Columbus City Schools could close as many as nine schools in the coming months.
In June, the Superintendent’s Facilities Task Force recommended at a Columbus City school board meeting that the board consider closing six elementary schools, two middle schools and a high school building in the state’s largest district, which has over 110 buildings. That’s 11 schools fewer than what the the task force presented in May, where up to 20 possible school buildings could have been closed under nine initial scenarios . Since announcing the proposed finalists, the board has been on break and is set to return on Tuesday.
While there were originally 20 schools on the list , some schools initially recommended for closure such as Cranbrook and Siebert Elementary schools, which all have high English as a Second Language (ESL) programs , were not put forward in the final recommendations because of the challenges presented with transitioning students, Superintendent Angela Chapman previously told The Dispatch.