COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Columbus City Schools Board of Education voted unanimously to demolish four vacant and blighted buildings that used to be schools.

Three former middle schools – Monroe, Beery and Linmoor – and the former Beaumont Elementary will be torn down within the next four months.

During a presentation at Tuesday’s board meeting, current pictures were shown of the four buildings. There was obvious damage to them all, including flooding, leakage, mold and vandalism.

“It is really time, and this board and our community is ready to start taking action on our properties,” Columbus School Board Vice President Jennifer Adair said.

Two of the buildings sit on the same sites as current Columbus school buildings, but the other two are on inactive sites and Adair said residents will get a say on the properties’ futures.

“There will be community engagement around what happens to those. Those are assets. Those are our community’s assets,” Adair said.

“We’re in the very real working space of reimagining what our buildings look like, what type of curriculum will then align to those facilities in a way that provides the best resources possible for children,” Columbus School Board President Michael Cole said.

These demolitions come as the Board of Education is in the middle of a realignment process. Board members voted to close five schools during a December 2024 meeting, and those closures will take effect by the 2026-2027 school year.

It is still not known what is happening to the buildings and to the students who were slated to attend those schools.

“The board has well prioritized community insight and feedback on what this process should be, what it is that they’d like to see in their school buildings,” Cole said.

“As we continue the realignment process, as President Cole outlined, there may be an opportunity or need to continue to talk about demolition, but also in conjunction with building,” Adair said.

Board members said there will be an in-depth discussion about the latest on the realignment process during the June 3 board meeting. They urged community members interested in knowing more about the school closures and consolidations to attend in person or watch online.