YOUNGSTOWN Board president recommends audit of city schools' curriculum

The audit would evaluate management, programs and objectives.
YOUNGSTOWN -- A curriculum audit should be performed in the city schools before Wendy Webb succeeds the retiring Benjamin McGee as superintendent next summer, according to Lock P. Beachum Sr., school board president.
Beachum said such an audit by an outside consultant is needed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and results achieved in various components of the district's instructional program. He said such an audit has not been performed in the district for 10 to 15 years and that it could cost between $10,000 and $25,000.
"If it would save us millions, it's worth it," he added.
"It will look at our management. It will look at all the programs that we have and determine what programs are achieving the kind of results that we are asking for. How are we working as far as our objectives? Are we getting the kind of academic results that we should be getting?" Beachum asked.
Ohio Graduation Test
McGee announced at Tuesday's school board meeting that the district has been awarded about $580,000 in state funds under House Bill 3 to be spent this school year to train teachers to prepare high school students to pass the new Ohio Graduation Test, to actually help students pass that test and to provide additional remedial reading assistance to pupils in kindergarten through fourth grade.
This year's ninth-graders are the first students who must pass the OGT, which is more rigorous than the proficiency test it replaces, McGee said.