BOE 2026-05-19

001players left as well and a lot [clears throat] of them um >> left to you know like focus on basketball or whatever. Um >> so when I became the head coach I literally started with four players that played before. >> Okay, >> four players. Um and it was some team from the year before but it wasn't like many of them. So it was a rebuilding moment for us. Um, but then this year we lost a lot of players as well. Um, so now I'm down to three players who have played a centric varsity volleyball before. Okay. >> Um, so I had a lot of, you know, like freshman playing varsity, like kind of like playing around with our lineup a lot, especially during the beginning of the season. >> Um, >> but we we found

002a way to overcome our battles this season for sure. >> Okay. >> Um, we our ending record was >> 14 and five. >> Okay. Um, five. >> Five. Yes. Um, so >> no, she she's doing the math on us. So, >> yeah, but that's not So, it's non-conference as well. Yeah. Okay. So, five. Mhm. Um, >> yeah. I think honestly I think we're a pretty solid team, especially with the three people that we have returning having as much knowledge as they do like within the sport. Yeah. >> Um, we've grown a lot. We are losing Sam, unfortunately, because she is graduating, but um, >> we do already have somebody stepping in to take the place of her. So, >> I next person up. >> Next person up. >> Yeah. So, S So, S, what what

003what do you what's the advice you have for the next wave of young people coming in? I mean, volleyball is your your your focus sport, so what's the what's the advice you have? Um, just don't be too hard on yourself. Stay focused. That's really it. And you got to stay out your head with volleyball. Okay, >> that's really it. >> What What What does What does stay focused look like? What does that mean when you say stay focused? >> Stay on top of your work, you know? >> Okay. >> Don't worry about nothing else when you get in the gym. >> That's it. >> Okay. So, now what's next for you? You You're I mean, because summer of 25 will be here before you know it. You snap your finger and turn around once or

004twice, it'll be the summer of 25. So what what's your next plans? What what what do you hope to be doing here? So if if I was to talk to you a year from now, right, Halloween next year of 25, you're where? >> I want to go to Arizona State for psychology. >> Oh, wow. Do you know anybody? Does you all have family in Arizona? Do you know you you do? You're saying yes. So you do know somebody in Arizona? >> I guess so. >> You guess so. Well [laughter] Well, why Arizona State, I guess, is the better question. Like what made you choose such a far away place? cuz I travel a lot and when like I go to Arizona, it's the only place that I feel like I should be there. Either that

005or New York, but I think I want to go to Arizona. >> Well, those are polar opposites. >> Yeah. >> Of direction. So, so, so when do you plan on making this decision? I mean, that's a pretty big decision to be making. Have you applied to Arizona State? >> Um, I tried to apply last year, but they told me wait till this year. >> Wait till this year. So, you're going to apply to Arizona State and then that's where that's where you hope to be going. And then what's in New York then? So that's a completely different plan it sounds like. >> I don't really know. >> You don't know? But just pop up and show up in New York one day. >> Okay. Well, let me share with you for for for somebody who

006spent summers growing up in New York. Um I have a lot of family in the city. Um plan that out because New York is a monster of a place, right? And so, um, if you just arrive there one day without any real plan in place, um, New York is a kind of city that that'll eat you alive, right? So, so think that one through a little bit. Talk to your support team. And, um, don't just hop on the train or the plane or the something and just show up in New York one day. It's going to take a little bit more than that for you. Okay. So, Sam, you're going back to Tennessee. Hopefully, that's the plan, right? >> Yes. >> And do and do you still plan on continuing to try to play volleyball?

007Is that or or do you want to hold on to volleyball? Um, I think once I graduate, I'll probably be letting volleyball go. I don't see myself going and playing in college. I just feel like once I go, I want to major in biology, so I think I'll just focus on my major. But it really depends, honestly. I mean, I have time. >> Not a lot, but I think I [laughter] >> have enough time to figure out whether I decide to play. If I do, if I do decide to play, I don't see myself going to Tennessee. >> Okay. >> I'll probably go somewhere else. >> Okay. Okay. It just depends how everything >> but but you but you plan on playing your senior year in high school though, right? Yes. Okay. So, you plan

008on playing and you're a multiport athlete. Is that is that right? What else do you do? >> Yes, I run track and Yeah, that's it. I run track. >> Okay. What what what what's your events in track? >> Um all the sprinting events I do the one two 4x1 4x two and I do I don't really touch the 4x4 or the four anymore. That was kind of freshman year stuff. I don't really >> the the the 400 is I've said on this show many times listeners know this the 400 is a monster of a race. >> I mean if you if you've never been asked to sprint one time around the track I just say this for any person just go out there one day in your life and try to sprint one time around

009the track and see what your time is and then you'll have a very different respect for people who are running 40s and the 400. You go, "Wow, somebody done ran a 40, you know, 40 some odd seconds in the 400. Heat. Heat. N. >> [music] >> This This is our third year for Say My Name event. And what is powerful is that we have over 300 girls come from 18 different schools, grades 4 through 12, to empower them and to show them that they have a voice and that they could be their authentic selves in any space. It's very important that we have high school students here intermingling with middle school students and elementary students so that they have a goal and they see where they can be and [music] they get excited about graduating.

010>> People to look up to like student athletes and stuff and they have a good future for themselves and that's something I want to have a good future. >> To me, this event is a good way for young girls and older girls like me to come together and see what we all can do as a whole group and team. What we want to do is break stereotypes for young girls and make sure that you know being loud and being joyful isn't seen as a negative but a positive of expression [music] through art, through painting, through dance, through song, um through hair care classes so that they have great self-confidence, great self-esteem and they have a great self-direction [music] in life. It is an opportunity for us to celebrate our young girls, to acknowledge them, to

011amplify their voices, to hear them. We want them to know that we appreciate them, we love them, we see them, and we are here to [music] support them. And once we all come together at this event, it's all of the girls in region 2 to see each other, to have common conversation, to understand, [music] you know what, I do have a voice. I am worthy. I am valued. The beauty of being at the art museum is to see the the art that takes place. >> I enjoyed the painting. Like I really enjoyed the painting, like the self-portraits. I enjoyed that they gave us free stuff, you know, lip gloss and gifts and stuff when we came that the energy was good and that they welcomed us. >> It's good because you get to talk to

012new people and share like what you have in common. It was pretty fun outside. We learned karate and it was a pretty awesome day. What an awesome opportunity for our elementary girls to see that middle school and high school girls are able to share and have conversations with them. >> I like I could be example towards them cuz you know they're still growing up. Well, I'm still grown up too, but you know they're still they look up to us and like we're role models for them. I think it's good to know for some young ladies [music] to know that you're not alone and that it's not always about like the bad things and that we can all come [music] together and make something positive all together being we can help each other and not make

013it envious or a competition [music] and that we're all here and we're on the same boat. I think today with battling so many negative connotations on social media and how people use social media, this gives them an opportunity to post positive things and to say [music] I belong. I matter. I'm loved. I'm nurtured. And so it's that counter narrative to some of the things that cause anxiety and depression. [music] You are unique. You are beautiful. You are brave. And we got you. We are here with you. We stand alongside you. And you can accomplish anything that your heart desires. [music] Hey, [music] hey, hey. Heat. Heat. Let's go. Greetings and welcome to this week's [music] highlights from across the district. On Tuesday, May 12th, Columbus City Schools celebrated the dedication of a studentbuilt home on

014Old Leonard Avenue. Completed in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Mid Ohio, and the City of Columbus Department of Building and Zoning Services. What began as a vacant lot became a completed home thanks in part to Fort Hayes construction students who spent months helping bring this [music] project to life. The dedication ceremony gave students a chance to see the full impact of their work as their craftsmanship helped turn a blueprint into a completed home and a new beginning for a Columbus family. This is career technical education in action. Students learning the skills of the trade from job site safety and teamwork to problem solving and craftsmanship while leaving a lasting mark on their community. Last week, Columbus City School students stepped into the spotlight as they were recognized through the Columbus Rotary Career Path Awards. This

015year, 28 students from Fort Hayes Career Center and Columbus Downtown High School were selected for the Career Path Awards program, which includes a $2500 award and career mentoring to help students take [music] their next step after graduation. Students were honored for their [music] excellence, dedication, and commitment to their chosen career pathways. students were celebrated for excelling in the classroom, growing in their career pathways. Congratulations [music] to our career path award recipients, and thank you to the Columbus Rotary for investing in the mentorship, support, and opportunities that help grow leaders right here in Columbus City Schools. This year, 10 Columbus City School students and theater programs earned nominations for the 2026 Kappa Marquee Awards, which celebrate highc caliber theater [music] talent across central Ohio. The year-long program gives [music] selected high schools access to professional theater

016education, feedback, and performance opportunities. At the awards showcase on [music] Wednesday, May 13th at the Ohio Theater, two Eastmore Academy High School students earned top honors for their performances in the show In the Heights. Malachi Gullick received best actor in a supporting role for his portrayal of Sunny and Bella Hines Chapman received best actress in a supporting role for her role [music] as Carla. Congratulations to Malachi Bella Eastmore Academy and all of our Kappa Marquee [music] nominees. From the classroom to the stage, our students continue to show the creativity, confidence, and dedication that make us all CCS [music] proud. On Friday, May 16th, big dreams started early at KO Elementary as students explored future careers, new interests, and realworld opportunities during the school's passion and purpose fair with support from community partners including the Columbus

017Division of Police, Columbus Fire Department, Columbus [music] Mayor's Office, and Franklin County Engineers Office. Students connected classroom learning [music] to the people and careers that help shape our city. Through hands-on activities and career conversations, students asked questions, discovered new interests, and imagined what their futures could look like. Thank you to KOMO Elementary staff, families, and community partners for helping our students find their passion, their purpose, [music] and their path forward. On Monday, May 18th, Columbus City Schools announced more than 60 million in summer capital improvements planned across the district. At Salem Elementary School, district leaders highlighted upcoming renovations to learning spaces, the playground, and a planned outdoor classroom. Across CCS, summer projects will include HVAC [music] replacements, roof repairs, playground upgrades, athletic [music] facility improvements, classroom renovations, parking lot resurfacing, [music] and energyefficient building upgrades.

018These investments are about creating safe, [music] welcoming, and modern spaces where students and staff can learn, grow, and thrive. Thank you to our board of education, district leaders, Salem Elementary staff and students for helping move this important work forward. These have been your highlights from around the district for May 19th. Thank you so much for joining us. Wonderful highlights of the amazing possibilities of our students in Columbus City Schools. Good evening. The regular business meeting of the Columbus City School Board of Education for Tuesday, May 19th, 2026 is now called to order. Please call the role. >> Mr. Adair, >> present. >> Dr. Pierce, >> present. >> Dr. Kennedy, >> present. >> Mr. Simmons, >> present. >> Mr. Kame, >> present. >> Vice President, >> present. >> President. Dr. Miranda, >> present. >> You have

019a quorum. >> Thank you. Please join me in saying the pledge of allegiance. To the flag of the fors, one nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. for preview. Tonight's agenda will include an executive session, public comment, board committee updates, ratification of the CEA contract, and we will review and vote on the proposed personnel reduction resolutions. We will vote on the proposed consent agenda, which includes items 9.1 through 24.9 and end with an executive session. Is there a motion to ex adopt the agenda? Motion to adopt. >> Thank you. And second. Um Mr. Deair. Um hearing no objections. >> Mr. Adair. >> Yes. >> Dr. Kennedy. >> Yes. >> Vice President Les. >> Yes. >> Dr. Pierce. >> Yes. >> Mr. Katame. >> Yes. >> Mr. Simmons. >> Yes. >> President Dr. Miranda.

020>> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> I will now recognize Vice President Les for a motion. >> I move that the board of education Board of Education move immediately into executive session pursuant to Ohio Revised Code section 121.22G1 to consider the appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion, or compensation of a public employee or official or the investigation of charges or complaints against the public employee, official, lency, or regulated individual unless the public employee, official, lency, or regulated individual requests a public hearing. >> Second, >> Dr. Kennedy. Yes, >> Vice President. >> Yes, >> Dr. Pierce. >> Yes, >> Mr. Kame. >> Yes, >> Mr. Simmons. >> Yes, >> Missair. >> Yes, >> President Dr. Miranda. >> Yes. >> Motion carry. >> We will move into executive session. Hello and welcome back to Math Math Everywhere. [music]

021I'm Renee Harris, your math magician, helping you to see the magic in math. Today we're spending some time at Oakland Nursery with summer experienced students from East Lynden Elementary School. We're going to see what kind of math is involved in planning and preparing for gardens. Come on, let's go inside. So, look what I found. A nice little bag of beet Detroit Supreme seeds. So, when we're thinking about planting gardens, we have to have a plan on where we're getting started. And that plan first involves what kind of seeds are we going to need for planting. Now, the cost of this bag of seeds is $2.79. But take a look here. Today, there's a savings of 25% off. So calculating that discount that is math. And then some other specs that are [music] included in planting

022and preparing for your garden is they need to be harvested. It takes at least 60 to 65 days for that harvest time. So the depth, in other words, how deep are you going to plant those seeds? That's part of measuring. You need to make sure the depth is at least [music] 1/2 an inch deep into the soil before you begin to plant those seeds. Let's see what else we can find [music] here in terms of math at the nursery. [music] Again, we're here today at Oakland [music] Nursery with some East London summer experience students. And here I have with me is >> Zion and >> they're gonna help me do something [music] called subetizing. >> I've got a really pretty plant to show you. And I want you to look at the plant and [music]

023tell me how many blooms you see. You ready? >> Yeah. >> This one. >> Three. How did you know it was three? >> Cuz I was looking with my eyes. >> Yes. Did you didn't have to count? You just [music] knew. Right. Now we are still going to count so we can confirm that there are three. Let's count together. That's one, two, [crying] three. So that's three. Great job. Give me a high five. >> Yes. So, if you're thinking about planting your own garden, remember there are a few simple math concepts that are wrapped up in gardening, like measurement, time, the size and shape of your garden, the square footage that garden is going to cover. Perhaps a visit to Oakland Nursery will inspire you to want to create your own garden. As always, thank

024you for joining us today with Math Math Everywhere. And as always, math is everywhere. I can say [music] it's truly magical. They love the taste of fresh produce just from the plant. Some of my student don't even know [music] where some food comes from from the grocery stores. So, they learn so many things when they garden. So, they really want to be a part of it. Some of them at first they're really excited about [music] it, but then there are others that say, "I really want to know a little bit more about this." So, it's more than just [music] looking and glancing at it. It's like, "How can I be a part of this?" because I've seen it go from being just a seed and now it's growing and I want to be [music] a

025part of that process. So they they really take care of everything and do it all and know how to do it all and they [music] have a lot of pride in that in showing whoever comes into our classroom what they do and how they do it and what they've [music] grown. I think it's really cool that they're learning how food is actually [music] grown now because so many places are using all hydroponics and so it's really opening their mind to [music] see different ways that food can grow. >> Learning how to grow is really important and [music] when you see it in person, it's a lot different than just reading about it or seeing [music] pictures of it. And taking the fresh produce that you grow and then being able to cook it and taste

026it [music] in your classroom, then potentially going home and requesting it at home, I think is pretty powerful of an impact. It tastes different because [music] it's more fresh at the moment. And also when you pick when you freshly pick it and just go wash it real quick and then eat it, it's like it's crunchy and delicious. But when you buy it from the store, it [music] doesn't taste normal. >> This is the best salad I ever tasted. This This salad This salad is so much yummier than my mom's own salad. >> Having like a fresh lettuce that you just picked is really It has its unique [music] taste. It was my first time ever trying to choy and kale. They looked pretty weird at first. [music] When my friends told me to try it,

027I just I just took a bite and it was super good. Oh, it's so cute [music] because they really have a new taste when they try like tomatoes from the grocery store. I mean, they don't taste the same as fresh from the vine. And just [music] their their brains are explo like normally they want to ask for ranch and they just pop it without it. So that's amazing. >> [music] >> All >> [music] >> right. Hey, Heat. Heat. [music] In the spring of 2024, Fort Hayes was unexpectedly without a choir teacher. The principal, Dr. Dr. Milton Ruffin took [music] it upon himself to teach the class. Their final project was to be a recording of a song written by Dr. Ruffin. We now present to you the result of their hard work. All right, let's

028uh let's do um celebrate. >> Ready? Go. [music] >> We get the drop the jaw instead of Yah. Hey. One, two, ready. [singing] We can find [singing] a better tomorrow. and hope we can find a place and hope we find love [singing] for each other. So we clap our hands and we lift our voice. [singing and music] >> I was pretty nervous. I'm not even going to lie. Uh I was nervous, but then again, I was I was very excited. Um I was like, "This is my first time going record. Uh, I hope I hope I don't mess this up for everybody. You know, all these thoughts in my head. Uh, but at the end at the end of the day, uh, I'm glad I did it. I have no regrets of doing it. I

029wish I could do it again. Sadly, this is my last year. Uh but yeah [music and singing] >> every day there is a brighter [singing and music] day coming where we all participate and we'll [music] >> he treated us like he treats his college students. >> Yeah. Which was cool but at the same time it's a little little rough to meet those expectations. It was very challenging for us to get there. [singing] [music] [singing] >> [music] >> I listened to just the stems of the song every day for about two weeks before the recording session and then when I came in you know I we did about two takes of it. I think it's combin it was a combination of like the first and second take and looked at the digital audio workstation on his

030computer and you know uh try to make you know the drums sound as you know keen to the song as possible. [music] There's a bright day [singing] coming and it's getting closer. There is a brighter day coming where we all participate [music] over [singing] the mountains. [music] We come over and press. And so it's a it's tricky especially for people who are not used to recording, young students, uh people who it's their first time recording, they get nervous. There's really no audience to give you that energy, feedback, and that um appreciation for what you're doing. It's just an empty room with me. out of the moon. Now we stand at last. There's a day [music] coming and it's getting closer every day. [music] There is a bright day coming where we all participate and we'll

031overcome that day. And we cate and we cate. And we celebrate. Cate. And we cate. [music and singing] And we cate. And we cate. [applause and cheering] All right, CCS Cinema Club, welcome. My name is Leia Gersing and I'm here with of course Sar and it's just us today. No special guests cuz we're getting into this movie. We're talking about Dune part two today. >> What if Paul Treaties were still alive? Going on adventures, flying in space, surfing ancient sandworms, and fighting in an interstellar war. Dune is the science fiction with a message to spread that we will be talking about today. So without further ado, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. All right, Sarah, we're talking about Dune today. Are you excited? >> I'm so excited. This one, this movie was so good.

032I didn't know what to expect going into it, but >> I was very, very I loved it. It was so good. >> So, when did you see we did you watch Dune One with me? Part one with me? No, I watched I was there when you were finishing it. >> I watched Dune 1 the the last day it was on Netflix. >> Oh yeah. >> So I >> just under the wire. I was kind of late. I hadn't seen it when it originally came out. >> Yeah. >> But I really liked that one, too. I'd say definitely between the two, I preferred the second one. >> Yeah. um just because the first one kind of felt like there was a lot of exposition which of course it had to be with you know such a

033big story but I definitely I really liked the second one. >> Yeah, I agree. I think the first one was a lot of setup which can move kind of slowly but it kind of gets you set up for the next movie which is important. Um, but it can be a lot. And so a lot of people might have said that the first one was a bit boring. >> And I honestly like setup movies, which is kind of weird. But so I really enjoyed the first one, but I did like the second one better. It's definitely more action-packed. So if you like action-packed movies and you saw the first one, you were like, I don't know, watch the second one because >> I think you'll enjoy it. There's a lot to talk about Dune, but let's

034talk about why is it worth it to see the second one. Oh my gosh, so many reasons. I feel like the main thing that a lot of people are talking about is the effects. >> It was really incredible. There's a lot of ways that the things in this movie could have looked like really crazy with like bad effects, >> but it really it looked so good. There were a lot of really action-packed moments that like >> you felt like you were really in the action. Yeah, >> sometimes bad special effects, they really just take you out of it. But there were a lot of good special effects. The visuals are amazing and just like the story is so it's complex and it has like a really important message for people to hear. So yeah. >>

035Yeah. Yeah. There's a lot of cool themes. There's a lot of like religious themes and then also a lot of themes about war and those kind of like go together. So that was really interesting. We'll probably get more into that more in the spoilers end. >> So what type of audience do we think would enjoy Dune? like if you're more of an action person, what do we think? >> I think that definitely sci-fi fans really love it. >> Um, also anyone who likes action movies, people who read the books. I personally didn't read the books, but I think that it's really interesting to see the translation between like book to movie. >> Yeah. >> So, yeah, >> we love book to movie adaptations on this pod. >> We love it. >> We love them. Um,

036honestly, I think that, yeah, a science fiction lover, if you love things like Star Wars, >> even Harry Potter, I think you'll like this. >> Yeah. >> Um, it's fun. It's a really good one. >> And I also think that this is, while it's a very serious movie, there's a lot of comedic elements in it, >> which I thought was really cool. So, let's talk about some of our favorite characters. >> Who is your fave character? I can't remember her name. It's the one that Zenaia plays. I honestly cannot remember her name either, but it was like Desert Spring was like her >> one of her names, which foreshadows a moment in the movie that we'll talk about later. >> But yeah, Desert Spring. How did we call her Desert Spring or Zenaia that works?

037>> Go ahead. >> Oh my gosh, I just loved her. Um, I thought that she was really honest. like she was able to see. We'll get more into that in like the spoilers section, but >> I thought that she she like expressed what she was feeling >> and she didn't sugarcoat things and she kept it very like real and yeah, I just really liked that about her character. >> All right. Well, Sarah, do you have anything else to say about the Dune movie? um just that it was a really it's definitely worth the watch even if you're not a science fiction person. Personally, I always have a hard time, as you could probably tell, like following more science fictiony like complex story lines, but I really loved it. I thought it was such a good

038story. It was beautiful visually and yeah, it's definitely worth a watch. >> Yeah, it's a long movie, but it's worth all the time. Get in there, go to theaters, watch it. Um, I believe it's just in theaters right now, but should come out soon, I'm sure. >> Um, but yeah, thank you guys so much for listening to our CCS Cinema Club podcast, and we will see you next time. >> bye. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hold up. Hi. Hi, I'm Yolanda. I've been a bus driver with Columbus City Schools for 15 years. I love it. It's flexible. I was a single mom with four kids and I needed the flexibility and the hours. So, being able [music] to work a split shift was awesome. Making sure that you make contact with each kid every day, it changes

039them, changes me. Columbus City Schools brought a lot to my life. [music] I believe I'm a family. We're a family. I really enjoy what I do. And it's not just about the kids. You have teachers, you have employees, and they all contribute to what we do best here, and that's educate. Actually taught [music] me how to drive. Taught me directions. North side, east side, west side. I know where I was going when [music] I first started. Now I know everywhere. The whole Columbus. Tuition reimbursement. I was able to go to school. Come join us. Apply now [music] at ccsjob.org. Today we went to all of the feeder schools, so all of the elementary schools and two of the middle schools that feed into West [music] and we did a clap out with their kindergarteners and

040fifth graders. >> The walk was really fun. My favorite part was seeing all the little kids and seeing how happy they were and knowing that they're going to be here one day with us. showing students that they can graduate one day. As long as you stay on track with everything that you need to and you just stay focused on the stuff that you [music] want, then you can really do it. It >> was such an exciting event today. It's so great to see our kids that we haven't seen since they were in elementary school. Um I was lucky enough to be their teacher for second and [music] third grade. So, it was really special to see this group come through. just great opportunity to celebrate and it's important because it builds the connection and I

041think that's something we really need on the west side is to build a connection between our elementary, middle school and high school students. >> We always talk to the kids about what happens after elementary school, but um an event like [music] today shows them where they can be in the next few years. I think it just shows them how all of their hard work can pay off as well in the future. >> [music] [cheering] >> One more la. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. My name My name is Lolita Van and I am a special ed instructional assistant for Columbus City Schools. I have been employed with the district for 11 plus years now. I chose to work for [music] Columbus City School because I like helping children and families. Um, coming from a background [music] of

042being a home child care provider for 12 years. It just fit. >> They see theirel when they look at me. Most of our students, you know, are African-American and there's not a [music] lot of males in education. Me being in that row, prek teacher, being one of the first teachers that they see, I know I affect change. They see it. They see a positive role model. They see a positive [music] male, positive figure in their life. >> This past graduation class was my first class of sixth graders. So, they graduated last year [music] and one of the area high schools has a really cool tradition where they asked their former teachers to come back and give their diploma. And [music] I was the only middle school teacher there for this particular student. And so, I

043got to hand her a diploma. And that was probably the most memorable experience. The district has actually provided me a lot of tools and resources. Um, I have the latest technology currently in my classroom um with the Clever Touch uh board. I also have the ability to get my master's [music] degree through Columbus City Schools um and take additional classes for my coursework for absolutely free and incorporated into my teacher schedule. I chose to work in the district because I grew up in the inner city school and [music] I met a school nurse that was a nurse of color and I wanted to be in a school district that had more students that were minority [music] so they could see that they could succeed in whatever field they chose to be. They have continuous [music]

044trainings and um workshops that we can do at our pace online through public school works. They also [music] have a nocost out-of-pocket college tuition that we can go to school to obtain our degree. >> Everybody is is cheering for everybody. Everybody's rooting for everybody. Everybody has one goal and that's to educate our students. Everything focuses around our students and that that's [music] the biggest thing. That's why I'm in Columbus. That's why I wouldn't leave Columbus. There's there's a lot of room for growth. You're going to continue to learn. You're going to meet so many people. You're going to connect with people. If you desire to be administrator, you can go that route. If you desire to be in a Tulsa position, [music] a teacher on special assignment, you can go that route. You're going to

045grow. >> You get a lot of different diverse pockets in Columbus. And I think it says a [music] lot with the district as well. Whatever community you find yourself teaching in, you are impacting a certain community. Um, I find myself in the east side impacting a certain and I know friends in the north and the west side that are doing different work with different populations of students [music] that it's it's really rewarding. If you love working with students and family from all walks of life, [music] then come join our team. The opportunity to be a part of a great team is here. I cannot say enough [music] about friendships that I have made with so many amazing people. My family [music] has grown and I love it. I can't wait to meet you and welcome

046to our team. One, two, one, two, three. I woke in a blaze of lightning. I felt the fear inside me when [singing] I was younger. I could handle the night. I need a reason [singing and music] to undermine my restless mind. >> If I could [singing] only [music] stop the time. Do you find when you go out drifting over the plea? [singing and music] It's just a s of a dream. I lost that [singing] matter. The year shatter [singing] shake the pain. I tried to give [singing] up the mezzanine. You held [singing] my hand in the end, but [music] you wouldn't let me. Do you miss me when [singing] you go [music] out drifting over the pleades of a dream? I close my eyes. We move through life with the common know. [singing] [music] I

047knew it when I found you floating over the You're everything that I ever You're [singing] I'm coming down to Jackson [music] town. Take you places you ain't never been. Can lock me out. [singing and music] Tell me not to come around, but you know I'll [music] just come back again. Oh life and nothing that could keep me from your side. Oh, even lie. You're [music and singing] mine. You're mine. You're mine. You could try to say you found another love. You could try to tell yourself we're through. And all the armies and all the kingoms of [music and singing] the world never hold me back from you. Even [music] life there ain't nothing that could keep me from [music] your side. Oh, even lie. You're mine. [singing] [music] You're mine. You're mine. The sun, the

048moon, and stars, my dear. All fell down to the ground. I found you. You're deceived. If you believe, I'll let you leave. We ain't through. And you know this much is true. When they lay me down in a pine box in the ground in my lonesome [singing] grave, you [music] stand. Lie down [singing] and hold the grass above the man you [music] love. Haste the day. Will you hold me once again? Oh, [music and singing] there ain't nothing that could keep me from your [music] side. Oh, even [music] you're mine. You're [singing] mine. You're mine. You're [music] mine. You're mine. You're mine. You're mine. You're mine. >> You're mine. Math is everywhere you look. It's in everything you do and it can be fun to use. Join us for today's episode of Math Math Everywhere

049with Renee Harris, our host. >> Hello and welcome to Math Math Everywhere. I'm [music] Renee Harris, your math magician, helping you to see the magic in math. Today we're at the downtown high school visiting the [music] culinary arts program. Let's take a look and see how the kids are using math [music] while they're cook. Let's see what's cooking. >> Hey Gavin, how are you today? >> I'm good. How are you? >> I'm great. What we got making today? >> We're making some banana bread. And look at what you're doing right there. She's measuring ingredients. That's math. Tell us more about what you're going to measure here, Gavin. >> Uh, we're going to measure everything. We measure out the buttermilk right in here with our liquid measuring cup. >> And then we're going to measure our

050dry ingredients with our dry measuring cups. And at home, if you're cooking, you may not have all these wonderful measuring utensils. But guess what? If you have a half a cup, you can use two half cups to make one cup. Is that right, Gavin? >> Sure is. >> Do you all ever have to convert anything while you're >> like what? Give us an example. We have to convert tablespoons to ounces all the time. >> Hey, look who I found. It's Chef Harris. He's the instructor here at the downtown high school in the culinary [music] arts program. So, today we're paying attention to all the wonderful ingredients that Gavin is measuring for that banana bread. And we're talking a little bit about conversions. We're talking a little bit about how if there's like and we're cooking

051at home, we may not have all these wonderful measuring tools. Maybe we only have a fourth cup. And so we talked about what we could do if a recipe called for a half cup but we only have a four cup. Do you all ever have to do any kind of conversions like that here in class >> Every day. Give us an example of what something you have to do. >> So uh what I'll do is uh if we have a let's say we're using ground beef for the day. >> Um if they know that they need a pound I'll make them uh convert that into ounces [music] before they can take it. And so to yeah pounds to ounces. So when they come to the table I need [music] to know how many ounces is

052this? And if they can answer it, they get to finish their recipe. If not, they have to figure it out before they can get their ground beef. So convert every day. >> Chef Harris, how many ounces are in a pound? >> 16. >> That's math. >> So I guess it's that time to put the batter in the pan and pop that in the oven. And again, what's the temperature that oven has got to be set at? >> 350. That oven has got to be set at 350°. Now, kids, if you're baking at home, make sure you get some parent supervision before you start playing around that oven. So, it looks like I've got my batter. Now, I'm going to let the professionals finish this off. Did I do a pretty good job of getting that

053in there? >> Pretty good. >> All right. So, we've got that oven set at 350°. And tell me again how long this banana bread has got to cook. >> 55 minutes. 55 minutes, which is about an hour. That's time. That's math. Faster than a school bus, more powerful than a chemistry lab science experiment. With the ability to feed over 45,000 students and clean the cafeteria at lightning speed, it's the Columbus City Schools School Lunch Heroes. I am the superhero of Cedarwood. I do it all. I take care of all these kids breakfast, lunch, washing these tables. I love doing my job. I really do. >> With the power to make students smile. >> I love everything about uh serving lunch to the children. Um I'm probably like the second point of contact for them. So,

054you know, making sure that I bring a smile to their face every day. That's kind of like I guess my superpower as a sparkly hero. I just want to make them smile and make sure the lunch is very good and nutritious for them in the morning. >> And the ability to work in all parts of the kitchen. >> I started out 23 years ago. I've worked every station, so I know what's expected. So, I'm able to work with my crew and let them know what they should be doing. I I love it. I wouldn't change it for the world. >> These lunch heroes are fighting the battle for truth. justice and food for all. >> So, just coming here every single day, giving the kids something to smile about. Um, and it's been great. Like,

055these kids are great. They're lovely. >> Thanks to their hard work and dedication, another day has been saved by the Columbus City Schools lunch hero. So you start off in Nashville, you come to Columbus, you've been playing Afro. So So just tell me in general, coach. H how's it been the last two years? How's Afroentric volleyball? How's the team going and your vision? You know what I mean? Where where are we at? Um, honestly, we've been rebuilding, but for us to be a new team because so the year before, um, we had like was it maybe like four seniors. Um, and then we also had Coach Taylor as the head coach. Um, when Coach Taylor left, a lot of our players left as well. And a lot of [clears throat] them, um, >> left to,

056you know, like focus on basketball or whatever. Um, so when I became the head coach, I literally started with four players that played before. >> Okay. >> Four players. Um, and it was some team from the year before, but it wasn't like many of them. So, it was a rebuilding moment for us. Um, but then this year we lost a lot of players as well. Um, so now I'm down to three players who have played a centric varsity volleyball before. >> Okay. Um, so I had a lot of, you know, like freshman playing varsity, like kind of like playing around with our lineup a lot, especially during the beginning of the season. >> Um, >> but we we found a way to overcome our battles this season for sure. >> Okay. >> Um, we our

057ending record was >> 14 and five. >> Okay. >> Um, [snorts] >> Five. Yes. Um, so >> no, she look she's doing the math on us over here. Yeah, but that's not so it's non-conference as well. >> Yeah. Okay. >> So, five. Mhm. Um >> yeah, I think honestly I think we're a pretty solid team, especially with the three people that we have returning. Yeah. Having as much knowledge as they do like within the sport. >> Yeah. >> Um we've grown a lot. We are losing Sam unfortunately because she is graduating but um we do already have somebody stepping in to take the place of her. So >> I next person up. >> Next person up. >> Yeah. So S so Sam, what what what do you what's the advice you have for the next

058wave of young people coming in? I mean volleyball is your your your focus sport. So what's the what's the advice you have? >> Um just don't be too hard on yourself. Stay focused. That's really it. And you got to stay out your head with volleyball. >> Okay, >> that's really it. >> What What What does What does stay focused look like? What does that mean when we say stay focused? >> Stay on top of your work, you know? >> Oh, okay. >> Don't worry about nothing else when you get in the gym. >> Okay. >> So, now what's next for you? You You're I mean, because summer of 25 will be here before you know it. You snap your finger and turn around once or twice, it'll be the summer of 25. So, what what's

059your next plans? What what what do you hope to be doing here? So, if if I was to talk to you a year from now, right, Halloween next year of 25, you're where? >> I want to go to Arizona State for psychology. >> Oh, wow. Do you know anybody? Does you all have family in Arizona? Do you know you you do? You're saying yes. You So, you do know somebody in Arizona, >> I guess. So, >> you guess [laughter] well, why Arizona State, I guess, is the better question. Like, what what made you choose such a far away place? because I travel a lot and when like I go to Arizona, it's the only place that I feel like I should be there. Either that or New York, but I think I want to go

060to Arizona. >> Well, those are polar opposites. >> Yeah. >> Of direction. So, so, so when do you plan on making this decision? I mean, that's a pretty big decision to be making. Have you applied to Arizona State? >> Um, I tried to apply last year, but they told me wait till this year. >> Wait till this year. So, you're going to apply to Arizona State and then that's where that's where you hope to be going. And then what's in New York then? So that's a completely different plan it sounds like. >> I don't really know. >> You don't know? But just pop up and show up in New York one day. >> Okay. Well, let me share with you for for for somebody who spent summers growing up in New York. Um I have

061a lot of family in the city. Um plan that out because New York is a monster of a place, right? And so, um, if you just arrive there one day without any real plan in place, um, New York is a kind of city that that'll eat you alive, right? So, so think that one through a little bit. Talk to your support team. And, um, don't just hop on the train or the plane or the something and just show up in New York one day. It's going to take a little bit more than that for you. Okay. So, Sam, you're going back to Tennessee. Hopefully, that's the plan, right? >> Yes. >> And do and do you still plan on continuing to try to play volleyball? Is that or or do you want to hold on

062to volleyball? Um, I think once I graduate I'll probably be letting volleyball go. I don't see myself going and playing in college. I just feel like once I go I want to major in biology so I think I'll just focus on my major. But it really depends honestly. I mean I have time. >> Not a lot but I think I think [laughter] >> I have enough time to figure out whether I decide to play. If I do if I do decide to play, I don't see myself going to Tennessee. >> Okay. >> I'll probably go somewhere else. >> Okay. Okay. It just depends how everything >> But but you but you plan on playing your senior year in high school though, right? Yes. Oh, okay. So, you plan on playing and you're a multiport athlete.

063>> Is that is that right? What else do you do? >> Yes, I run track and Yeah, that's it. I run track. >> Okay. What what what what's your events in track? >> Um all the sprinting events I do the one, two, 4x one, 4x two, and I do not I don't really touch the 4x4 or the four anymore. That was kind of freshman year stuff. I don't really >> the the the 400 is I've said on this show many times listeners know this the 400 is a monster of a race. >> I mean if you if you've never been asked to sprint one time around the track I just say this for any person just go out there one day in your life and try to sprint one time around the track and see

064what your time is and then you'll have a very different respect for people who are running 40s in the 400. You go, "Wow, somebody done ran a 40, you know, 40 some odd seconds in the 400. Hey, hey, hey. >> [music] >> This is our third year for Say My Name event. And what is powerful is that we have over 300 girls come [music] from 18 different schools, grades 4 through 12, to empower them and to show them that they have a voice and that they could be their authentic selves in any space. It's very important that we have high school students here intermingling with middle school students and elementary students so that they have a goal and they see where they can be and [music] they get excited about graduating. people to look up

065to like student athletes and stuff and they have a good future for themselves and that's something I want to have a good future. >> To me, this event is a good way for young girls and older girls like me to come together and see what we all can do as a whole group and team. What we want to do is break stereotypes for young girls and make sure that you know being loud and being joyful isn't seen as a negative but a positive of expression through art, through painting, [music] through dance, through song, um through hair care classes so that they have great self-confidence, great self-esteem and they have a great self-direction in [music] life. It is an opportunity for us to celebrate our young girls, to acknowledge them, to amplify their voices, to hear

066them. We want them to know that we appreciate them, we love them, we see them, and we are here to support them. [music] >> And once we all come together at this event, it's all of the girls in region 2 to see each other, to have common conversation, to understand, you know what, I do have a voice. I am worthy. I am valued. The beauty of being at the art museum is to see the the art that takes place. >> I enjoyed the painting. Like I really enjoyed the painting like the self-portraits. I enjoyed that they gave us free stuff, you know, lip gloss and gifts and stuff when we came that the energy was good and that they welcomed us. >> It's good because you get to talk to new people and share like

067what you have in common. It was pretty fun outside. We learned karate and it was a pretty awesome day. What an awesome opportunity for our elementary girls to see that middle school and high school girls are able to share and have conversations with them. >> I like I could be example towards them cuz you know they're still growing up. Well, I'm still grown up too, but you know they're still they look up to us and like we're role models for them. I think it's good to know for some young ladies to know that you're not alone and that it's not always about like the bad things and that we can all come [music] together and make something positive all together being we can help each other and not make it envious or a competition and

068that we're all here and we're on the same boat. I think today with battling so many negative connotations on social media and how people use [music] social media, this gives them an opportunity to post positive things and to say I belong. I matter. I'm loved. I'm nurtured. And [music] so it's that counternarrative to some of the things that cause anxiety and depression. You are unique. You are beautiful. You are brave. And we got you. We are here with you. We stand alongside you. And you can accomplish anything that your heart desires. [music] Hey. [music] [music] Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Hey, heat. Hey, heat. Heat. Hi, I'm Ansley Stevenson, capital improvements project manager, and we're back at Mifflin High School. Teachers have returned today, and we're here amidst the hustle and bustle of teachers unpacking and

069setting up their rooms. We wanted to take you on a guided tour one last time to see the finished product. So, come along. We're here in the new student support services area of Mifflin High School. Before these spaces were scattered throughout the [music] building and now students and counselors have a private space to access all of those student support services. We're sitting here in one of our three new extended learning [music] areas at Mifflin High School. They're all furnished slightly differently to allow a different posture for students [music] and staff. Some of them are more focused around technology. Some of them are more focused around lounge and [music] conversation to allow students and teachers to pick the space that suits their needs for the day. We're standing in one of our completely refreshed [music] classrooms

070here at Mifflin High School. Throughout you'll see new flooring, new ceilings, new lighting, our new sound system that allows for an even [music] sound distribution throughout the whole classroom and furniture that was customized for each teacher to suit their needs. Looking at the refreshed auditorium space, you'll see new seating, [music] new theater curtains, new lighting and sound system to support our next big production here at Mifflin High School. Here in [music] the relocated weight room at Mifflin High School, we have combined the weight room and the health classroom. So, you'll [music] see state-of-the-art new weight equipment combined with flexible furnishings to allow us to use this space for after school events as well as after school weight and strength training. Moving into the art and construction technology spaces, which were both refreshed here. You can

071see in the art [music] room, we've got completely new seating for 72 students, which supports both of our art classes. We've added a lot of built-in cabinets to support all those art materials needed to [music] do all of the different studio functions for our high school art students. Looking at our construction technology space, you'll [music] see a brand new dust collection around the perimeter. This will allow us to keep a safe, clean environment to teach our students these critical skills to become part of our [music] modern construction technology world. At this project, we left no stone unturned. As you walk through the building, you will see upgrades [music] throughout. Our hallways have been completely painted, upgrading with new ceilings and new lighting. Our cafeteria space has [music] been refreshed, all new furniture, all new flooring,

072and all new lighting. Our brand gymnasium space has been equipped with everything we [music] need for the next big game. We have new bleachers, new basketball hoops, and a completely refinished gymnasium floor. When you walked through Mifflin [music] High School last school year, it was a dark, outdated, uninspiring space for our young learners. When you walk through [music] this year, you'll see a bright, refreshed space that allows our students to dream big and achieve more this school [music] year and many school years to come. [music] The record last year was [music] three and 10 cuz we only have five players and the record this year is seven and nine. >> We was [music] going to make a team at McKinley if we had a coach or if we didn't. And we're having people come to

073our games to come watch us [music] play. >> Share the ball a little bit more now. And I actually see the team as like a sisterhood >> to go into an actual [music] uh program that does have those type of losses. You feel like there's no expectation. And I seen [music] from previous games that I had looked at that they actually were talented. >> Aratiana, she loves to get buckets. Shy, she's strong with the ball. She'll body anybody. Faith, she brings the energy if we feeling down. >> Denny is doing real good. I love Denny. I got to play with my sister this year. She's a freshman. Marian Franklin. Cristiana Towns. She had 35 points, 25 rebounds, and 10 steals. [music] She averages 18.5 points per game, nine rebounds, six steals per game. Her Mifflin

074game that we had, Tamaya Harrington, she had 27 points, five rebounds, 13 [music] steals. It makes me feel more confident. Start varsity as a freshman and play the whole game and [music] make a lot of points with my teammates and a lot of assist. Changing the culture means a lot to me. It makes me feel real good that people aren't just seeing Lynon [music] girls as trash. We here Monday through Saturday. So, we really putting in the work and I'm happy people are actually coming [music] out and seeing us. We aren't just a team that's 3 and 10. We're actual high school basketball team. Once I actually did see Darthur and the program that he was actually running and how he was uplifting and actually caring, once they actually started to win games and to

075see their progress and to understand how much I did really care about them outside of just the game itself, [music] it made them want to show up. It made them care. It made them want to actually work together and have a sisterhood to where they loved each other. >> My brothers are Philip, LB, Chris, and Emanuel. [music] When I watch my brothers play, I look up to them and I play against them a lot. So, it makes me a little tougher to play against girls. The town's name is very strong in the community and she's living up to her name. >> My goal for Lenny McKinley is to win [music] more games and set an example for little kids. >> Being a senior is pretty bittersweet that the program is just getting together and I'm

076about to leave, but I'm happy it got together. Coach means a lot to me. She's actually my knowledor so I be in her office a lot. >> Miss Grinshaw, she makes sure I make it to individual workouts, things I need help with to be better. >> She set up some team bonding for us. [music] We do a lot of stuff on and off the court. I do enjoy playing against East since they are our rivals. >> I have fun playing against Kennedy [music] from Centennial, Kayla from Centennial, Leila from International. For college, I would like to study synography. College coaches to recruit me because I feel like I'm a good leader. [music] I'm a good listener and I have good discipline and I can push myself. She's always going to put 110% into whatever [music]

077it is that she does. So, a lot of the times whenever coaches are looking for that one player, that spark, Somaya Harrington would be that person. I cannot wait to see the young woman that she is going to become. I just want to do photography and still do basketball. College coaches should recruit me because I put all the work in. I'm very humble. I could make buckets and I like to share the ball and communicate. [music] College coaches should recruit Cristiana Towns because of her work ethic, the ability that she has, which is natural, and on top of [music] that, she's very coachable. It's something different whenever you have someone to step on the court that has [music] an athletic ability, that has a game that is different than a lot of players that do

078play [music] the game and you can still teach them something. My name is William Stenchome and I've been with Columbus City Schools for 23 years. >> My name is Mr. Dorsey Bersaw and I'm a safety and security specialist. >> My name is Anita Roman and I am a Columbus City Schools bus driver. >> My name is Sammy Gonzalez. I'm a food service manager currently at Briggs High School. I know that if I'm not there [music] every day and on time, you know, that that student may not have a ride to school. And that weighs on me heavily. And [music] I take pride in knowing that my students can set their clock on me. I'm always if, you know, it takes [music] a lot for me not to come to work. It's important to come to

079work every day, be on time because we may be the only way that student gets to school. you know, seeing the kids years [music] later and having them come up to me and say how thankful and grateful they were and happy that, you know, I kept them safe in the district and, you know, that I can't retire or leave the district until, you know, their kids graduate. >> This was one of the best decisions I've made in my life. Um, I didn't expect to live uh for this, but uh I love being part of the Columbus City School [music] as a family. I just think because the building represents our districts for me to see how clean the building is. I could take pride in my effort and to put the cleaning and organizing of

080the building, it just makes me feel a level of pride. >> Peaceful mind can accomplish a lot of things. And when a student is hungry, their mind is often times [music] on what the next meal is going to be. In an indirect way, we affect the students in the kitchen. They can accomplish what they have to in the classroom. And for them to accomplish that often times that's going to better [music] their situation for themselves, their family and their community. So in in a sense helping the student in an indirect manner with the food [music] is something that I really enjoy. >> Columbus, Ohio has so much to offer our youth. The growth you can obtain from being a [music] part of this district is huge. There is such diversity and learning experience happening throughout

081our [music] K12 buildings. I love to see the excitement in the kids' faces when they know they can start school the very next day. So it's exciting exciting for the [music] families. Um so I think it's very impactful because it gives them that first start to you know learning and growing. >> You know I've been working with kids all my life. Coming here meeting the students the relationships that I've built [music] over the years is just phenomenal. I mean, I'm seeing students still see students to this day that thank me just, you know, thanks for everything you've done. Thanks for helping provide a safe learning environment, you know, thank you for the talks, you know, and they're really appreciative. >> The district provides training [music] throughout the school year and a lot of information that's

082constantly updated and it's always available to us. So, that's very helpful in um being able to, you know, provide the best service to, you know, our students [music] and parents. The diversity in Columbus and inclusion, it's unlike any other place really. There's so many different [music] cultures and you come in contact with just on a daily basis, you know, with our students and parents and teachers. >> I've really enjoyed the last few years working here at CCS. It's got great benefits. The people have been great and I wouldn't change it for anything. I've had other job offers, but I've turned them down because I just really like the people [music] and I like working here. run to your computer and apply online. This is one of the greatest kept secrets in the school district. Really,

083this is a great job. Just apply online. It's easy. [music] We have um our training is excellent and um you know, we'll we'll do everything we can [music] to help you get through and you won't regret it. I promise. Hi, I'm Carrie Charles and the big story this day, Columbus City Schools is welcoming leaders of all ages back into the classroom for the 2025 2026 school year. Are you ready? >> Yeah. [cheering] >> 3 2 1 Welcome back to the first day of school in Columbus City School. >> Leaders are here. >> Oh yeah. Well, it's like it's all that random stuff that you like watch as a kid and then you go you're actually doing it. Like we did uh did Clark Rock in New Year's Eve Time Square where we did the Macy's

084Day Parade >> and that was both in the same year, right? >> Ninja Turtles. Yeah. And so it's like just bizarre stuff like that. I mean playing >> Yeah. I mean playing MTV World Stage in Malaysia was one our first like big international show that that was like we had a police escort to the show and like there were thousands of people >> and we're so self-deprecating. We're like, we don't need cops to like escort us. >> No one cares. >> Yeah. It's [laughter] just stuff like that. And and then >> just it's such a gift, too, to like look at look out at shows and see faces from 15 years ago still coming. And so that that's like >> that's also a pinch me like people care that much about our crappy little band.

085No, we're not crappy. We're good. >> Our incredible band. >> Our incredible [laughter] band. Well, we are so uh grateful that you're here today and took the time to do this for for us and all of our listeners and we love what you do >> and congratulations on this latest album and all the success. >> Thank you so much for having us. >> You're welcome. And we'll do our final giveaway after this final song that they take us out with and it is Neon Trees. What's this last one? >> We'll do Everybody Talks. >> All right. Baby, won't [singing and music] you look my way? I could be your new addiction. Hey, baby, what you got [singing and music] to say? All you're giving me is fiction. I'm a sorry [singing and music] and this

086happens all the time. I found [music and singing] out that everybody talks. Everybody talks. Everybody. It started with a whisper and that was when I kissed [singing] and fing in my lips. I could either chit or t me to your love shack. [music] [singing] M's always got a back to when hey honey you could [music] be my drug. You could be my new prescription or too much could be an over [music] making me my everybody [music] talks. Everybody talks everybody talks too much. It started with a whisper and I was in my lips. I could give a chithat to your love. M's always [music] got a back when I live to see the day when everybody's words got in the way. Yeah. Hey sugar, show me all your love. All you're giving me is affection.

087Hey sugar, what you got to say? It started with a whisper and now [music] it's done and bitching in my lips head. I could hear the chit. Oh yeah. I t it to you love. Mama's always got a bad when everybody talks. Everybody talks. Everybody [singing and music] talks. Everybody talks. Everybody talks. >> It started with one whisper. Everybody that was when I [singing] talk What are we going to do? Well, we there's a few, but now I'm holding a different guitar, so we'll probably do one of two. Let's do another way. um which is the uh so we're playing songs off of this new album Beacons that came out a little while ago and we're in the middle of this big Beacons tour. The first disc is all what we're calling Americana which is

088this electric and you know that word is can mean almost everything. >> Big umbrella there. >> Yeah, pretty big umbrella. But we're playing like you know some bluesier stuff and again we're coming from bluegrass. Disc two um is all the bluegrass stuff with Jared Douglas and Sam Bush and that stuff. But we're going to close. This is the song that ends um the Americana side. And just say two words about it real quick. >> Um well, for the last couple years um Eric and I just kept talking to each other and I think talking to everybody I know and just this this term or this we just kept saying these same words to each other, which is there's got to be another way for us all to to live here on Earth and and get

089along better. There's just got to be another way than than what's happening right now. um because it's just it's just so awful for all of us. So many of us are in pain and hurting and divided. So this idea of there's got to be another way, another way. So we wrote a song called Another Way and uh we hope it uh you know touches you. >> All right. Thank you all. Thank you all very much. >> Thank you so much, guys. >> Sounds great. >> I'm going to count us all in. Here we go. One, two, one, two. [music] I couldn't tell you which one. I've been [music] turning around here since the wheels first been spun. It's never made much difference cuz you end up where you need any old place to hang my

090hat home to me. I've sold myself stories wishes down the world that this is how it ought to be. Been hunting my own footprints chasing my lost in the same old [music] way. We've all got to find a way. When I come across the ocean, I couldn't call it by name. High low by the carrying crow. In the end, it's all the same. You can stroll the beat and fly the [music] raven's wing, but as long as you're singal. Okay, we're back in session. We will now go to public comment. Um, Charles Tenant will be our first guest. Welcome, Charles. Thank you, Madame President, members of the board. Dr. Chapman, I put on your table books uh that I received from some time ago and I thought that you would enjoy this book by Obama.

091Our lives are not determined by what happens to us, but how we react to what happens. Not what life brings to us, but what we bring to life. A positive attitude sets the standards for positive thoughts and actions. It's the catalyst, that spark that lights the flame to a continual undeterred Afroentric school. A lot of people say Afro. There's a big difference between Afro and Afrey. The Afroentric school here in Columbus is the only one of its kind in the United States. And it's specifically designed to show African history, African culture. The problem is we get a staff and we have a very wonderful administrative staff over there and some very wonderful teachers, but they're not trained with aphroentric principles and culture. If you go to that school, if I took you through it, it

092would take me two hours to explain to you everything that's in there. And many of you have been in the lunchroom and you've seen three columns, but you don't know what they are. And up above you see some waving clouds and then blackness at the top. That blackness as at the top is the cosmos. Those wavy things are clouds. Those columns are called closed bud papyrus columns. These are the first columns ever erected on the earth. But when you get into American history books, you get into Greek and Roman architecture, but never anything African. I want you to take this opportunity to look at so that we can train teachers on aentricity so that we can go in and teach these children a strong basic education. I can't take someone and train them to play

093golf by giving them golf clubs and tell them to go to the course. We have to train them. And this is what I'm looking for to get some training in uh this coming year. Uh because we have teachers who don't know and we have teachers over there who who know, but we need to to be a cohesive group and have workshops. And I'm looking for one workshop, one full day when school starts and then during the uh semester break a half a day so that they can understand what afro afroentricity is all about. This is what I came to talk to you. And then the final thing when the architect and I got together about building the school, uh, two things I missed. And one was a museum, but we finally got one underneath the

094steps. And upstairs on the second floor, it was a beautiful relaxing room for students. Uh, we've turned it into a library, a high school library. And I need [laughter] to get about 40 lockers taken out on the south wall and then a full wall to cover everything on the east side so that we can have a full library upstairs. Uh I would like to get another piece of art and I want to mention this to you. Nordstrom's provided me with some tables for our museum and I want to thank them in front of you for because these are expensive tables. I was using lunchroom tables and I want to do some other things in there between now and July. So, but the key thing is to find some time and some space and some people

095to train teachers on aentricity. You cannot teach it unless you understand what it is. Thank you. >> Thank you very much, Kim. The second uh speaker is Kim Alpen. Good evening, President Dr. Miranda, Vice President Engles, Treasurer Cook, Superintendent Dr. Chapman, and members of the board. My name is Kim Mopin, and I am a building substitute and also the senior faculty representative for building substitutes. Due to the loss of $50 million in the CCS budget, building substitute staff is taking a tremendous hit. Out of our current 130 plus building subs, 105 of them are being cut. That leaves 25 building subs in our district of 113 buildings. Make that make sense. Those 25 subs will more than likely be covering classroom vacancies, not covering teacher absences. Building subs provide the continuity and high quality instruction

096when teachers can't be there. Rigorous learning continues to help boost test scores. While we're grateful that the union and the district agreed upon anou with employment options, those positions come with drastically reduced pay, and some of those positions have no benefits. Our subs are worried about being able to pay their bills and live on a reduced income, but they're mainly worried about their students and their colleagues. With the shortage of daily subs, there will not be coverage for classrooms when teachers are absent. Students will be forced to sit in other classrooms, being overcrowded, and not getting the quality instruction they deserve. Since the beginning of this school year, the amount of money paid out to cover classes that were not covered by building sub was $2,168,945. Last year that cost was $2,469,628. I'd say that

097next year that cost will probably double at least. So with over I'd say $5 million that would pay um to pay staff to cover classes next year without a sub. That amount could easily pay 100 building substitutes to come back. Think about that when you vote on the cuts tonight and think hard about what the truth students truly deserve. So, what happens now? Here's what needs to happen. I bring you a petition tonight signed by over 775 teachers, teachers with a combined experience of 12,000 years. We have two requests. One, as soon as our legislators step up and give back our funding, that you immediately restore these critical building substitute positions to one per building because that's what our students deserve. Number two, to immediately raise the daily sub pay to more than the current

098$18 an hour to attract quality subs to ease the staffing crisis that these layoffs are going to create. Other districts are paying an average of 20 to $25 an hour for daily subs. You are on this board obviously because you care about students of Columbus City Schools. Think hard and please do the right thing. Thank you. >> Thank you. [applause] Our next speaker is Cindy Wnookski. >> Good evening, President Dr. Miranda, Vice President Les, Treasurer Cook, Superintendent Dr. Angel Chapman, members of the board in our audience. My name is Cindy Wneski. I'm also known as Miss W. and I am proud to say that I am a building substitute for Mifflin Middle School. What I'm going to share with you now are the six essential daily responsibilities slashcomandments upheld and practiced by our district's building

099substitutes in all schools. Number one, the day begins with a big hello to our precious scholars accompanied by a word of encouragement. Hey, have a great day. looking forward to possibly seeing you later and always the friendly comment from the scholar. Who are you subbing for today? Number two, we are always ready and flexible. Our teaching assignment perhaps that was posted in Red River may red rover may have been changed to accommodate a more urgent need in a specific classroom or subject area. Number three, building substitutes are always organized. We make a point to meet with the teacher of record where there is a planned when there is a planned future absence. It helps us to step into the classrooms with very little disruption and we move immediately to instruction. We are always prepared as

100building substitutes. Number four, we are consistently seen and familiar to our scholars. We know these wonderful children in the elementary schools. We know the younger students in the middle school and the teens in the high schools. We know their routine. We know their teachers daily expectations. Our students benefit from seeing familiar faces. They thrive on structure, consistency, encouragement from their teachers of record in building substitutes and motivation from any adult who is in the school who they interact with every day. Number five, we are in charge of each classroom's daily attendance. Something that is very important. Our accurate counting provides assurance to our administrators, secretaries that all scholars are accounted for in the event of any unexpected emergency or natural disasters. And lastly, number six, building substitutes are actively involved in assigned building duties. We

101assist staff during lunch periods, hall duty, bus duty, restroom duty. We know every emergency procedure and carefully watch student behavior and safety in all areas of our buildings, making sure that all are safe and secure. So, I'm asking you, board members, Superintendent Dr. Angela Chapman audience to please keep this in mind. We building substitutes love our job. We love our scholars. We love our buildings. We love the teaching staff, support staff, and administrators. We are the steady eddies. We are the extension of relationship building. We have our heart in the right direction. We are committed. We are there for you. >> Thank you. [applause] At this time, I'm going to open the floor to discuss advisioning sessions and the AAC committee meeting. Meet um meeting >> the other two not coming. >> No, she's not

102here. >> What I'm doing? >> Um thank you, >> Board Member Adair. >> Thank you, President Miranda. Um I'm going to keep this short tonight in light of all that we have on the agenda and since we are in a long executive session um our the AFET committee did meet um we continued our work around the educational uh visiting and reviewed um what we did with uh the educational visioning sessions that we did in the community. Um we had some significant takeaways from that. I think that you know it it was the start and it's a promise to continue to gather data from our community. We also had our students participate which we had over 70 students participate across three schools um and gathering information. Um we know that we need to move forward in

103how we uh continue to engage the community. We um want to make sure that we are doing so in a way that feels authentic and real and we are getting uh that feedback from all of you including our students. And that is something the committee will be working on is a uh community um action plan. Um so I want to thank you to everyone that did participate in those, everyone that coordinated them, our students have participated and community members that attended those three sessions. Um we also continued to talk about the um educational layers. Uh we started last meeting with layer one which is the base core instruction everything that we are required to do in our academic program through federal state law. Um we did that last time. This time we picked up layer

1042 services. So services, supports, curriculum, programs, things that our uh community uh quite frankly sometimes is very used to and thinks probably is in layer one but are but are choices that we are making. We're doing this to better understand uh so that we can really decide what goes into a baseline um educational specification because that's ultimately um at the end of the year beginning of next year what we're going to be delivering to this board and that means we have to understand what is in our core program. So we um are still in the learning phase. Our committee we're going to actually in our next meeting take a deeper dive and really start to move into uh some more kind of return on investment kind of thinking. But in this meeting our team these

105are drafts so I didn't upload them but they're not quite ready yet but they are starting these really great uh at a glances so that everyone in the community can kind of understand what is part of the core um what is part of the different layers. So this meeting we talked about uh prek, we talked about our um adult education programming, we talked about our gifted programming, we talked about our um boys and our girls schools. Um and we talked about our whole child services. So these are all what we would consider either layer two or three services. They are actually not mandated by law. Um and so these are things that we have to continue to talk about. Um and so this process again um it is all about trying to create that Columbus

106City Schools for the future and really designing what it is our baseline programming is and then what is it that our community is going to invest in going forward to make sure that every student in every grade band has the opportunities and experience that we want our students to have. Um we ended up uh uh getting an overview or quick update on a survey. So, a survey will be going out to our community um because we have some things to report back on in our next meeting. Um so, please take the survey. And then we had some um school visits that our committee members went on. We uh visited the uh Worthington Thomas Worthington school. Um and then we're going to be setting up some additional visits as well. So, that was a quick snapshot

107of what our committee is working on. Our next meeting um in June, we will be taking a very deep dive into the boys and girls school to better understand uh the academic return on investment for those programs and whether they should be layer 2 or three uh services. So, thank you. Oh, Dr. Pierce. >> Yes, thank you so much. Um, so, um, as we talk about this survey, I would like to request that that survey be shared with the entire board so we can look it over before it's shared with the community. Um, just to ensure that our committee has done the due diligence and we're picking up and answering and asking all those questions that we need to ask. >> Thank you, board member Adair. Uh, now we're going to move to the CA

108reopener ratification. Um, I just want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who served on the bargaining team. This agreement is not just a set of terms. It represents our collective commitment to fostering a vibrant educational environment for our students and our community. I'm thankful for the dedication, the passion, and hard work that every member of the Columbus Education Association brings to our schools every day. Your unwavering commitment to education has been instrumental in shaping the future of our students and ensuring their success. We must also recognize Columbus School Employee Association, CSEA, as we know that without our labor partners, we would not be able to accomplish any of our student outcomes. And we are grateful for your service each and every day. Together, we have navigated challenges and celebrated triumphs,

109all in the pursuit of our shared mission. This contract solidifies the foundation for our continued collaboration and I'm excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. Thank you for your collaboration, your trust and resolve as we embark on this journey together. Let's continue to work hand in hand to inspire our students and advance education in our community. So the resolution to approve the collective bargaining agreement with the Columbus Education Association, whereas representatives of the board of education and the Columbus Education Association have been engaged in negotiations for a reopener agreement to the collective bargaining agreement that expires on the day before the first regular teacher contract of the 2829 school year. And whereas the attached document contains the terms developed through the bar bargaining process and approved by the Columbus Education Association on May 12th, 2026.

110And whereas the document provides the terms of a reopener agreement that shall continue in full full force and effect until 11:59 p.m. of the day before the first regular teacher contract day of the 28 2028 2029 school year. Now therefore, be it resolved that the board of education hereby approves an agreement with the Columbus Education Association based on the terms described in the attached document. And be it further resolved that the board of education authorizes the superintendent prior to printing and with the agreement of the Columbus Education Association to make minor editorial corrections and changes as needed, provided such corrections and changes do not result in any modification of the intent and substance of the agreement. And be it further resolved that the president of the board, superintendent, treasurer, deputy superintendent, and chief negotiator for

111the board be authorized and directed to affix their signatures to the agreement as herein described between the board of education and the Columbus Education Association. Is there a motion to accept the resolution? >> Moved. >> Thank you. Board of member dear second. Um and seconded by board member Les. Any discussion? If not, please call the role. >> Dr. Pierce, >> yes. >> Mr. Kameer, >> yes. >> Mr. Simmons, >> yes. >> Dr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mr. Adair, >> yes. >> Vice President, >> yes. >> President Dr. Miranda, >> yes. >> Motion carried. >> Passes. Again, I want to thank all of those in CA, particularly the president, John Kiglio, for their work, um, for their honesty, for their collaboration. It really was a team effort to get to this point, and I really want

112to thank all of them. All right, as we gather here today, I want to take a moment to address a matter of great concern that weighs heavily on all of us. budget cuts and proposed reductions of staff. We, the board, understand that these decisions are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. They represent real impacts on our dedicated educators, support staff, and the students we serve. We recognize the invaluable contributions of our labor partners, CA, and CSEA. Together we are facing challenges that affect not just our schools but also our community as a whole. Let us remember that behind every position affected there are individuals who are deeply committed to the success and well-being of our students. These cuts bring uncertainty and concern not just for our staff but for every family in our district. As

113we navigate through these difficult times, it is vital that we work collaboratively, supporting one another and advocating for the resources our schools so desperately need. We appreciate your presence and your commitment to our educational mission and together we will strive to find solutions that prioritize the needs of our students and support our heroworking staff. I will now call on Treasurer Ryan Cook to share information reminding the community of how we got to the place where we have to make these reduction decisions. Thank you. If you could pull up my presentation, please. So, as board president Dr. Miranda said, um, tonight we have some difficult decisions behind us and I'm going to lay the groundwork on how did we as a district get here. Current state of affairs, there's an imbalance in the school funding system.

114There's presently a ballot initiative to eliminate property taxes and this is a direct consequence of intentional state level policy choices that have systematically shifted the burden to homeowners. It's an existential threat to public education in Ohio. In 1975, the property tax burden was approximately 53.9% for businesses, 46.1% for residents. In 2023, that tax burden was 32.5% for businesses and 67 and a half% for residential. Clearly, this demonstrates an imbalance and a burden shift to our local residents. It's a result of top-down state level legislative policy choices. I'll also note that during this period, business tax abatements have spiked over 500% from 5.7 billion to 26.6 billion. This graph here illustrates the historical burden shift that we spoke of from just under 54% to 32.5% today. In 2005, there was the elimination of the tangible personal

115property tax, House Bill 66, which combined with state income tax brackets reduced 20% of school funding in the state of Ohio. What does this mean? In previous five-year forecasts, I've discussed how our residents are paying an increased share due to the shift that we just spoke of. Think of it like a teeter totter. When the state share decreases, the local residential tax base picks up the high end of that. The formula has shifted. the five-year in February property values make us look extremely wealthy which results in less of a state share. The fair school funding plan was a great formula but it's broken. It was a partnership between the state of Ohio and K12 institutions across the state. And when the determination was made to not fully fund that, the formula broke, resulting in much

116of the consternation we have today with high property taxes because districts are forced to go out on the ballot to make up that loss. I think this is just a powerful chart. The state share of school funding. The state share of school funding has fallen from 47% in 1999 to a projected decline of 32% in 2027. I will note that on this chart in 1995 was the Dal lawsuit that found school funding in Ohio unconstitutional. Just to the left of that, you will see the state share has been in a plummet. 1971, state of Ohio introduced the personal income tax. House Bill 471 created a stable statewide revenue stream that would fund social services and increase aid to K12 education. In addition, this provided direct property tax relief to homeowners during that period. 55 years

117of history with the personal income tax in Ohio. The chase to a flat tax with House Bill completely abandons equity. Under the present model, an Ohio millionaire pays the exact same 2.75% income tax rate as a school teacher or childare worker. Of note, for Ohioans earning between $26,50 and $100,000, the tax rate has already been at 2.75% for several years. Thus, the move to a flat tax was not middle class tax relief, but rather a windfall for Ohio's more affluent residents. Deliberate dismantling of the 1971 income tax coupled with legislative disinvestment in traditional public schools. Again, the teeter totter. As the state percentage shifts lower, the burden increases on locals to pick up their share. Constant theme, legislative disinvestment. This is a result of a two decade tax giveaway era. Since 2005, tax reductions have

118created an astounding $18.6 billion revenue gap. This is forced schools to decide between insolveny or asking locals for increased resources. Again, driving the very problem we hear about on the news every night with respect to property tax reform in Ohio. the chronology of legislative disinvestment. In 2005, House Bill 66 reduced income tax brackets by 21% and eliminated the TPP TPP tax, wiping out 20% of all public school tax collections. the 2010s. A 10% income tax in reduction in 2013 paired with legislative language making it harder for seniors to qualify for homestead exemptions. In 2015, a further 6.3% reduction in income tax pushed income tax rates lower than they were in 1972. After these We began the chase to the flat tax 2019 2026 where we sit at 2.75%. The chronology of legislative disinvestment continues. House

119Bill 166 in 2019 was a 4% acrosstheboard income tax rate reduction. House Bill 110 in 2021 was a further 16.8% reduction for those earning over $221,300 and was three times larger than Lowe's in lower brackets. House Bill 33 and House Bill 96, our current state budget, period of time, 2003 through 2026, collapsed the remaining brackets and lowered the rate to 3.125% in 2025 and reached the flat 2.75% in 2026. This reduced revenue by an estimated $2.3 billion. Combine all of those shifts with 1.06 billion being shifted from public school systems to private and other non-public institutions. Further legislative disinvestment. I would label this the race to the bottom. The state share of K12 revenue is 32.2 2% where Ohio ranks 45th in the nation. The local tax burden has climbed to 53.1% ranking us fifth

120in the nation for property taxes. [cough] I continually hear the school funding formulas don't work. They don't work because they're not funded. Columbus City Schools is no different than other public education institutions around the state of Ohio. We're all dealing with the existential threat, legislative disinvestment. This is a slide from our five-year forecast that shows revenues are being outpaced by expenses. Our cash balance continues to dwindle. This chart includes the approved reduction of 50 million that was committed by the board last December. It hasn't gotten better. The legislative disinvestment continues. The impact on Columbus City Schools. Failure to fully implement the components of the fair school funding plan in House Bill 96 has related has resulted in a loss of revenue for the district estimated during budget season by policy matters to be over $50

121million. Ironically, the exact figure we've been dealt with to reduce. December of 2025, the board took the following actions. Resolution 4.2, administrative reductions, 6.6 million. Resolution 4.3, non-personnel reductions, 8.8 million. Resolution 4.6, transportation changes, 8.7 million. Resolution 4.7 staffing reductions were directed to be $25.9 million, which is unfortunately what we're here to discuss this evening. Total budget reductions for FY27, $50 million. As I said previously, we're not alone. Or I guess in this funding environment, misery loves company. Toledo for budget reductions 68 million Dayton 31.5 million Cleveland $150 million over two years Canton 17.5 million Cincinnati 17.7 Columbus City schools 50 million next fiscal year again the presentation shows legisl ative disinvestment is having a massive impact on school funding in Ohio. Again, I think one of the most critical charts to highlight and that

122I hope our legislators pay attention to is this chart that again highlights the state share for public education. Again, we've fallen from 47% in 1999 to an estimated 32% next year. Meanwhile, we've continued to toy with this concept that school funding is unconstitutional. This chart here clearly shows legislative disinvestment has led to where we're at this evening. The consequences are sobering. I think we've discussed that. And with that, I conclude my report. >> Thank you, Mr. Cook. Thank you um Treasurer Cook um for providing us with that important historical context about the legislative disinvestment in public education um for decades. Um at this time I would like to provide an update on all of the actions that we have taken over the last year in preparation for tonight's action. Um, we want to remind everyone

123that this has been a journey, a journey of many months, but I feel we are well positioned to keep our promise to put students first in the coming school year. Even as we make difficult reductions, we are still investing more than a billion dollars in the education of our students, our staff, and our school communities. Tonight, we are bringing forward final steps in the board's direction to act to the administration to reduce spending by 50 million for the 2627 school year. I want to start by acknowledging and naming that the weight of this moment is significant. These are all difficult decisions that we have before us tonight. These decisions affect our people. They affect our staff members who care deeply about our students, our families, and our community. We know that this work is not

124easy and it is not taken lightly. We have spent months reviewing contracts, services, staffing structures, transportation services, and every area where we could reduce operating costs while protecting students and programming as much as possible. And I want to be clear that yesterday we announced $60 million in investments for our neighborhood schools. That revenue and those investments is coming from our 2023 levy which generated revenue to support our permanent improvement fund. Those permanent improvement [clears throat] dollars can only be spent on infrastructure on buildings, playgrounds, roofs, windows, HVAC systems. We are keeping our promise to voters from the levy and using those annual dollars to keep our building safe, clean, and healthy places to learn and work. Again, those PI dollars cannot be spent on our general operating needs, such as for staffing, even if we

125wanted to. There are rules that prevent us from doing so. And as you heard from Treasurer Cook, we are facing a very real projected deficit in CCS and have been working since late last year to plan for these reductions. In the fall, we began looking at non-personnel reductions, consulting, travel, training, and services. We also made reductions in administrative positions and implemented a salary freeze for central office leadership. Next, we began planning the changes to K8 busing for students choosing to go to non 100% lottery schools. We also looked first within our own administrative structure, reducing 62 admin positions as a part of our effort to limit the impact on our classrooms. For months, we've worked with our leadership team and labor partners to plan how we can eliminate positions with minimal impact on students in

126the classroom, starting with vacancies and attrition. These are not arbitrary decisions. Each of our labor agreements includes clear language outlining the processes for reductions in staffing. Tonight's proposal is for 299 certificated and classified positions to be reduced from the budget. Of the 299 positions, 187 are already vacant. This is from a workforce of more than 9,000 team members across CCS. Tonight's proposal saves $25.9 million from the overall $50 million budget reduction plan. Even as we make these reductions, we are doing everything we can to retain our staff, support our employees, and minimize reductions through attrition, retirements, and vacancies. We remain deeply committed to helping all of our impacted staff members to find a path to new licenses or other jobs within the district. For example, going from building sub to sped teacher or sped assistant

127roles. There are still jobs to be filled in CCS for bus drivers, for sped teachers, sped IAS, and more. But each job has special requirements and we will continue to work with all impacted employees to determine how we can help them transition to other roles for certificated positions. Many of the proposed reductions are connected to the roles of our building substitutes and attendance program specialists. We have looked carefully at the history and use of these positions as a part of these pro this process and recognize the value of these employees and the impact that they have had on our students, our staff and the culture and climate of our buildings. At this time, approximately 111 certificated employees and one classified employee will be directly impacted by these reductions if approved by the board tonight. These

128decisions do not reflect the dedication, professionalism, or service of our staff. They reflect a difficult financial reality as our treasurer has laid out. For decades, our legislature has chosen to disinvest in public education, and we know that these decisions affect us all. Our human resources team along with the state of Ohio job and family services will provide support for impacted employees including guidance, opportunities to apply for other district positions and a job fair focused on educational positions and new opportunities. Even as we make these reductions, Columbus City Schools will continue to invest more than a billion dollars next year in educational programming and support for students and staff. We will continue making careful decisions, monitoring staffing and student needs and keeping students at the center of every decision that we make. We know that we

129are being asked to do more with less. But we will not lose sight of what matters most. Our students, our schools, and the dedicated educators who serve our students each and every day. Thank you. >> Thank you. [clears throat] We'll start with 5.3 resolution to abolish certified positions and suspend employment contracts for member Kennedy. Oh, sorry. >> Board member Adair. >> Sorry about that. We made some switches at the beginning of the meeting. Um, it is with no pleasure that I read this resolution. And in fact, if you recall when I when we were doing the transportation and we voted at that time not to consider high school transportation, I literally looked at our teachers and said, "I am so sorry." And I continue to be and I continue to be most sorry for our

130children who are the ones that are impacted by this. I read the resolution 5.3 to abolish certified positions to suspend employment contracts estimated cost reduction of 8.904 million. Whereas the board and the Columbus Education Association are parties to a collective bargaining agreement effective from August 18, 2025 until 11:59 p.m. of the day before the first regular teacher contract day of the 2028-29 school year. And whereas pursuant to article 704 reductions in personnel, the board has the authority to determine that a reduction in the number of teachers is necessary to suspend employment contracts to make a reasonable reduction in personnel due to decreased enrollment of pupils return on duty of regular teachers after leaves of absence by reasons of suspension of schools. um demonstrable financial reasons or territorial changes affecting the district. And whereas the financial

131conditions of the district includes a a demonstrable deficiency in funding and the abolishment of certain positions and suspension of certain employment contracts will result in reductions with respect to salary benefits and other matters associated with the positions. And whereas the board has determined pursuant to the superintendent's recommendations that the positions identified in exhibit A hereto should be abolished due to demonstrable financial reasons affecting the district. And whereas the board has further determined that the contracts of the employees identified in exhibit B here too should be suspended consistent with article 704 of the collective bargaining agreement. Now, therefore, it be resolved by the board that the positions identified in exhibit A here two are hereby abolished effective at the close of business on July 31st, 2026. The employment contracts of the employees identified in exhibit B

132hereto are suspended effective at the close of business on July 31st, 2026. The abolishment and suspension are in the best interest of the district. The superintendent is authorized and directed to send notice of this action to the employees and to take such other actions as reasonably necessary to carry out this resolution. It is hereby found and determined that all formal actions of this board concerning the passage of this resolution were adopted in an open meeting of this board and that all deliberations of the board and any of its committees that resulted in such formal actions were in meetings open to the public in compliance with all legal requirements including revised code 12122. That is a motion. >> Thank you board member Adair. Is there a You have the motion to accept the resolution. Is there

133a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. Um um board member um Simmons. Any discussion? Not. Treasurer Ryan, please call the role. >> Mr. Kame, >> yes. >> Dr. Pierce, >> yes. >> Mr. Simmons, >> yes. >> Dr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Madair, >> yes. >> Vice President Les, >> yes. >> President Dr. Miranda. >> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> 5.4. Resolution to abolish certificate of position. Um, board member Ketmire. [clears throat] >> Thank you. Uh, this is a resolution to abolish vacant certified positions with an estimated cost reduction of 10,932,500. Whereas [clears throat] the board has the authority and duty to determine the positions necessary for the efficient operation of the district. And whereas the financial condition condition of the district includes a demonstrable deficiency in funding and the abolishment of certain positions will result

134in reductions with respect to salary benefits and other matters associated with the positions. And whereas the board has determined pursuant to the superintendent's recommendation that the positions identified in exhibit A hereto should be abolished due to demonstrable financial reasons. And whereas these positions are either currently vacant or will be vacant due to other personnel actions related to employees holding these positions before the beginning of the 2627 school year. And now therefore, be it resolved by the board that one, the positions identified in exhibit A hereto are hereby abolished as of the 2627 school year. Two, the superintendent is authorized to authorize and directed to take such actions as are reasonably necessary to carry out this resolution. And three, it is hereby found and determined that our all formal actions of this board concerning the passage

135of this resolution were adopted in an open meeting of this board and that all deliberations of the board and any of its committees that resulted in such formal actions were in meetings open to the public in compliance with all legal requirements including uh revised code section 121.22. >> Second. >> Thank you. Is there any discussion? Please call the role. >> Mr. Simmons, >> yes. >> Mr. Katame, >> yes. >> Dr. Pierce, >> yes. >> Dr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Vice President, >> yes. >> Mr. Sair, >> yes. >> President Dr. Miranda, >> yes. >> Motion carried. [clears throat] >> Board member Kennedy. Resolution to abolish classified positions and lay off employees. >> Thank you. a resolution to abolish classified position and layoff employee. Whereas the board has the authority and duty duty to determine the

136positions necessary for the efficient operation of the district. And whereas pursuant to the rules and regulations of the municipal civil service commission of the city of Columbus, the board may reduce the number of classified employees of the Columbus City Schools whenever it becomes necessary because of a lack of funds, lack of work, or abolishment of positions. And whereas the financial condition of the district includes a demonstrable deficiency in funding and the abolishment of certain positions and layoff of certain employees will result in the reductions with respect to salary benefits and other matters associated with the abolishment of the positions. And whereas the board has determined pursuant to the superintendent's recommendation that the position identified in the resolution should be abolished due to a lack of funds. And whereas the board has further determined that the

137employee identified in the resolution should be laid off consistent with rule 13C of the rules as a result of the abolishment of the position. Now therefore, be it resolved by the board that the position of human resource data analytics specialist is hereby abolished effective at the close of business on July 31st, 2026. The employee currently holding the position is hereby laid off effective at the close of business on July 31st, 2026. The abolishment and layoff are in the best interest of the district and are reasonable reductions consistent with the rules and applicable law. The superintendent is authorized and directed to send notice of this action to the employee and the commission and to take other and to take such other actions are reasonably necessary to carry out this resolution. It is hereby found and determined

138that all formal actions of this board concerning the passage of this resolution were adopted in an open meeting to this board and that all deliberations of the board and any of its committees that resulted in such formal actions were in meetings open to the public in compliance with all legal requirements including revised code 12122. That is a motion. >> Second. >> Thank you. Discussion. No discussion. Please call the role. >> Miss Adair, >> yes. >> Dr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Vice President, >> yes. >> Dr. Pierce, >> yes. >> Mr. Katame, >> yes. >> Mr. Simmons, >> yes. >> President Dr. Miranda, >> yes. >> And the final resolution 5.6, Vice President. [clears throat] >> This is a resolution to abolish vacant classified positions. Whereas the board has the authority and duty to determine the

139positions necessary for the efficient operation of the district. And whereas the financial condition of the district includes a demonstrable deficiency in funding and the abolishment of certain positions will result in reductions with respect to salary benefits and other matters associated with the abolishment of the positions. And whereas the board has determined pursuant to the superintendent's recommendation that the positions identified in exhibit A hereto should be abolished due to financial conditions affecting the district. And whereas these positions are either currently vacant or will be vacant due to other personnel actions related to [clears throat] employees holding these positions before the beginning of the 2026 2027 school year. And now therefore, be it resolved by the board that the position identified, the positions identified in exhibit A hereto are hereby abolished as of the 2026 2027 school

140year. The superintendent is authorized and directed to take such actions as are reasonably necessary to carry out this resolution. And it is hereby found and determined that all formal actions of this board concerning the passage of this resolution were in were adopted in an open meeting of this board and that all deliberations of the board and any of its committees that resulted in such formal action were in meetings open to the public in compliance with all legal requirements including Ohio Reise Code 121.22. >> Second. >> Thank you. Discussion. If not, please call the role. >> Dr. Kennedy. Yes, >> Vice President. >> Yes, >> Dr. Pierce. >> Yes, >> Mr. Kameer. >> Yes, >> Mr. Simmons. >> Yes, >> Mr. Adair. >> Yes, >> President Dr. Miranda. >> Yes. >> As board member Adair shared,

141this is probably one of the hardest things that board members have to do. Um, we I will assure you that all board members have the community and the students at the center. Um, I appreciate Treasurer Cook laying out the facts of how we got here. We will continue to have some challenges in the future which I think is important for the community to know. Um, and what I will say is that elections matter. And so as we think about that going forward, we may want to look very carefully at how our future legislators intend to fund public education. Um I think uh board member Yes, go ahead, Dr. Pierce. >> Thank you so much. Um President Miranda, I think um I want to echo your sentiments uh that these are very tough decisions that we

142make. I think it's also important that as we provide the historical context for how we got here, we also include um that in December we took a vote to close four of our school buildings. Um so in fact we have our our plan to reduce our budget by more than $50 million and I know Treasurer Cook has those figures for us but it's $50.4 million. And while we are investing um beyond $1.7 billion dollar in education, it is very important that our community understands that these decisions, these votes do come with a cost. Uh we are closing buildings that will impact neighborhoods. Um it will impact communities, it will impact lives. And so, um, as we move forward, not only do elections at the state level count, but elections on our local school board count

143and matter. And so, we encourage individuals to pay attention, to speak out, and to be informed about the tough decisions that we're making here. >> Thank you, Dr. Pierce. Is there anybody else that would like to Okay, moving on. Um, Superintendent Dr. Chapman, do you have a report for us this evening? >> I do not have a report, but I do have a few remarks as this is the last board meeting that we'll have before the end of the school year for students. Um certainly as we prepare for the end of the school year, as Dr. PICE just mentioned that we do have um three school communities that we will be working with um to pre plan um end of the year activities um for the students that um at Mhler Fairwood and broadly to

144give the students, the families and the staff, alumni and community members time to come together as those buildings will be closed beginning next year. Those gatherings are important opportunities to celebrate the school's history, recognize the people who have helped shape its legacy, and create meaningful moments of closure for the school community. And again, we want to name and recognize that we know these transitions carry a lot of emotion. We want to honor each school community with the care, gratitude, and respect that they deserve. Also, um just want to share some highlights from um this most recently this last weekend. Um I had the pleasure of celebrating some of our Columbus City School's brightest young scholars at the 44th annual middle school scholars recognition ceremony at at East High School. It's presented by the Achieving Standards

145of Excellence Foundation. The event honored eighth grade students who are already raising the standard and igniting excellence. We celebrated 695 eighth graders across Columbus City Schools who earned a 3.5 cumulative cumulative GPA or higher, including the first semester of their eighth grade year. And among those honored, 105 scholars earned a perfect 4.0 GPA. again, um we're continually proud of our scholars, how they're continuing to persevere and show um how amazing they are each and every day. Um also, I want to provide the board and our community with an update on our K through8 transportation outreach. Um, again, across the district, our teams are making sure families have the information, support, and time they need to plan for next year's K through8 transportation changes. Um, to date, our family ambassadors and leadership interns have made more

146than 3,000 calls to families affected by the K through8 transportation changes. A new round of calls began today to continue reaching families and making sure they have the information that they need. want to continue to remind families um to make sure that they let us know their school of choice for next school year so that we can plan accordingly for all of our routing as well as staffing needs for the upcoming school year. And again, thank you to our call center staff, family ambassadors, leadership interns, transportation team, school leaders, and everyone helping with this effort, which is a huge lift and it certainly matters. So, thank you. And next week, we will begin our commencement exercises for the class of 2026. Um, families can find the full graduation schedule, including dates, times, and locations, on

147our school, our district web page. Um, this year, we are also working with Orange Barrel Media on a special way to celebrate all of our seniors across the city. We are close to finalizing a plan to feature congrats class of 2026 messages on the electronic digital kiosk including high visibility areas such as in the short north and near the convention center. And so these message will spotlight some of our senior all-star students and allow the city to join us in celebrating them. I love this because our students deserve to see themselves celebrated beyond the walls of their schools and in the community. Our students have worked very hard. They have stayed the course and they've made it to this moment and we want our community to join us in celebrating them. And also for all

148of our families, we want to remind them to mark their calendar that next Thursday, May 28th, is the last day of school for students on our traditional schedule. And Wednesday, June 3rd, is the last day of school for our students who attend Woodrest, our year round school. And as we close the year, certainly want to celebrate all of our students for their hard work, um, for their growth and for their successes for this school year. They've shown leadership in the classroom and across the district. And we're incredibly proud of all that they have done to accomplish and all that they've accomplished this school year. And as we look ahead to next school year, just reminding families to mark their calendars now. We have two years of our calendars available on the district website right now,

149but the first day of school next year for our students um for Woodrest will be July 23rd and August 20th. If you want to look ahead and plan now, will be the first day of school for students um next year. So, thank you and we're looking forward to closing out the school year um this this week and next week and finishing strong. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Chapman. Mr. Okconor, do you have a report for us this evening? >> No report this evening. Thank you. >> Mr. Cook, do you have a report for us this evening? >> Nothing other than a reiteration of what I said earlier. >> Okay. Thank you. All right. We're going to be voting on the consent agenda. Approval of the consent agenda items 9.1 to 24.9. Items may be

150removed from the consent agenda and voted on individually at the request of any board member. We are going to consider it. Are there any items a member would like to have removed and voted on individually from the consent agenda? If not, is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> Motion. >> Thank you, Mr. Simmons. Is there a second? >> Second. >> All right. Thank you, Dr. Kennedy. If there's no discussion, please call the role. Vice President Engles. >> Yes. >> Dr. Pierce. >> Come back to me, please. >> Mr. Kame, >> yes. >> Mr. Simmons. >> Yes. With the exception of items 22.3 and items um 24.2 for which I vote no on. >> Thank you, Mr. Adair. >> Yes. >> Dr. Kennedy. >> Yes. >> Dr. Pierce. Yes, >> President Dr. Miranda.

151>> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> So, as we close this board meeting, which has been difficult, I would like to acknowledge a good thing that as graduation season approaches, we feel a sense of excitement and pride for our students at Columbus City Schools. This significant milestone represent years of hard work, perseverance, and personal growth. And it is inspiring to see our students preparing to embark on new journeys as citizens in a global community. We express our heartfelt gratitude from the board of education to our families for the trust you have placed in us to educate and guide your children. We support and partnership have been vital in shaping the future of our community. Together, we celebrate the achievement of our graduates and look forward to the bright paths that lie ahead. Congratulations to the class

152of 2026. I will now recognize Vice President for a motion. A >> motion that the board of education move immediately into executive session pursuant to a higher revised code section 121.22 22G4 preparing for conducting or reviewing negotiations or bargaining sessions with public employees concerning their compensation or other terms and conditions of their employment. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. Board member Simmons, please call the role. >> Dr. Pierce, >> yes. >> Mr. Katame, >> yes. >> Mr. Simmons, >> yes. >> Vice President, >> yes. >> Dr. Kennedy, >> yes. >> Mr. Sedair, >> yes. >> President Dr. Miranda, >> yes. >> Motion carried. Please note that the board will adjourn following our executive session this evening and will not be reconvening in this room.