Columbus City Schools just announced a new “joint committee” with City Council. Sounds good right, collaboration, alignment, opportunity, all the right words, but let’s cut through it and deal with what’s actually happening in real life. They are cutting $50 MILLION from the school budget, closing schools, and eliminating up to 445 teachers and staff, and in the middle of that they form a committee. Not a solution, not a measurable plan, not a guarantee, a committee. So let’s break this down the Black Wall way, not rhetoric, outcomes. They say this committee will focus on youth safety, housing, economic development, and school resources, but where is the accountability for results. Where are the metrics that show how Black students specifically will benefit. Where is the data that shows how this reverses failing schools, declining attendance, and underperformance in Columbus City Schools. Where is the timeline. Where are the targets. Because right now what we actually have is this. Less teachers. Fewer resources. School closures. And more “discussion.” You cannot cut your way to better education. And here’s what they are not saying out loud. When schools close in Black communities, instability goes up. When staff gets cut, classroom attention drops. When resources shrink, outcomes decline. When outcomes decline, students disengage. That’s not theory, that’s a pattern. Now let’s talk about the real play here. They mentioned land use, vacant school properties, housing, and redevelopment. So while schools are closing in Black communities, land is being freed up. And now the city is stepping in to “help decide” what happens to that land. Affordable housing, redevelopment, economic projects. So the question becomes simple. Are we improving education. Or are we repositioning land. Because if you can’t stabilize the schools, but you can quickly organize what to do with the buildings after they close, that tells you where the real priority is. And let’s talk about what’s missing completely. There is NO Black Conditions Accountability Committee. No structure focused specifically on Black student outcomes. No requirement that any of this improves conditions for Black families. Just a general committee with broad language that sounds good but commits to nothing. This is exactly how systems avoid accountability. They create groups. They hold meetings. They “align priorities.” And years later nothing changes. Meanwhile a whole generation of kids moves through a failing system. And this is why young people don’t care. Because they see it. They see adults talking. They see systems failing. They see no real change. So they disengage. And then people ask why they don’t show up, why they don’t vote, why they don’t trust the system. This is why. Because decisions are being made about their future without any measurable accountability to them. Now here’s the real question. If 445 jobs can be cut, schools can be closed, and millions can be restructured overnight. Why can’t we get a measurable plan that guarantees improved outcomes for Black students. Why is that the one thing that never happens. The Black Wall doesn’t deal in promises, it tracks results. Show the policies. Show the votes. Show the outcomes. Because right now this is just another example of a system managing decline instead of fixing it. CALL TO ACTION. If you are a parent, a student, or someone in this city, stop accepting committees as solutions. Demand measurable outcomes, demand transparency, demand to see exactly how this improves Black student conditions. And most importantly, start tracking every decision and its real impact. Because if we don’t measure it, they will keep managing it. And are you cool with that?