Dispatch Opinion: Enough is enough. Disgraceful Columbus school board members must go.

By Stephanie Hightower
Columbus Dispatch Guest Columnist

I am joining the growing chorus of voices calling for the community to act — and swiftly — to develop and implement a strategy that strengthens Columbus City Schools and overcomes the persistent and fatal flaws in the district’s governance.

My words may be as controversial as they are essential, but they must be said. The 46,000 kids in the district deserve it.

I’m not the first to step forward.

Kudos to the Columbus Dispatch Editorial Board, to former Mayor Michael B. Coleman and to many of our most respected faith leaders.

They spoke first, noting that, whether because of the disgraceful actions of some on the CCS Board or the district’s inability to constructively deal with school facilities — these and other crises leave us no choice but to call for real change.

Their concerns echo those voiced by the Equity Now Coalition last fall when the majority of our leadership chose to not endorse the 2023 school levy.

Board has lost community’s trust

In addition to worries about the financial impact of higher taxes on older adults and those on a fixed income, we just didn’t trust that the district’s governing board was equipped to manage significant new funds and improve academic outcomes. Sadly, we were right.

Like the Dispatch, I believe some on the board should step down. They have lost the faith and trust of the people who elected them. They should not keep the entire district embroiled in negativity just to advocate for their position or protest their innocence.

However, our solution doesn’t just lie in electing other people.

We’ve seen a lot of good folks serve on the Columbus Board of Education, people like Mayor Andrew Ginther, Loretta Heard, Bob Weiler and Mary Jo Hudson.

They did their best for the district for no-to-little-pay and simply to help students and families. I know their struggles as I tried too.

Educating kids must be the goal

When the same problems repeat themselves, when real progress seems to constantly stall, when we cannot seem to serve our students, it’s safe to assume the problem exceeds and outweighs any one board member or even an entire board.

Let’s support and respect our current superintendent and free her to do the job we desperately need her to do. And let’s embrace real systemic change. Our entire community needs to open their minds to novel approaches and let go of long-standing objections. We can no longer allow narrow, personal or organizational political agendas to obscure what must be our overriding goal: educating students.

It could start by convening a working group that develops, shares and builds community consensus around a transformational strategy.

This will sound like a do over.

And it is.

Columbus leaders have convened special commissions, conducted numerous studies and engaged many communities over the last several decades. And still, we remain mired in controversy, ducking or blowing thoughtful administrative decisions, alienating many families and, most importantly, not giving students the excellent education they need.

So, if it’s all been done before and to no avail, why call for it again?

There is no silver bullet

First, we can’t stop trying to get it right. We should build on the lessons from our history, not use them as excuses to stagnate. Second, we’ve now reached the crisis point where nearly everyone can agree that half-measures won’t succeed. It’s obvious that we must embrace a diverse array of possible solutions, adapting to the belief that no idea, no matter how different or radical it may seem, is off the table.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers.

The latest research suggests that no “silver bullet” or magic wand automatically ushers in excellent schools. Whether creating smaller districts rather than one centralized entity, allowing for greater site-based management, requiring simultaneous board election cycles during “on” rather than “off” years — there’s a lot we can learn about these and other measures. And some have worked, both in some cities and to some degree. That said, none are perfect, nor do they work in all communities.

So, we need smart, thoughtful, open-minded research and debate into what would be a better fit for Columbus.

No alternative exists. We cannot continue with “business as usual,” nor can we unilaterally designate a new education czar to fix it all. When you can’t stay the course and there’s no way to exercise carte blanche to remedy the issues, then it’s time to collaborate, cooperate and co-create a new way.

And count me in. It’s well past time to try again.

Stephanie Hightower is the president and CEO of the Columbus Urban League.

Read full column at Dispatch.com