Parents, community leaders react to Columbus City superintendent Talisa Dixon retiring

Columbus City Schools Superintendent Talisa Dixon's announcement Thursday that she will be retiring at the end of the current 2022-2023 school year was met with some surprise by many, and a mixed response from parents.

Most public officials contacted by The Dispatch wouldn't speak directly, but instead sent prepared statements offering well wishes to Dixon, who has been head of the state's largest school district since March 2019.

Here's what some of those contacted had to say:

Columbus City Schools parents

Stephen Hardwick, a parent of a seventh grader at Dominion Middle School and a 10th grader at Columbus Alternative High School, was among parents surprised to learn Dixon is retiring.

“She certainly put her stamp on the administration on the district,” the 54-year-old Clintonville resident said. “(The district has) some very heavy challenges."

For example, Hardwick said that when it comes to the district's bus transportation issues, people underestimate how hard it is to fix the problems.

“I just don’t know if they could have done better early on,” Hardwick said.

More:Retiring Columbus City Schools Superintendent Talisa Dixon's letter to the community

Anne Dison, 34, the parent of a first grader at North Linden Elementary School, was among parents who said she is glad to see Dixon leave the district.

“My first reaction is: Is she taking all the administration she hired with her?” Dison said.

On Friday, Columbus City Schools announced that it had tapped Angela Chapman, who Dixon had brought into the administration in 2019, as interim superintendent. Chapman is the chief transformation and leadership officer in the district.

In addition to Dixon's departure, David James, the district's deputy superintendent of operations, will be leaving to become the new executive director of the Summit Education Institute, according to The Akron Beacon Journal, a Gannett sister paper of The Dispatch.

Sources told The Dispatch that James' last day with Columbus schools will be on Dec. 31. James could not be reached for comment.

Dison said she thought Dixon handled the Columbus Education strike and the school bus transportation issues poorly.

Dixon "has no idea the shape of her buildings and what teachers in her building are dealing with," Dison said.

“I’ve never believed she felt accountable,” she said of Dixon.

Dison said she hopes the next superintendent communicates better with district families.

“I hope they bring a more boots-on-the-ground-type of attitude," she said.

Linda Baird, the parent of a first and fourth grader at Indianola Informal K-8 School, said Dixon could have handled crises in the district better, including the three-day Columbus Education Association strike at the beginning of the school year.

“It felt like there wasn’t a lot of transparency for the parents,” she said.

She wishes parents had more input in the district and hopes the new superintendent welcomes communication from families and community members.

“Just when those hard decisions come up, talking a little about you arrive at those choices and why they are the best for the district,” she said. “I feel like we really need a vision and we need to feel trust in our leaders.”

Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin

A graduate of Columbus City Schools, City Council President Shannon Hardin thanked Dixon for her service to the school district in a prepared statement.

Dixon, he said, has been “an invaluable partner” in the creation of the Columbus Promise, a partnership with the city and Columbus State Community College, which provides eligible seniors from the next three Columbus City Schools graduating classes beginning in 2023 free tuition and support to attend Columbus State.

“As a graduate of CCS," Hardin said, "I wish her all the best as she continues her career as a leader in education."

Mayor Andrew Ginther

Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said in a prepared statement that he was grateful for Dixon's work as superintendent.

"The city and district have partnered on many efforts to improve our community, and I wish her well in all future endeavors,” Ginther said.

Timeline: Timeline: A look at Talisa Dixon's tenure as superintendent of Columbus City Schools

Columbus Education Association

John Coneglio, president of the Columbus Education Association, the union which represents about 4,500 teachers, librarians, nurses, counselors, psychologists and other education professionals, was sick Thursday and not available for comment.

However, the CEA put out a tweet talking about Dixon's retirement and indicating to the Columbus City Schools Board of Education that it wants to be involved in the selection of the next superintendent.

"We wish Dr. Dixon the best of luck in her future endeavors," the CEA tweeted. "We look forward to working with the Board of Education on the selection of our next Superintendent so that we can move the District forward together."

Columbus City Schools Board of Education

Board President Jennifer Adair issued a prepared release thanking Dixon for her contributions over the last few years, especially during COVID-19.

"As both a former school principal and superintendent, Dr. Dixon has served this community well and remains a champion for the students and families we serve," Adair said. "We thank her for her steadfast dedication to Columbus City Schools and wish her the best in her future endeavors."

Adair said that, "Despite this change in leadership, the work will not stop or diminish. Our dedicated teachers, administrators, and staff will continue to serve our students, their families, and our community ... The Board of Education remains committed to improving student outcomes and developing Portrait-ready graduates."

Columbus State Community College President David Harrison

Columbus State Community College President David Harrison said that Dixon has been a "champion" for children and an important partner in initiatives and partnerships such as the Columbus Promise — the partnership between the district and the college where Columbus City Schools graduates for the next three years beginning with the class of 2023 can attend Columbus State tuition-free for two years.

"We have appreciated her partnership in working with stakeholders throughout the region to provide opportunities for all students," Harrison said. "We are grateful to Dr. Dixon for her commitment to students, families and our community."

Columbus Crew

Columbus City Schools and the Columbus Crew, the city's Major League Soccer team, announced a partnership in September in which the district was joining the Stay in the Game! Network — a statewide initiative not only to promote attendance, but also to eventually put an end to chronic absenteeism, including truancy. The Columbus district was one of 17 school districts statewide to participate in the initiative and the first in this area.

Columbus City had a high chronic absenteeism rate of 74% in the 2020-2021 school year, when learning switched to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although that figure dropped last school year, the district's chronic absenteeism rate was still 65.1%.

At an event announcing the partnership with the Crew, Dixon called it the district's "biggest initiative this year," and stressed the importance of getting students to school "on time, every day and excited to learn."

Kristin Bernert, Columbus Crew's president of business operations, was among those in attendance at the September announcement of the partnership with Columbus City Schools.

“Congratulations to Dr. Dixon on a massive, impactful career," Bernert said Thursday when asked about Dixon's retirement announcement. "We are proud partners of Columbus City Schools, and that was not possible without her leadership.”

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus community reacts to Talisa Dixon's retiring from schools