Hubbard Elementary might be 12th instead of Second Avenue

The Columbus Dispatch

12/21/2005

By Bill Bush

The Columbus Board of Education approved closing 11 of the 12 schools that a citizens’ task force recommended, but opted yesterday to reconsider whether one school - Second Avenue Elementary - should close.

“What we’re doing is opening up a can of worms,” said board President Stephanie Hightower.

With member Karen Schwarzwalder’s motion, the board voted 5-2 to temporarily take Second Avenue Elementary in Italian Village off the closing list, while the board considers whether it should close Hubbard Elementary in Victorian Village instead.

Among the reasons: Second Avenue is graded by the state to be in “continuous improvement,” and some of its students would transfer into Weinland Park Elementary, which is in “academic emergency,” the lowest category.

In addition, Hubbard’s entire 206-student enrollment would fit into Weinland Park, and Second Avenue’s wouldn’t.

Also, Second Avenue is a yearround school, without the traditional three-month summer break that Weinland Park has.

“We’re not doing the right thing if we didn’t consider it,” Schwarzwalder said. “You have to weigh what the right thing is against what might be described as opening a can of worms.”

But to Sherry Gilmore, who has two children at Hubbard, news that her school had been shifted onto the closure list was a shock. Hubbard wasn’t even on the list released in October of 31 schools that the task force would consider for closure.

“They just switched my kids from Franklinton Alternative to Hubbard,” Gilmore said. “I’m going to hope that I can help prevent it from happening.”

Parents who have children at Second Avenue, however, were concerned that their children would be moved to a school that’s a step down.

“We actually are able to send our daughter to a private school,” said Joshua Weir, 31, who lives near Second Avenue, which is just north of Downtown. “Like I’m even going to consider (Weinland Park) for a moment. It’s insanity.”

If the board compares Hubbard and Second Avenue, it will find that Second Avenue is a better-performing school, said Mike Jentes, president of the Italian Village Society.

“Its enrollment went up from ‘04 to ‘05,” Jentes said. “Its test scores are in ‘continuous improvement.’ ”

But Hubbard, which is rated as being in “academic watch,” isn’t far below Second Avenue when it comes to academic performance.

Though Second Avenue met two of nine state standards to Hubbard’s one last year, Hubbard scored higher than Second Avenue on four of them.

After the meeting, Hightower said that the decision to re-examine closing Second Avenue could lead to parents questioning the task force about other schools on the list.

The board will decide by mid-January which of the two schools to close. By that time, new board member W. Carlton Weddington will replace temporary member Bob Weiler.

bbush@dispatch.com

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