Columbus City Schools Superintendent Dan Good will discuss the State of the District tonight, covering the school system’s progress and plans since voter support passed their levy in November.
The theme is “Our Success is Building,” and it takes place on the new Columbus Africentric Early College Campus at 3223 Allegheny Avenue. Since campus spots are limited, parking will be in the green lot at the airport. School buses will then shuttle people to the tours of the new academic building, taking place between 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.
After that, Good will talk enrollment, third-grade reading achievements and upgrades to the CCS app.
Enrollment is up by 2 percent from last year (51,311), and pre-kindergarten seats are up 22 percent from four years ago. Good will announce the addition of more seats in the coming year, “including the expansion of our Linden Park Neighborhood Early Childhood Education Center and the addition of new Pre-K classrooms in several of our existing buildings.”
With two years of 91 percent of third-graders meeting or exceeding the requirements of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee, they’ll announce an expansion of their #CCSReads initiative “to keep the success building.” The program gives parents “tools and tips to help their children keep learning at home.”
The CCS app’s upgrades will allow parents to home in on their student’s progress, attendance and assignments. After setting personalized alerts, parents will be able to know when their child’s grade drops below a B or if they miss an assignment.
Good will also cover “Operation: Fix It,” the five-year plan to address deferred maintenance, which kicks off this week. Their first sale of bonds — about $75 million worth — will provide funds to commence construction on the first set of schools. The HVAC systems at Cassady, Devonshire, and Hamilton STEM are first on the list, as well as some roofing projects. According to a statement, those roofing projects will be put off until spring, when the weather breaks and outside projects are possible.
Before cutting the ribbon on their new Africentric academic building, parents will sample food from CCS’ “Ohio Days” program. The effort will provide students with a locally sourced meal every month, “with meats, grains, fruits, vegetables, and milk coming from Ohio farms and producers instead of far-off factories.”
Finally, the new building will be “officially” revealed. A $42 million investment, the 175,000 square foot Columbus Africentric Early College campus has “shared learning environments, new desks and furniture” as well as new technology. In addition to the main building is a District-first sports complex and field house.
Those interested in attending should arrive at 5 p.m. for the shuttle buses. Anyone who can’t attend will be able to see the State of the District on CCS’ Facebook page through Facebook Live.
For more information, visit http://www.ccsoh.us.