Columbus School District lost $84 million in 2025, still spent $98,000 on consultants

The Franklin County auditor released a report showing the district lost more than $84 million in 2025 due to tax breaks granted to developers.

According to Franklin County’s Tax Incentive Review Council Report for 2025, due to tax abatements at the local and state levels, CCS received no more than $84 million this year.

The Columbus Dispatch reported that, before the board voted on cuts, the district was expected to run out of money by fiscal year 2029.

John Coneglio, president of the Columbus Education Association, told the news source that the city was “prioritizing developers and corporations over students in Columbus.”

“Budgets are a show of your priorities,” he said. “And they’ve shown that they would rather help out the wealthy. There’s money for them, not money for kids.”

Coneglio said that the district “needs every penny possible” to be able to provide a “world-class education” for children, whom Corneglio called the “future of Columbus.”

“They’re not prioritizing the schools, and you reap what you sow,” he said.

Despite the district facing financial problems, it has spent $97,613.86 since July on expenses related to “consulting,” according to NBC 4.

The district’s spokesperson, Michael Brown, defended the decision, saying it is both cheaper and more effective to hire consultants rather than a full-time employee.

“We find it is best to have access to great talent, but it isn’t always best to make them full-time employees,” he said. “This can save dollars in the long run and get better results.”

The Franklin County auditor’s report was released one day after Columbus City Schools cut more than $50 million from its budget.

“We know that we are talking about jobs, we are talking about the livelihood of our employees, we are talking about reducing supports to our schools at a time when we know our students need more,” Columbus City Schools Superintendent Angela Chapman said. “Post-pandemic, our students are coming to us with more needs, more mental health needs, and so we take these decisions very heavily, and they weigh on us.”

Chapman also later said that CCS will cut even more from the budget.

“This is round one of the cuts. Will we have to come back next year with more cuts and more cuts and more cuts to truly make sure that our revenue keeps up with our expenditures?” Chapman told WOSU.