School board candidates: Finances are priority

Academic performance and behavioral issues are major issues as well.

By HAROLD GWIN

VINDICATOR EDUCATON WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — School district finances are uppermost in the minds of candidates seeking a seat on the Youngstown Board of Education.

With Youngstown running a $15 million deficit in a $120 million general fund last fiscal year, and a 9.5-mill, five-year tax levy on the ballot in Tuesday’s election, the district’s financial picture is at the center of the school board race.

Six of the seven candidates vying for four open seats responded to The Vindicator’s request for information, and five of the six say they support the levy — although a couple had some reservations.

The supporters are incumbents the Rev. Michael Write of Breaden Avenue and Shelley Murray of Coral Sea Drive (both completing their first term this year); as well as candidates Richard Atkinson of Redondo Road, Michael Murphy of Stratmore Avenue and Anthony Catale of Bears Den Road.

Murphy said he hopes the levy passes, but he’s not optimistic based on what he’s heard in his door-to-door campaigning.

Catale said he supports the levy “as long as we recognize the district has made all the cuts it can.”

Only Gene Cook of Coral Sea Drive voiced opposition. “I’m leaning toward no,” he said, explaining that revenue from the levy won’t be enough to erase the budget deficit and the school district will likely have to come back to the taxpayers for more.

Candidate Monica Neives of Canfield Road didn’t respond to a request for information.

Catale is a full-time commuter student in his third year at Walsh University. He said fiscal responsibility is his major issue and he’s launched a “Less Money to Administration, More Money for Instruction” initiative which calls for reducing wasteful spending on red tape and bureaucracy and diverting that money into the classrooms.

He said there are central office administrative posts that can be cut or combined to save money, but offered no specifics.

The levy and spending cuts implemented by the district are steps in the right direction for a fiscal recovery but not enough to return Youngstown to solvency, he said.

School funding, academic test scores and the overall image of the schools are Cook’s primary concerns. He feels there are some overpaid administrators in the district who need to go and he’s suggested the district can reduce spending through joint purchasing with other districts and eliminating a rented bus garage.

Cook, a city firefighter and an auto mechanic, would like to see more parental involvement in the schools, making parents, along with pupils, more responsible for academic performance and proper behavior. Troublemakers should be removed, he said.

“We have a lot of great kids in our school system. We can’t be afraid to say [to troublemakers], ‘You’re out of here,’” he said.

Atkinson, a retired UPS supervisor and former Ohio Department of Transportation employee, isnding his final year on city council. He said he’s always been interested in the city schools and has been involved in school committees and other activities for years. He’s currently a member of the district’s Urban Congress and Superintendent’s Task Force and is a liaison at Alpha School of Excellence for Boys.

Atkinson said he thinks that more parental involvement is a key to improving district academic performance and would like to see kids who get into behavior problems moved into an alternative school setting to end disruptions. He would also like local businesses to get involved in mentoring and job shadowing programs to show students that there are jobs and success to be had locally.

Murphy, a city water department employee, said a committee should be created to examine district finances to determine what and who are needed — or not needed. That starts with a look at the administration, he said, explaining that he’s heard people complain about the number of central office personnel.

Murphy would also like to take a detailed look at the local charter school system to let the citizens of Youngstown know how much of their tax dollars are going to pay for those schools.

As for academics, he thinks Youngstown should take a look at some surrounding districts to see what they are doing to achieve success. Struthers, for example, has the same economy as Youngstown but has a 93 percent high school graduation rate compared with 72 percent in Youngstown, he said.

Murray, an education specialist with Community Corrections Association, said she thinks the district is at a point where it needs expertise and consistency on the school board. It’s not until you get elected that you realize how little you really know about the educational system, she pointed out.

Part of Youngstown’s problem is the high level of poverty here, Murray said, explaining that it’s difficult to try to talk to people about district finances and academics when they are worried about their day-to-day existence.

The district is progressing academically, Murray said, pointing to a rising graduation rate and double-digit gains in academic performances on achievement tests.

She also would like to see more parental involvement in the schools, noting there are a variety of ways to do that, from the Parent Patrol program to monthly parent transition meetings, the Parent Resource Center, the Parent Advisory Board and each school’s PTO.

The Rev. Mr. Write, assistant director of Needles Eye Christian Counseling Center and an associate pastor at New Bethel Baptist Church, is the current school board president and said he thinks the district is on the right track toward financial recovery. He predicted Youngstown could be out of fiscal emergency in just two or three years, provided the levy passes and further sending reductions are implemented.

“We are really making gains,” he said.

As for discipline issues, Mr. Write is calling on parents and everyone involved to make the schools more harmonious. The district does seek alternative programs for those determined to be troublemakers but is bound by law as to what it can do with them. They still have a right to an education, he said.

Mr. Write indicated more cuts in the ranks of central office administrators might be difficult. People don’t realize all of the duties that state and federal law now requires from administrators. When one position is eliminated, those duties don’t go away but must be shifted to someone else, he said.

Write said he thinks the district has shown momentum in academic achievement and continues to move forward.

gwin@vindy.com