Columbus teacher union head quits building task force, says it's focused on 'mass closures'

The head of the Columbus City Schools teacher's union resigned Monday from the task force assigned to evaluate school building conditions and recommend, saying it was clear the intent of the group was "mass closure of neighborhood schools."

Columbus Education Association President John Coneglio, who heads the union representing more than 4,500 teachers and other educational professionals in the district, said that after six meetings of the Superintendent's Community Facilities Task Force it was evident to him that the "sole focus of the committee is solely on the mass closure of neighborhood schools and the further managed decline" of the district.

"Having recently passed a levy with the support and assistance of our union and community, our Board of Education now has a unique opportunity to work with the community and build the district of the future, not return to the same failed policies of the past," Coneglio said in a statement. "It has become clear to me that the current Task Force is another iteration of previous failed attempts."

In his letter sent Monday to Superintendent Angela Chapman and the CCS Board of Education, Coneglio said community input was lacking, task force members were asked not to submit questions and data provided to the task force was incomplete.

Coneglio also expressed concern about the "disproportionate impact of school closures on disadvantaged neighborhoods and communities of color."

In a provided response to Coneglio, the district said it believed "it’s important that we have representation from our labor partners, who represent so many of our employees."

"We believe our students, our teachers, and all of our staff must have access to the best curriculum, facilities, technology, and resources so they can be successful," the CCS response to Coneglio said. "That means focusing on our resources instead of spreading them out"

The statement also said it has been transparent in the process and has "always been rooted in monitoring District enrollment and building usage, capacity, and facility conditions."

Al Edmondson, co-chair of the task force, said Monday that he believes the task force has been going well and that everyone has been engaged in the process.

"I believe in the task force that we have together will make the right recommendations for Columbus City Schools," Edmondson said. "The thing that I like about everything is that we're being transparent about all these situations and we're not on anything that would hurt our kids."

District closing buildings after successful November levy

After the district successfully passed a nearly $100-million levy in November, district officials said it would close some of the 113 school buildings in the state's largest district, The Dispatch previously reported.

Columbus City Schools is the state's largest school district with about 46,000 students, but enrollment peaked at 110,173 during the 1971-72 school year.

The Superintendent's Community Facilities Task Force, which was formed in early 2024 and includes nearly two dozen members of the public, parents and educational professionals, is expected to make recommendations to the CCS Board of Education in June.

Edmondson encouraged the public to attend a panel Thursday that explores "the relationship between education, facilities, and the community," which will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center Performing Arts Building.

John Coneglio references failed school closing attempt in 2018

In his open letter, Coneglio expressed his concern that the current closing attempt will be like the failed one in 2018.

In October 2018, a previous Columbus City Schools facilities task force came back with recommendations to close five schools as enrollment continued to dwindle in the district, The Dispatch previously reported.

The Columbus Board of Education then rejected those directions in November 2018 after the task force worked for six months on the plan. It took no further action on school closing decisions at the time.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus teacher union head leaves CCS task force over school closings