Youngstown not among Race to the Top winners

Although it was widely known that the school district with the worst academic performance in Ohio had not participated in the federal Race to the Top education grant program, not seeing the Youngstown City School District’s name on the list of recipients is still a shock to the senses. There are 22 districts and charter schools in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties that will share $2.55 million over the next four years to improve student learning through increased data collection and analysis, training for teachers and principals and other initiatives.

What is most galling about Youngstown’s non-participation is that the only system in Ohio in academic and fiscal emergency would have been eligible for $2.4 million. There is blame to be assigned.

The refusal of the Youngstown Education Association, which represents the teachers, to sign a memorandum of understanding as part of the application is the only reason the district was barred from participating. Superintendent Dr. Wendy Webb and school board President Anthony Catale both signed it.

The myopia of YEA President Will Bagnola and other union leaders should be of concern to parents, students and others who have a stake in the success of the system.

When Deborah Delisle, Ohio’s superintendent of public instruction, characterizes the state’s $400 million award from the federal government as “a historic moment,” she is echoing the sentiments of many educators around the country who see real benefit in the Race to the Top program. Ohio was one of nine states to be awarded funding in this round. In the first round, the state placed 10th. Then, 266 of the 613 school districts and 215 of the 322 charter schools participated.

This time, 311 districts and 199 charter schools submitted signed agreements.

“I think in four years, we’re going to look back and think about this as a real turning point in our educational reform for students,” Delisle said after the winners of the national competition had been declared. “This will enable us to deepen the work and our focus on Ohio’s children.”

A listing of the participants in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties was published in Wednesday’s Vindicator.

It is revealing that not one of 22 districts and charters in this area and the 536 districts and charters in the state is in the same state of emergency as Youngstown. The latest school report card from the state’s proficiency testing shows that Youngstown is still in the academic cellar. It has been in fiscal emergency since 2006.

State commissions

Two state commissions are running the district. The Youngstown Board of Education cannot spend money without the permission of the Fiscal Oversight Commission, while the Academic Distress Commission has developed a recovery plan for the district that has been approved by the state superintendent of instruction.

How could the YEA not see the benefit of Youngstown’s participation in what the White House and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have called a linchpin of President Obama’s education improvement initiative? The $4.35 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the Race to the Top is a clear indication of the administration’s commitment.

Why didn’t the YEA agree to sign the memorandum of understanding? For the same reason it refused the first time around: Concern about undercutting the terms of its labor contracts.

Enough said.