Hathorn to take responsibility for implementing recovery plan

By Denise Dick | October 12, 2010 at 12:07a.m.

Youngstown City Schools Superintendent Connie Hathorn

BOARDMAN

Connie Hathorn, Youngstown schools new superintendent, says he’ll assume responsibility for managing the implementation of the district’s academic-recovery plan.

At a meeting of the city schools’ academic distress commission Monday, James Hall, a commission member, asked who within the district would take responsibility for implementing the recovery plan.

“I’ll take responsibility,” said Hathorn, who is working as deputy superintendent until the end of this year.

Wendy Webb, superintendent since 2004, is retiring at the end of the year.

Hathorn said that Beverly Schumann, director of curriculum and community support, also would be key in the plan’s implementation.

Webb said that Hathorn likely will need help.

“The last few years, reductions have driven this district,” she said. “I want to see the children in this district get what they deserve. I’m advocating for an assistant.”

It takes three to four hours just to go through and organize the mail that comes into the superintendent’s office every day, Webb said.

She said Hathorn will need additional support.

“If you want the man to live and not to get sick, you’ve got to get the man some help,” Webb said.

Debra Mettee, the chairwoman of the commission, said that going back to the 1970s, Webb is the only city schools superintendent who didn’t have an assistant.

In other business, Webb said that the district’s enrollment is down 343 students compared with last spring. The district has 6,198 students as of last week, down from 6,541 at the end of last year.

Webb said the district had projected a loss of about 1,000 students this year.

The academic-recovery plan calls for an increase of 300 students by 2015.