The President of the Columbus Education Association has resigned from the Superintendent’s Community Facilities Task Force.
In John Coneglio's resignation letter, he wrote he did not see the commitment of "ensuring that the physical resources of our District are prepared to meet the needs of our city's fast-growing population."
"I anticipated that our discussions would include transformation and growth of our District to meet these needs," Coneglio wrote. "Instead, through the course of six full meetings, it has become apparent that the focus of the committee is solely on the mass closure of neighborhood schools and the further managed decline of our District."
Coneglio also stated the union, which represents Columbus City Schools teachers, is "dedicated to fighting for the schools Columbus students deserve, and planning for a District that provides safe, properly maintained, and fully resourced buildings in every neighborhood."
A district spokeswoman responded in an email with the district’s response.
The response stated "…we must focus on building and renovating the schools our community deserves and taking offline those schools that do not meet our high expectations.”
The district's response also stated that it felt it was important to have representation from its labor partners.
Jim Negron, co-chair of the task force, said another union representative won't be named as a replacement for Coneglio.
Coneglio was elected president of the CEA in 2018, and he will continue to lead that organization.