CITY SCHOOLS Officials address hiring situation

Minorities and women want a bigger share of building jobs.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- City school board President Jacqueline Taylor says she's hopeful a dialogue the district has established with area union leaders and contractors will boost the hiring of minorities and women for a $200 million school building project.
Private talks among the parties began earlier this month, and three sessions have been held so far, Taylor said Tuesday after the school board's regular public meeting.
Unions and contractors "don't like what they've been reading in the papers," Taylor said. She was referring to publicized grumbling that too few women and minorities are getting jobs on the construction project, which entails building or renovating 15 schools in the city.
Taylor characterized the talks as productive, though she said it's too early to point to significant progress.
Taylor, along with one or two other school board members at a time, have been attending the sessions. Also present has been Al Curry, the district's equal employment opportunity and compliance officer.
Curry said at Tuesday's board meeting that school officials are encouraging union and contract leaders "to think outside the box" to boost minority and female hiring.
Taylor wouldn't say which unions or contractors district officials have been meeting with because publicizing their names might hinder the talks.
Hiring goals
When the school district embarked on the construction project, it set forth nonbinding hiring goals of employing 20 percent minorities, 20 percent women and 50 percent city residents.
Figures compiled by the school district show the minority hiring goals are being exceeded at some work sites but are lagging in others.
At the Harding Elementary construction site on the North Side, for example, 23 percent of the workers are minorities. At the West Elementary site on the West Side, only 5 percent of the workers are minorities.
The goals for women and city residents haven't been achieved at all.
The situation has sparked criticism.
City Councilman Clarence Boles, D-6th, a former school board member, is seeking to hold city council hearings to probe the matter. Boles, chairman of council's education committee, also has threatened to have construction sites picketed.
He insists racism is thwarting minority hiring.
During Monday's school board meeting, The Rev. Sylvia Jennings of Ohio Avenue called on school officials to press the issue.
"Give us an equal opportunity," said Jennings, who is black.
"Everybody needs a slice of the pie. There are too many who are surviving on crumbs."