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COLUMBUS, Ohio —After weeks of emotional input from the community, Columbus City Schools’ external oversight committee released its final recommendations to the district Monday.
A committee endorsed a plan to close nine Columbus City Schools.
The nine schools include: Deshler Elementary, Douglas Alternative Elementary, Fair Elementary, Literature Based Alternative at Hubbard, Beery Middle, Eastmoor Middle, Clinton Middle, Franklin Alternative and Indianola Middle.
Board of Education President Carol Perkins attended all of the public meetings. She said she believes the meetings were the best way to determine which schools to close.
While Perkins said she is happy with the process, she didn’t disclose whether she agrees with the decision made by the committee.
“That’s a decision the full board must make. I think we need to wait until we have the entire presentation from the committee and then we’ll make our final decision from there,“ Perkins said.
The new K-12 student assignment plan is for effective use of school buildings through balanced enrollment, aligned school feeder patterns and optimum use of high-quality academic programming.
Superintendent Gene Harris has told NBC 4 the committee looked at certain criteria, including student enrollment, safety, access, success and more.
None of the district’s high schools were placed on the list because the buildings didn’t meet the criteria.
Harris has said she wants to make sure all elementary schools are strong academically and feed into strong middle schools.
She has told NBC 4 middle schools would see the biggest changes.
The district has gone through the process before when it realigned elementary assignment zones and reassigned students in 1996.
Some high-school students may end up attending a different high school than they attend this year.
The goals of the student reassignment and consolidation process are to:
- Assign students as close to home as possible.
- Strengthen neighborhood schools through the use of K-12 vertically aligned communities.
- Maintain school choice as seats are available.
- Improve continuity of alternative programs (K-12) thus eliminating under-enrolled programs and develop innovative, new themed schools.
- Work toward eliminating the use of modular classrooms.
All of the criteria, maps of zones and the template used in the last process are available on the district’s Web site at http://www.columbus.k12.oh.us/index.html
School choice will continue.
School lottery applications begin in January.
The committee will present its recommendations to the board Tuesday at a 5 p.m. scheduled board meeting.
The board scheduled an additional meeting for Tuesday, Dec, 8 to hear any questions or concerns from the community regarding the final school list.
The board is expected to make its final decision Tuesday, Dec. 15.
For additional information, stay with nbc4i.com and NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com—Where Accuracy Matters.
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