School Board be content with managing the district’s slow enrollment decline, closing schools with a ‘shrink to success’ model, as CCS families and entire neighborhoods were left behind by indifferent political and business leaders. Educators and community members fought hard on the picket line in 2022 to ensure reinvestment in crumbling school building infrastructure and won. Indeed, this school year has been the first without a single “heat day” (a school closed for lack of air conditioning) in recent memory.
Now that our physical infrastructure is finally getting overdue reinvestment, it’s time to focus on offering every CCS student in every neighborhood a world-class education, bringing our students home to Columbus City Schools, and growing our District. Achieving these goals is the expectation that educators and our community have for the next School Board leadership team and newly elected School Board members. Our Union and our Coalition will continue our fight to make Columbus City Schools the best District in the state, and we look forward to working with new partners in these efforts.
The Columbus Education Association is the Union representing over 4,500 teachers, librarians, nurses, counselors, psychologists, and other education professionals in Columbus City Schools. The Columbus Education Association is a proud affiliate of the Ohio Education Association and the National Education Association.
Columbus Education Justice Coalition is a group of families, students, educators and community members, dedicated to the work of ensuring an equitable and quality public education for all students. Our organizational partners include: the Columbus Education Association, All in for Ohio Kids, Pint Size Protesters, Erase The Space, Kaleidoscope Youth Center, OPAWL, and allies with the Juvenile Justice Coalition, Honesty for Ohio Education, and Integrated Schools: Columbus Chapter.
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