State board to look at transfer of land in Coitsville to Struthers

Youngstown schools officials said the district would lose about $279,000 annually.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Ohio Board of Education has agreed to consider a request to transfer about one-third of the Youngstown School District's territory to the Struthers School District.
The area in question is about half of Coitsville Township, which is part of the Youngstown district.
Residents in the affected area circulated petitions calling for the switch to Struthers in 2003, and the issue finally got before the state board last week.
It's not a new debate. Some Coitsville residents have been trying to get their area out of the Youngstown district for years, said Peggy Welsh, chairwoman of The Concerned Citizens for Quality Education, the group spearheading the effort.
The portion of the township involved is large, a little more than six acres, but only about 50 school-age children live there.
They may live in the Youngstown district but many already attend other schools, going to class in Struthers, Hubbard or elsewhere, Welsh said.
Primary reason for request
Youngstown's poor academic performance is the main reason parents want their children in another district, Welsh said, referring to Youngstown's academic emergency ranking in the Ohio Report Card system.
The people in the affected area pay a lot of taxes to Youngstown schools but don't feel they're getting their money's worth, she said, adding that this is about the kids' future.
Phyllis Johnson, a Coitsville Township trustee, said the township administration supports the transfer. Officials feel not all of the township's children are getting a chance at the same quality of education, she said.
Welsh denied there is any racial element in the request. Coitsville has all races, she said.
Struthers seems to be noncommittal about the proposal, based on documents the district filed with the state board.
Struthers superintendent Dr. Sandra DiBacco said in the filing that Struthers didn't make the territory transfer request. It came from Coitsville Township, she said.
She said she is unaware of any racial implications in the issue.
Struthers hasn't done any long-range educational planning for additional pupils, nor is the district certain it would have adequate facilities for the influx of pupils.
DiBacco's filing noted that Struthers moved to open enrollment this year and had 267 applications but was able to accept only 94 pupils.
Because Struthers is in fiscal emergency, some financial problems may arise as a result of such a transfer. Busing will certainly pose a problem, she said.
Youngstown is less than enthused with the idea of losing about one-third of its territory. The district would lose about $279,000 a year in property taxes and state student subsidies, officials wrote in a filing with the state board.
The remaining Youngstown taxpayers would face a greater tax burden, the district warned.
Struthers would likely benefit by the same amount if the transfer is made, Youngstown officials said.
Youngstown's filing noted that there have been three earlier "hostile" attempts to transfer the same 6.2 square miles of territory, and all three were denied by the state board.
They include a 1974 petition to transfer the land to the Campbell School District, a 1989 petition to transfer it to the Lowellville District and a 2001 petition to transfer it to Struthers.
There was a negotiated agreement between Youngstown and Lowellville to transfer six acres of Coitsville to Lowellville in 2003, according to Youngstown's filing.
Counter argument
Youngstown officials also think there would be racial implications in the change. Youngstown has a 76 percent minority student population while Struthers has only a 6.7 percent minority enrollment.
If the transfer is approved, both districts will be more racially isolated, according to Youngstown's filing, which points out that, of the 54 public school pupils living in the affected area, 49 are nonminority.
A transfer would make both districts less racially diverse, officials in Youngstown contend.
Although the state board has agreed to consider the transfer request, it's a long way from being approved.
The state schools superintendent will have to appoint a referee to conduct a hearing in the case, take testimony and then make a recommendation to the board. Any decision reached by the board can be appealed to court by either affected school district.