In response to the district’s ongoing budget shortfall and the possibility of additional school closures, the Columbus Education Justice Coalition (CEJC) and a broad coalition of parents, educators, students, and community members are demanding that the Columbus Board of Education adopt a new budget shortfall policy that centers transparency, equity, and community voice in all major financial and facility decisions.

Letters have been individually sent by educators, parents, students, and community members to Board members, urging the district to publicly discuss and consider the proposed Budget Shortfall Policy submitted by CEJC on September 8, 2025, and move toward formal adoption without delay.

The proposed policy calls for:

• A robust and transparent analysis of all projected costs and savings for any proposed school closure.

• Consideration of the full impact on students, families, educators, and communities, including staff and resource access.

• Creation of a representative decision-making committee with students, parents, educators, staff, and community organizers from each school region and high school feeder pattern.

Canada has launched a criminal investigation into Israeli-Canadian IDF veterans for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict according to report by ynetnews.com last June. The story said, "The RCMP began the investigation in early 2024 and confirmed it in June 2025.

"The probe targets Canadian citizens with dual Israeli-Canadian citizenship who served in the IDF as well as lone soldiers and Israeli citizens residing in Canada who traveled to Israel to enlist."  The RCMP described the investigation as a "structural investigation" under Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Program, which aims to prevent Canada from becoming a haven for individuals accused of committing atrocities abroad. The investigation has caused concern and controversy within Canada's Jewish and Israeli communities, with many fearing a wave of arrests or summons. 

Sunday, November 16, 2:30-4PM
The Magical Druid, 2887 N. High Columbus, OH
Providing space for our community to discuss paganism and other topics of interest. Free event but donations to cover rent, utilities etc. is always nice.

Facebook Event

The Columbus Dispatch article by Cole Behrens from November 13 shows us that the Columbus City Schools (CCS) continues to play politics with the future of our children. The Superintendent knows she must cut about 50 million dollars from the budget.

She was in the district when her predecessor hired hundreds of additional administrators to the Central Office. She knows that the Central Office is overstaffed. The Board of Education (elected by Franklin County Democrats) knows this too; they aren’t stupid. So, what’s the first thing they choose to do to solve this budget challenge?

Play politics.

Instead of cutting the overstaffed Central Office, the Superintendent and the politically-motivated Board of Education will take the easiest route to solve the problem: lay off a wide range of employees at every level.

Some Central Office administrative roles will be eliminated, but also plenty of janitors, secretaries, and teachers. Everyone will be angry, but it will be spread across all levels fairly. Fair to the employees perhaps, but unfair to the students.

Flock Group, Inc. has had some explaining to do this year. Billed as an intelligent platform that "unites communities, businesses, schools and law enforcement, combining their power to solve and deter crime together," the vendor of automated license plate reader (ALPR) data has, in actuality, been accused of using data points from 83,000 cameras to help a sheriff's deputy in Texas track one of the state's citizens as she fled to Illinois -- a state where the right to end a pregnancy is protected -- following a self-administered abortion in the Lone Star State.  

The Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) has a contract to give the company $90,000 per year. For some Ohioans, that's too much.  

"Given [the lack of regulation], we think it is irresponsible of our state and local governments to be purchasing, obtaining, or using these types of mass surveillance devices and technologies with no adequate statutory safeguards in place governing their use," says Gary Daniels, a legislative director at the Ohio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.