COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Columbus City Schools is facing a packed race of 10 school board candidates hoping to advance in the May 6 primary.

All three board members whose terms expire this year are not seeking re-election after a tumultuous post-pandemic tenure. In January, board member Christina Vera stepped down from the presidency, with longtime board member Michael Cole filling in. Vera, Cole and member Ramona Reyes are not seeking re-election.

On May 6, voters will eliminate four of 10 candidates, with the remaining six vying for the open seats in the November election. It’s a big job; in just this past year, board member Brandon Simmons has been censured twice, community members were heavily critical of school closures, and the state of Ohio pursued legal action toward the district over not busing private school students. See previous coverage in the video player above.

The board considered shuttering 10 buildings, including seven schools. The fight over which schools would close persevered for months, with the final closures approved in December. The board is closing Broadleigh, Moler and West Broad Street elementaries, Buckeye Middle School and Columbus Alternative High School beginning in the 2026-27 school year.

Simmons was first censured after a memo regarding school closures was leaked and revealed plans to take control of the narrative around shuttering schools. His fellow board members said Simmons was the sole memo writer, but Simmons maintains the document was a collaboration, which uncovered recorded conversations later supported.

Board member Sarah Ingles leaked the “Controlling the Task Force Narrative” document after receiving it from fellow board member Jennifer Adair. The memo suggested dividing the teacher union from other staff, moving meeting locations at the last minute and rewarding “good” media outlets that did not report on “false statements” from the union. 

Simmons was censured again in September after audio recordings between Simmons and other board members were uncovered, which acknowledged that other board members were involved in the leaked memo. The board alleged Simmons entered school buildings without permission, threatened other board members and was generally unprofessional.

This censure resolution restricted Simmons from going onto district property without permission from the board president and that he’d be escorted by security in and out of board meetings. Although board members asked him to resign, Simmons continues to serve his term, which will end Dec. 31, 2027.

In 2022, Columbus City School teachers went on strike after contract negotiations dissolved. The three-day strike over wages, class sizes and a lack of air conditioning hit right as students were about to start the school year, with more than 50,000 students beginning the year virtually. After three days, they struck a deal. The district is currently negotiating a new contract with the teachers’ union, which it hopes to complete before next fall semester begins.

Here are the candidates interested in taking on the board, many of whom said they hope to improve the relationship between the board and the community.

Liz Caslin-Turner

Caslin-Turner has worked in education for the last nine years, following her graduation from Capital University. She has worked for the Ohio Department of Education and is currently a regional director for Sylvan Learning, overseeing central Ohio learning centers.

She is campaigning on a platform that public education is a right, not a privilege. She said she wants to increase transparency and strengthen connections with the community. Caslin-Turner is endorsed by Stonewall Democrats of Central Ohio and the Columbus Building Trades Council.

Teresa Hannah

Hannah is a former state employee, including time spent with the Ohio Department of Higher Education. She now runs her own educational consulting firm, pulling from work experience with public, private and charter schools.

She is campaigning to increase graduation rates, expand career and technical education opportunities, and increase connections between the community and early childhood education. 

Columbus Education PAC

Candidates Patrick Katzenmeyer, Jermaine Kennedy and Antionette Miranda have joined forces under the Columbus Education PAC. The Columbus Education PAC is endorsed by the Franklin County Democratic Party, the Central Ohio Labor Council, Equity Now Coalition and OAPSE/AFSCME, the Ohio public school employees union. The trio said they hope to help students and workers alike.

Patrick Katzenmeyer: Katzenmeyer is a senior project manager for a real estate company. He is a district parent who was heavily involved in the school closure debates.

Jermaine Kennedy: Kennedy is a chief program officer at the Boys & Girls Club and previously worked as a teacher and principal. A district parent, he said he wants to fight for equity in student success.

Antionette Miranda: Miranda is a nationally recognized school psychologist and a professor at OSU. Formerly on the state school board, she is running to protect public education students.

Janeece Keyes

Keyes is the director of provider experience at Ohio’s Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and the mother of four district graduates. Keyes said her success as a single mother raising her children while working makes her an excellent candidate.

Keyes said she is advocating for student-centric policies and believes public schools are necessary for a thriving community. She is against political policies that limit public schools. Keyes is endorsed by the Matriots PAC, The Columbus Dispatch and the Columbus Education Association.

Karrie Lumpkin

Lumpkin had a 34-year career working at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office helping develop state programs to address crime. She is also a volunteer for multiple Christian and education-centric organizations, including working as a court-appointed advocate for the Franklin County Children Services Agency.

She is campaigning for responsible spending and wants the district to be a place that creates a good future workforce and good future citizens. Lumpkin is endorsed by The Columbus Dispatch.

Mounir Lynch

Lynch is a health educator who visited many district middle and high schools in his work with Planned Parenthood. Lynch said he wants to fight against legislative attacks on students, staff and families. He is campaigning to improve learning outcomes by increasing community input in decision making, investing in teachers and staff, and embracing underrepresented student groups and courses to be more equitable. 

Lynch has garnered a number of endorsements, including the Asian American Midwest Progressives of Ohio, Stonewall Democrats of Columbus and the Ohio Working Families Party.

Kimberly Mason

Mason is a higher education partnership manager with the Ohio Bankers League. She formerly worked across organizations to help marginalized and urban communities in Ohio.

Mason is campaigning to create more workforce-ready opportunities for students and support special education. Her focus is “community, conversation and success,” a mission she first tried to achieve with a school board run in 2019. She is endorsed by the Matriots PAC.

Julie Trabold

Trablod is a district parent with a full resume, including work as a nurse, counselor and financial advisor. She said she is a “passionate advocate” for public education, labor unions and diversity, equity and inclusion.

She is campaigning to bring in investors to build a new financial operating system that would support free universal childcare for district residents, teachers and employees’ children. Trabold is endorsed by Run For Something, a national organization that recruits and supports progressives to build the Democratic Party.