Columbus City Schools' Board of Education members voted unanimously Tuesday night to cut 62 administrative positions starting next school year, as the district looks to shore up its finances.
Board of Education President Antionette Miranda called the cuts "another step in the difficult but necessary work of addressing a portion of the $109 million projected deficit."
"This board understands that budgets are not just numbers on a page. They represent people, programs, and learning environments. That reality is guiding every conversation we have," Miranda said.
Superintendent Angela Chapman told the board that eliminating the positions will save almost $7.2 million. At a meeting in early December, the board had directed her to reduce administrative staff to save at least $6.6 million.
Chapman said the reductions are focused on positions and not people and that job performance was not a factor.
Thirty-four of the positions were already empty or will be vacated by the 2026-2027 school year. The board ended contracts for 28 employees, including the district's six family engagement coordinators and three health services supervisors.
Chapman said the district added administrative positions during the COVID-19 pandemic with the extra federal funding that the district received at that time.
"We increased the number of supervisors, directors, and regional support staff to meet the needs of students and families during the pandemic," Chapman said. "Now, with fewer resources and growing inflation, we are forced to reduce those supports."
Chapman said that before the pandemic, Columbus City Schools had 309 administrative positions. That expanded to 411 administrators. Tuesday's reductions brought the total back down to 349.
The board also voted to freeze salaries for some non-school based administrator positions at this year's pay level.
