CCS Board member says district should focus on building schools, not closing them

Columbus City Schools Board Member Brandon Simmons says the deadlocked school closing process is dead and it’s time for a bold new idea. Unfortunately, his suggestion is complicated, light on details — and possibly illegal. Simmons says the district’s answer to both underutilized buildings and overcrowded programs is to build new ones. And to use the 7.7 million voter tax approved last year for building maintenance.

“In 2023, our voters approved a levy for school building maintenance, things like roofs and HVAC. However, our board has the option to use those dollars to build new schools.”

At an impromptu news conference Monday, Simmons said the district could replace several old buildings with new buildings, bringing in new programs and reversing decades of declining enrollment, but offered few details. Instead, he blamed the school board’s “lack of political will.”

“The problem of old school buildings will not go away until we build a new neighborhood. So I’m asking, on behalf of 46,000 students, I’m asking my colleagues to come together. It’s time to move our district forward, and that’s what I’m committed to doing. There is no reason why 20 adults in public office cannot sit in a room together, work together and come up with a solution for our 46,000 children.

The district’s already aggressive schedule to review the district and approve school closures for the 2025-2026 school year was interrupted in May when an embarrassing document written and distributed by Simmons was published by the Columbus Education Association. He called on board members to use heavy-handed tactics to silence unions and stifle talk of schools that should be closed. Simmons apologized and was censured by the board. In the wake of the controversy, a board vote on the closure recommendations was postponed in favor of gathering more information from staff and the public. An update on this process is expected this evening. Simmons says he will hold another press conference before that meeting to talk about low-enrollment schools.

School board President Christina Vera did not respond to questions about Simmons’ requests, and a district spokesman simply said she was not speaking for the board. And the head of the teachers union, whom Simmons has called an essential partner, suggests that eliminating funds approved for building maintenance is a non-starter. CEA President John Coniglio suggests the best thing Simmons can do for Columbus City Schools students is to resign.