COLUMBUS, Ohio – Columbus City Schools are failing children and something has to be done to turn around education in Columbus.
That is the message from all four men running to be Columbus’ next mayor, all of whom have different ideas about how to fix the district.
READ MORE: In the Columbus Dispatch
Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott wants to take control of the schools, something that would require a change in state law. Community activist James Ragland wants to focus on vocational and on-the-job training. Council President Andrew Ginther wants to be a partner with the district and focus on early childhood education.
All three Democrats also want to spend more on human services to lift children out of poverty.
Franklin University professor Terry Boyd, the only Republican in the race, wants to address poverty as well, but also develop extracurricular programs to train students for jobs.
Listen to interviews with the mayoral candidates
The state of the school district has become one of the top issues of the campaign after a data-rigging scandal that has led to public cries for someone to save the children.
The district earned five F’s on this year’s state report card, more than the previous year. The state found the district improved on 15 of 24 possible state standards, but met only two.