Youngstown BOE race presents clear choices

To say that the Youngs-town City School System is at a crossroads would be to state the obvious. But, there are times when the obvious demands to be stated. Such a time is now, just nine days before the general election. Voters in the district need to be reminded of just how important they are to the future of the schools.

The selections made in the Youngstown school board race will have far-reaching implications. Whoever is elected will join the three other members in developing a plan for eliminating the projected $15 million budget shortfall — passage of the 9.5-mill levy on the ballot would provide $4 million a year in new revenue — and in charting a course for the system’s academic revival. The academic watch ranking in the state proficiency test suggests systemic problems that must be addressed before student test scores can improve.

Of the seven candidates on the ballot, two are incumbents, Shelley Murray and Michael Write. They are completing their first four-year terms. The two board members not seeking re-election are Jamael Tito Brown, the Democratic nominee for 3rd Ward Youngstown council, and Kathryn Hawks Haney.

Given the challenges confronting the school system, we believe that experience is necessary. Murray and Write have been involved in many important decisions made by the board, which is why we endorse their re-election bids.

In interviews with members of The Vindicator’s editorial board and a reporter they demonstrated a solid understanding of the unique hurdles that urban school districts like Youngstown must clear and a commitment to academic improvement, if not excellence.

As members of the board, they have had a hand in giving Superintendent Wendy Webb and the faculty the tools they need to not only assist students who are having a difficult time academically, but to ensure that those who are exceptional are challenged intellectually.

Strategies

Both incumbents insist that strategies have been adopted by the school board and the administration to improve academic test scores and to deal with the financial crisis.

There are five other candidates in the race: Anthony J. Catale, Gene Cook, Michael Murphy, Richard Atkinson and Monica Neives. Neives did not attend the editorial board interview and, therefore, was not considered for endorsement.

Of the four who did meet with us, Atkinson, who has served as Third Ward councilman and is term-limited, and Cook, a Youngstown city firefighter stood out.

Atkinson’s tenure on council will be important as the school board and the administration of Mayor Jay Williams forge a working relationship that would be beneficial to both.

Cook’s commitment to the school system was evident as he spoke about his two children who attend city schools and his participation in various functions at the schools and at school board meetings.

We believe he would be a positive addition to the board of education.

Catale is 20 years old and attends Walsh College. Murphy, a pump operator in the Youngstown Water Department, has a daughter who is a student at Cardinal Mooney High School.

In this important race, The Vindicator endorses incumbents Murray and Write, and Atkinson and Cook.