Cole Behrens,Lily CareyColumbus Dispatch
Columbus City Schools parent Susan Perez waved a black-and-gold Columbus Crew flag as she watched hundreds of Avondale Elementary students march through a crowd of cheering parents and volunteers on their way into class.
The clap-in event at the Franklinton school invited community members — and two Crew players — to give Avondale students a warm welcome as they got off the bus for their first day of school.
Starting another year of school isn't always easy for students or parents, Perez said. Through her job running a child care center out of her Franklinton home, Perez said she's seen the difficulties that families in the area can face. But with first day of school events, there's a chance to highlight the "bright spots," bringing together neighbors, teachers, students and parents alike.
"Of course, she’s excited to see her friends, but then to be welcomed with this standing ovation while she’s coming to school," Perez said of her fourth-grade daughter. "I’m so happy for her."
Earlier Wednesday morning, Superintendent Angela Chapman, who is working her first school day as the district's permanent superintendent, said she wanted the more than 45,000 kids in the district to go home and tell parents that "today was a great day." Across the district, students were greeted with clap-ins, music and even a red carpet.
"We want everyone to feel the excitement, feel the joy, and feel the love and support that we have to offer," Chapman said.
District hoping to avoid past transportation woes
At 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, buses steadily filed out of the Columbus City Schools Frebis bus compound on the South Side for the first day of classes for all students in the state's largest district. (Woodcrest Elementary School students started school in July.)
At the exit of the bus depot, Chapman and other district leaders waved at the drivers, sending them off as they work to transport the more than 38,000 children that use district busing each year, including charter and private school students who do not attend the city's public schools.
Chapman said the district was aiming to avoid some of the transportation problems of the past several years.
"We are really, really in a good space to be able to deliver excellent service to our families," Chapman said on Wednesday morning.
Last fall, frustration mounted among many parents in the district as driver shortages, compounded with routing issues, caused some students to have hours-long delays in getting to or from school. Some problems continued in January after the winter holiday break, even after the district updated all of its bus routes.
Although the district currently only has 487 active drivers for 535 routes, compared to the 556 for 614 routes at the beginning of last school year, CCS has more drivers than routes. That's because 105 of the routes will be covered by contracted vans and bus services, leading to a surplus of about 50 drivers.
Rodney Stufflebean, Columbus City Schools transportation director, said the district hopes to "break the cycle" of problems with transportation in the district.
"We're looking forward to having the best first day we've ever had," Stufflebean said.
Clap-in with Crew players welcomes Avondale students back
Columbus Crew players, Avondale Elementary School staff members and volunteers lined up to form a tunnel outside the school's entrance bright and early Wednesday morning. As they got off their buses, students were met with a "Clap-in" of applause, cheers and bubbles, as well as high fives and hugs from local sports mascots.
"It just starts the school year off with a lot of positive energy and spirit," said Amy Carek, a social worker at Avondale.
The clap-in event is sponsored by the Crew's "Stay in the Game" initiative, which works to boost attendance and combat chronic absenteeism in 42 school districts across Ohio. Columbus City Schools is the largest district participating in the program.
While Carek said she sees lots of students who are apprehensive about the first day of school, she said events like these encourage kids and families to rally around the school community.
"Kids have been gone all summer long; their routine is about to change; there are a lot of anxieties that they might have. So we just really want to show them that people are happy to see them, and we want them to do well," said Avondale Elementary principal April Knight.
Students headed back to air-conditioned classrooms
Another issue at the beginning of last school year — and a central part of the strike by teachers and other members of the Columbus Education Association — was the lack of air conditioning in some of the district's more than 110 buildings.
Chapman told the board last month that all but one of the district's schools now have air conditioning. Only Mifflin Middle School's HVAC system is still under construction, and that's expected to be completed by next summer.
Students returning to renovated buildings, new playgrounds this year
Over the summer, the district completed renovations at Hamilton STEM Academy that included new paint, flooring and designs aimed to improve the social-emotional experience of students and adults, officials said.
Mifflin Middle School's corridor renovations will also be completed, and HVAC work will continue through the year, they said
Columbus City is completing 10 roof projects throughout the district and working on completing construction on new playgrounds at 13 sites.
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