Some targets are obvious

Some targets are obvious

The news that Youngstown is going to lose more than $1.5 million next year for not meeting targets in a federal grant is disconcerting, to say the least.

Sometimes a target is just that, something to aim for. And sometimes it’s a mark that is missed at the shooter’s peril.

The Youngstown City School District was supposed to show an 11 percent growth in student achievement. It achieved just 2 percent. That’s not a result that impressed the Ohio Department of Education.

Those inclined to defend the school district can argue, if they choose, that some targets were unrealistic.

But one deficiency was particularly troublesome. Principals and assistant principals did not complete the required number of classroom walkthroughs, or they didn’t devote a significant amount of time to them.

Monitoring the work of subordinates is the job of supervisors. That the state has to point that out suggests a systemic problem.