Columbus City Schools is celebrating great progress in the classroom, national recognition for the accomplishments of our students and dedicated staff, and a new sense of purpose and pride that define our Spirit of Success.

The General Fund Budget provides for targeted investments to further build upon those academic successes and record-making achievements by our students, the advances in how we keep them safer and address their social, emotional, and health concerns, the improved efficiencies in our operations and greater effectiveness in our outreach, and the tremendous support of our partners and our community.

Continued investments are made possible by the support of Columbus voters, who overwhelmingly approved a combined levy/bond request in November 2016. The District is committed to fulfilling the promises made as part of earning community support, which revolved around three essential themes:

• prepare students for success in the classroom and with the skills needed to go to college, enter the military or public service, or land a job right after high school.
• protect our students by keeping them safe from harm, maintaining safe, warm, and dry buildings, and addressing the social and emotional needs students often bring from home.
• provide the greatest return on our taxpayers’ investments, governing collaboratively and responsibly with integrity, demonstrating compassion and respect to those we serve, and engaging and empowering our entire community.

With the levy’s passage and enactment of this FY20 Budget, the District is following through on the implementation of a five-year plan to further expand Pre-Kindergarten, place more social workers and licensed nurses in schools, add support for special education students, reduce the adult-to-student ratios in classrooms, enhance student safety, and provide more career-technical education opportunities to more students. 

This budget also advances our Operation: Fix It initiative, funded by the first installments of the $125 million bond for needed infrastructure repairs and replacements, including work on roofs, electrical and plumbing systems, HVAC, parking lots, safety and fire devices, and outdoor lighting. An additional $4.4 million in permanent improvement funds has also been earmarked for an ongoing program of maintenance and replacement.

In the coming year, this budget will promote student success in the classroom and after high school, address social and emotional needs students often bring from home, and finally tackle millions-of-dollars in building maintenance, repairs, and replacements.

With their investment, our community asks us - and we accept the responsibility - to further prove our worth and do even more for all who seek a better education and a brighter life at all ages and in every neighborhood, from cradle to career.

Click here to view the FY 2020 Budget as appproved by the Board of Education.