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Youngstown schools chief to recommend Chaney principal
By Denise Dick
Youngstown
Superintendent Connie Hathorn plans to make a recommendation to the school board next week for a principal of the Chaney Campus.
After discussing the hiring process and potential hiree in executive session, the schools’ academic-distress commission opted not to block Hathorn’s recommendation.
Rick Gozur, who was appointed Chaney principal at the beginning of this school year, resigned last week, citing health and personal reasons.
Hathorn told commission members at a meeting Thursday that he wanted to get a replacement appointed soon because the Ohio Graduation Test is set for March 12.
Adrienne O’Neill, a commission member appointed in November when Stan Heffner, state superintendent of public instruction, replaced three members, questioned the urgency since an interim principal is in place.
Hathorn said he wants a permanent principal in place rather than an interim. The candidate he has in mind was interviewed last year for a different position. The principal would serve through the remainder of this year and the next school year.
Hathorn plans to make the recommendation to the school board for a vote at the Tuesday regular school-board meeting.
“I want to at least review the r sum ,” O’Neill said.
Susan Moorer, commission member, said the commission should trust the recommendation of the superintendent.
“Our role is to oversee, not to micromanage,” she said.
After an executive session that included personnel among discussion items, Richard Ross, commission chairman, said the board asked for more information about Hathorn’s recommendation but decided not to block it.
The principal post isn’t the only vacancy in the district. With Treasurer Bill Johnson retiring within the next couple of weeks, the board is working with the Ohio School Boards Association to fill that job. Lock P. Beachum Sr., school-board president, invited commission members to participate in interviews of finalists for that job.
Ross divided commission members into teams to try to accomplish matters that require immediate action.
O’Neill and member Betty Greene were asked to develop a direction for an academic-recovery plan for the district. Heffner rejected the plan proposed by the former commission.
Ross asked Moorer and member Michael Garvey to comprise the team who will work on a request for a liaison to work among the commission, school district and Ohio Department of Education.
Both teams are to give reports to the full commission at a meeting at 2 p.m. Thursday at Chaney.
A representative from ODE said the department has one or two people who could work in the liaison position and would work to find dollars to pay those individuals either from the school district or the Wean Foundation.