Gadfly Bites 8/4/25—How to prosper

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1. Let’s start today with something peripheral to our usual topics, but something still near and dear to this city planner/education quality aficionado’s heart. The nonprofit known as Families Flourish has been having great success improving the lives of Columbus moms and their children, one by one, by literally moving them out of Columbus to what are termed “better resourced neighborhoods”. That is: Columbus’ suburbs. And the biggest “resource” these new places have? Higher-performing public schools. I always wondered why their work got so much good press (and big donations) over the years from within the very city they were paying folks to leave because it was not in their (and their children’s) best interest to stay. So imagine my bemusement when the announcement dropped late last week that Families Flourish would be getting a taste of its own medicine after all. That is: they are going to be “pausing recruitment” of new families here in Columbus and “expanding” the model to Dayton as they have “always wanted” to do. All this following the first big donation to the cause from the City of Columbus. Hilariously ironic. At least they’re not trying to force the OG families to come back though. Thank heavens for small mercies. (Columbus Dispatch, 7/31/25)
   
   

2. As we discussed on Friday, Dayton City Schools officials have seen the light and done the right thing, canceling all busing for high school students for the impending school year because they cannot come up with a plan that will work for all the kids now that they are unable to use public transit bus passes. What would it take for Dayton to be able to execute a plan? The district’s business manager says “We have to increase our fleet, increase our maintenance staff, possibly expand our footprint at the transportation service center because we need to have someone to store the buses and essentially, we would need 74 more drivers.” He added that buses cost around $150,000 and take 18-24 months to arrive once ordered. So, at a rough estimate, Dayton City Schools would be ready to transport high school students for the 2025-26 school year by 2027, providing they got an additional $25 million and at least 100 new employees making union scale. Yep. Giving up the ghost was very much the right thing to do. (Dayton 24/7 Now, 8/1/25)
   
   

3. Meanwhile, here in Columbus, United School Schools Network, which operates four charter school campuses across Columbus (and is sponsored by the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation), announced on Friday that it would take over transporting its own students this school year, which starts on August 20. Over 600 of their 900 students will likely use the service, and it is hoped that it will become a model for charters (and maybe some districts too) across the state. Amazing and awesome! The service is projected to cost over $1 million dollars, with about half of that coming from the state and the rest from its own budget. Congratulations to United and best wishes to everyone for a great school year! It’s already shaping up to be the best yet. (Columbus Dispatch, 8/4/25)

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