YOUNGSTOWN School board goes on retreat

Academics, athletics, finances and discipline are on the agenda.
By RON COLE
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Getting the city schools out of academic emergency is the top topic of discussion at a Youngstown Board of Education retreat in Aurora this weekend.
"We want to increase the number of standards that are being met," board president Lock P. Beachum Sr. said.
"I think we need to talk about some time lines, and the board needs to emphasize those time lines to the superintendent and the administration. We have to become more competitive."
The city schools met five of 27 minimum performance standards on the 2002 report card mailed this month to parents, up from four standards the previous two years.
Only two school districts in Ohio -- Cleveland and East Cleveland -- met fewer standards. Warren, Columbus, Dayton and Toledo also met five standards.
The marks mean Youngstown remains in academic emergency.
Beachum said the board also plans to discuss discipline, athletics and fiscal policies at the retreat.
"We need to make sure that the [financial] projections we've made for the next five years are in order," he said.
Retreat setting: Seven board members and six top administrators are expected to attend the meetings at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center in Aurora. The retreat began Friday evening, participants stayed at the inn Friday night and the meeting is to conclude this afternoon.
Beachum said a retreat gives board members time to meet without disruptions.
Asked why the meeting was planned for Aurora, Beachum said, "The superintendent set that up. It could have been done locally as far as I'm concerned. It could have been done at the MetroPlex [in Liberty Township] as far as I'm concerned."
Superintendent's answer: Superintendent Ben McGee said getting out of town helps avoid distractions, "like the phone calls from the house, like the meetings that you didn't cancel because you thought you might be able to run out for a few minutes and get to it."
"The idea of being in a setting other than the one you're usually used to allows you to do some things in terms of planning and interactions that may not have been possible at the local level," he added.
He estimated the retreat will cost about $3,000.
He also noted that city board members and administrators, unlike some other local boards, do not attend expensive national conventions and other meetings.