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Beachum: Youngstown school enrollment needs stability
By Denise Dick
Youngstown
The future of the city schools will be determined by enrollment, finances and academics, the school board president said.
“Something has to be done for us to maintain stability in enrollment,” Lock P. Beachum said.
“Our superintendent is working eight days a week, getting this district where it should be.”
Earlier this month, the board pulled a proposed renewal levy from the March ballot, after the state informed the district it would receive about $4 million less from the state than what was anticipated.
The reduction was because of the district’s enrollment.
Because state money follows the student, the district loses money, as well as students, to other schools and districts through open enrollment and vouchers and to community schools.
Beachum said the district hopes to be in continuous improvement by the beginning of next year.
Last year’s state report card designated the district in academic watch, one step below continuous improvement.
The board president said the district needs the community’s help to spread the word about the improvements under way in the city schools.
At an academic commission meeting last week, the idea of closing school buildings as a way to deal with declining enrollment was broached.
“The last thing we want to do is to close any schools,” Beachum said.
The district recently completed a multimillion-dollar school rebuilding program.
“If we get the academics, the enrollment will be there,” he said, and if enrollment improves, so will the financial outlook.
In other business, the board approved a resolution for a contract with MS Consultants Inc. of Youngstown for architectural services for the Rayen Stadium Renovation Project.
The contract is for $195,915 if all three of the project phases are performed at the same time.
The cost increases by $31,600 if architectural services are performed in three separate phases.
A fundraising campaign is under way to raise $3 million for the project to renovate the stadium.
Groundbreaking is set for March 12.
Arlette Gatewood of the A. Philip Randolph Institute presented the campaign with $1,000 from the institute toward the project.
“I want to congratulate the board for taking the steps necessary to put a stadium back in the city for kids that are still in school to have a place to play,” Gatewood said.
He challenged other black organizations to contribute as well.