Columbus schools is selling doom and gloom to get levy support. Don't believe lies| Letters
The doom and gloom is an act
Columbus voters are facing a real test on November 7 when they cast their votes determining the fate of Columbus City Schools' levy.
Voters have been bombarded with false doom and gloom predictions by school board and other officials designed to scare them into voting for the levy.
However, Columbus schools proved to us that increased funding and throwing money at the problem does not always result in improving the students’ academic performance.
CCS spends about $35,000/student (total annual budget divided by number of students) but its student’s performance is the second lowest in Ohio.
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Despite the huge influx of money during the pandemic, the performance went down and there is no sign of recovery in sight.
Nevertheless, Columbus City Schools and its officials continuously invent new excuses to justify their failure.
Passing this levy is an acceptance the status quo.
Our children deserve better.
I urge voter to reject this levy and demand that CCS develop an acceptable plan to reduce cost, improve students’ academic performance and establish mechanisms to hold the CCS officials responsible for the outcome.
At this time, Columbus voters may consider a new levy.
George A. Elmaraghy, Columbus
Kids shouldn't sacrifice their future
As a group of parents with children in Columbus City Schools, we believe that every child, no matter their ZIP code, deserves to have safe and well-resourced schools.
Pandemic-era ESSER funding—which provided vital literacy instruction support, small group after-school tutoring, school counselors and learning technology—has helped start to put our schools on a more level playing field with suburban districts, but we have a long way to go.
A "yes" vote on Issue 11 will keep those crucial resources in place.
We have seen firsthand the benefits of the district’s high-quality Pre-K programs, and this levy will expand that program to six new sites.
More: A month out from election, opposition mounts to $100 million Columbus City Schools levy
Some of us have kids in one of the last schools in central Ohio to be outfitted with air conditioning, so we are well aware that if we want to provide our children with environments conducive to learning, it’s essential to fund building maintenance and improvements.
While we are one of the most diverse districts in the state, we are also one of the most segregated.
As a community, we need to acknowledge the decades of segregation and disinvestment that led to the challenges that CCS faces today—and passing this levy is a step in the right direction.
If the levy fails, then we are asking the most vulnerable members of our community to sacrifice their future. These are our schools; we are all responsible for them.
Emily Brown, Molly Farrell, and Shelley Mann, co-founders of Integrated Schools Columbus chapter
Don’t use our kids as a bargaining tools
Last year, our oldest child started kindergarten at a Columbus City Schools.
While no school, no system is perfect, we have been so happy with our kid’s experience.
Dropping her off, I know she is someplace where she is seen and known and loved.
As a neurodivergent parent of a neurodivergent kid, I cannot stress how important this feeling is. But as positive as so much of the experience has been so far, thinking ahead is a bit scary. Like many, I too have heard the stories of West High’s crumbling track. While heartbreaking for my own kids, at least for them there’s time.
The kids at West High now- our neighbors- don’t have time. They can’t afford to wait- they need this levy now.
I know there are some who are resistant to the levy, saying that we need to hold the powers that be in the district accountable for past actions, and I couldn’t agree more.
Transparency and accountability are needed moving forward.
But please, don’t use our kids as a bargaining tools.
Teachers need to feel supported, and children need safe, dry, well-staffed schools in which to learn.
It is not fair to deny students and teachers the resources they need because of the actions of grownups. I will continue to advocate for the levy and ask you to as well.
Cat Lynch, Columbus
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus school levy: Are kids being punished to get back at board?
