By Ronda Watson Barber, OhioMBE Publisher
Columbus City Schools will tell you—loud and often—that its mission is to educate children, improve outcomes, and prepare students for the future.
And that makes sense. Academics should be the priority.
But here’s the real question no one wants to answer:
Does that priority come at the expense of supplier diversity?
Because based on what we continue to see, it just might.
The Policy Sounds Good… On Paper
Under its Community Inclusion Policy 6400, Columbus City Schools (CCS) has set a goal:
➡️ 20% of its contracting dollars should go to Local Economically Disadvantaged Enterprises (LEDEs)
They say the right things:
- They “actively seek” diverse vendors
- They believe supplier diversity strengthens the community and supports students
- They promote outreach, certification, and participation
On paper, it’s a model program.
But policy is not performance.
Here’s Where the Disconnect Shows Up
Let’s be honest.
You cannot claim supplier diversity is a priority if:
- Outreach is inconsistent or generic
- Vendor engagement lacks documentation
- Small businesses don’t even know opportunities exist
- Contracts continue to be awarded without clear inclusion efforts
Because the policy itself requires “good faith efforts”—not passive participation.
That means:
- Targeted outreach
- Direct engagement with diverse firms
- Breaking down contracts to create access
- Following up—not just checking a box
Anything less is compliance theater.
Academics vs. Economics: A False Choice
Let’s address the elephant in the room.
Some will argue:
“We have to focus on the kids.”
Absolutely.
But here’s what’s being missed:
Supplier diversity IS an academic issue.
When local businesses grow:
- Families gain economic stability
- Communities strengthen
- Students benefit from real-world opportunities
- Wealth circulates where those students live
You cannot separate education from economics.
If CCS is spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, then how that money is distributed matters just as much as how students are taught.
So What’s the Real Priority?
Because priorities are not defined by mission statements.
They are defined by:
- Where the money goes
- Who gets access
- What gets measured
- And what leadership enforces
If supplier diversity were truly equal to academics:
- We would see transparent reporting
- We would see aggressive outreach
- We would see consistent participation from Black and minority-owned firms
- We would see accountability when goals are not met
Instead, we continue to see questions.
The Board’s Role: Oversight or Optics?
The Columbus City School Board of Education cannot sit on the sidelines.
Policy 6400 is not a suggestion—it is a commitment.
And commitments require:
- Monitoring
- Enforcement
- Consequences
If the Board is serious about equity, then supplier diversity must be treated as a measurable outcome—not a talking point.
Final Thought
This isn’t about choosing between academics and supplier diversity.
It’s about recognizing that you cannot fully achieve one without the other.
If Columbus City Schools is truly preparing students for the future, then it must also invest in the communities those students come from.
Because when the community wins—
students win.
just my thoughts…rwb
Ronda Watson Barber is the Publisher of OhioMBE and an advocate for small, minority, and underserved businesses in public contracting.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.