On Tuesday, Columbus Board of Education members agreed to let the transfer of more than 800 acres
go forward with a 6-0 vote. That process will now formally begin. Board member Michael Cole was absent from the meeting.
The board's deadline to make a decision was June 1. The other option was for Dublin to make a one-time payment of $1.15 million to Columbus by June 30.
"Having the land in our district long term, we believe, will benefit the district ... well past any agreement of cash at this point," Columbus City Schools Treasurer Stan Bahorek told school board members Tuesday evening.
The deal between the two districts dates back to 2016, when central Ohio's suburban districts were most recently revisiting their "Win-Win" agreements with Columbus City Schools. Every six years, districts revisit the agreement, which has been in place since 1986. Its intention was to halt a potential turf war as the city of Columbus rapidly expanded, annexing neighboring land.