City of Columbus

Mayor Coleman, Council President Ginther Create Columbus Education Commission

For immediate release
December 13, 2012 

Contact:
Dan Williamson, Mayor’s Office, 645-5300
John Ivanic, City Council, 645-6798 

 

 

Barrett, Marbley, Ransier to Lead 25-Member Group

 

Mayor Michael B. Coleman and City Council President Andrew J. Ginther today introduced the 25 members of the new Columbus Education Commission. Mayor Coleman and Council President Ginther charged the commission with examining the challenges and opportunities facing children living within the Columbus City Schools district, from preschool to career.  

“This is a diverse group of 25 of the most talented and thoughtful people across all sectors of our community,” Mayor Coleman said. “This is an unprecedented demonstration of a collective community will to improve our city by increasing opportunities for our kids to learn and to succeed.”

Mayor Coleman and Council President Ginther charged the commission to develop specific recommendations that will 

• Enable all of our children to succeed in the city’s vibrant, growing economy;  
• Make Columbus a global leader in developing the highly skilled, creative, entrepreneurial workforce that will propel economic growth in the 21^st Century, and  
• Leverage the resourcefulness of our entire community to meet these goals.  

“Helping Columbus school children succeed is a community effort, and critical to the future of Columbus,” said Council President Ginther.  “The Commission we have assembled understands their charge and I expect that they will look to build upon the successes of Columbus Schools, while identifying best practices that will be the catalyst for the transformational change and improvement we seek. I am confident that through their collective knowledge, expertise and commitment to our students, that the focus will be on what is best for our children and not on the barriers that can prevent change.”

The commission will be chaired by: 

• George Barrett, chairman and CEO of Cardinal Health; 
• Algenon Marbley, United States District Court Judge; and 
• Kathy Ransier, partner at Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease 

Additional members are:

• Lolita Augenstein, Columbus Council of PTAs 
• Lois Carson, Columbus Schools Employee Association 
• Robert Chilton, Impact Community Action 
• Tanny Crane, The Crane Group 
• Alex Fischer, The Columbus Partnership 
• Dr. E. Gordon Gee, The Ohio State University 
• Rev. Otha Gilyard, Shiloh Baptist Church  
• Dr. David Harrison, Columbus State Community College 
• Stephanie Hightower, Columbus Urban League 
• Mary Jo Hudson, Bailey Cavalieri 
• Janet Jackson, United Way of Central Ohio 
• Chad Jester, Nationwide Insurance 
• Rhonda Johnson, Columbus Education Association 
• Mary Lou Langenhop, Children’s Hunger Alliance 
• Pat Losinski, Columbus Metropolitan Library 
• Elizabeth Martinez, Big Brothers and Big Sisters 
• Jordan Miller, Fifth Third Bank 
• Dr. Abdinur Mohamud, Ohio Department of Education 
• Carol Perkins, Columbus Board of Education 
• Nancy Michong Pyon, Korean American Society of Central Ohio 
• Chip Spinning, Franklin County Children’s Services 
• Priscilla Tyson, Columbus City Council 

“There is nothing more important to our community than to ensure that our children are well prepared to contribute to, and participate in the growth of our city and our world,” Barrett said. “All of us recognize that there are no simple solutions, but I’m confident that with the support of our Columbus families, our dedicated teachers, and community leaders we can pursue bold goals. I’m honored to serve our mayor, our community, and our children in this most critical work.”

Eric D. Fingerhut, who has served as the city’s education advisor since October, will serve as director of the CEC. Currently vice president for education and STEM learning at the Battelle Memorial Institute, Fingerhut served as chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents from 2007 through 2011. The CEC’s first organizational meeting is scheduled for approximately 2:30 pm today in the City Council Conference Room. Although a precise schedule has yet to be finalized, the commission is expected to meet twice each month in January, February and March before holding a final meeting in April to discuss its draft report to the mayor and council president. Each meeting is expected to last approximately 6 hours from 9 am to 3 pm.  

“One of our most compelling responsibilities as a community is to educate our children,” Judge Marbley said. “Indeed, a skilled, educated citizenry is the linchpin of our democracy and the engine that drives our economy.  To those ends, the mandate of the commission is to marshal the vast resources of this community—from our local government, to the business sector, to our institutions of higher education—to ensure that our students receive an education that prepares them for the opportunities that await in the global marketplace.  I am honored to be a part of this extraordinary undertaking.”

Mayor Coleman and Council President Ginther urged all residents to engage themselves in the topic of educating kids in Columbus. In addition to the CEC’s official public meetings, there will be multiple opportunities for Columbus residents to get involved. Prepaid postage cards soon will be available throughout Columbus through which residents can share their ideas for improving education. There will also be public forums scheduled in different Columbus neighborhoods for residents to make their voices heard as well as a discussion forum on the CEC’s website, ReimagineColumbusEducation.org. All commission meetings are open to the public and will be streamed live on the website. Residents can follow the CEC on Twitter @ReImagineCbusEd. 

“This commission is another great example of the mayor, the business community and other stakeholders combining resources to achieve the most worthy goal of addressing the need to provide an education for our children that prepares them to enjoy productive lives and to contribute to the betterment of all,” Ransier said. “We recognize that the challenges are significant, but know that we are up to the task of finding solutions.”

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