![]() The population was 50,474 at the 2020 Census. This article was published on August 26, 2009. Columbus (/ k l m b s /) is a city in, and the county seat of, Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. “And the entire time this district has been going down, it’s been under Democratic Party leadership.Special thanks to Northland News, a Suburban News Publication, for making this article available for me to share. “There’s been a need for change for our young people over decades,” Ragland said. ![]() And he remained unapologetic, regardless of the outcome. He said his criticism and outspoken nature made him a target in Tuesday’s election. He apologized afterward, but the union representing Columbus teachers and other employees called on him to resign. Ragland, a former director of provider outreach for School Choice Ohio, came under fire earlier this year after posting a picture on his social media page that was deemed offensive to women. “That’s not everything that we wanted, but it was immediate improvement upon my arrival.” “We moved from an F-rated district to a D-rated district,” he said. Ragland listed the district’s first clean audit in two decades, work to help lead Columbus schools through the coronavirus pandemic, including avoiding teacher layoffs, and improvements to the school district's rating on the state report cards among his accomplishments. ![]() Based on what I’ve seen in this campaign, they’re not being listened to.” She added separately, “I really want to be able to connect with our teachers and our school nurses and the people on the front line, with our parents and our students. Our district has needed help for generations … We cannot call ourselves a progressive, thriving city and have a struggling school district.” They’ve been suffering in silence generationally. “The reality is our district has been suffering. “I want to make sure that all 112 buildings in our school district have adequate heating and cooling and that we have adequate space for our students…,” she said. “The heavy lifting is not over, and the hard work is going to begin after today,” Cole said.īuilding issues were among Vera’s top priorities in running for Columbus school board. Add to that curriculum decisions, including lessons aimed at better preparing students for manufacturing, logistics and other careers, among other issues. “I think that’s something that’s been very real to the residents of this city.”Ĭole said he was glad the election was done, allowing the school board to shift its attention back to the bigger issues facing the district, including completion of a new facilities master plan, mapping new construction, renovations, consolidations and other potential building decisions in years to come. “Wrangling and haggling about mask wearing, I don’t see that same dynamic happening here,” Cole said. “I think there’s so many communities in Columbus that can directly relate to that and understand it.”Ĭommunities of color also have been disproportionately affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “The idea of critical race theory doesn’t seem that far-fetched,” he said. That’s likely attributable to Columbus being a more diverse community, Cole said. The Columbus race was tame in comparison to campaigns for some suburban school boards, which were fueled by debates over COVID-19 mask mandates, critical race theory and other hot-button issues. Hairston was fourth with 14,846, followed by Ragland with 11,685 and Ali 10,227, according to the unofficial results. Vera was second with 37,118, followed by Cole, with 36,405. Reyes led all voter-getters among the candidates on the ballot, receiving 38,640 votes, with 100% of precincts reporting their unofficial results. The top three vote-getters will start new terms on the school board on Jan. Hairston, a Columbus native and graduate of Independence High School who currently serves as pastor at Living World Bible Fellowship, and Mohamed Ali, who is originally from Somalia and lived in a refugee camp in Kenya before resettling in Columbus about 16 years ago. There were two other candidates on the general election ballot: Kevin S. I told the truth, and those that are in power punished me for it. “You cannot play politics with the lives of these kids,” Ragland said Tuesday night, after his defeat became apparent. Ragland, who was appointed in 2018 and elected in 2019 to complete an unexpired term, fell short in his bid for reelection.
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