Youngstown schools super will fight takeover by state

If there’s a word that describes Dr. Connie Hathorn, superintendent of Youngstown city schools, it’s audacious. Ever since he was appointed in December 2010 to lead the academically and financially troubled urban school district, Hathorn has said and done things that prompt double takes.

From re-engineering the schools, to redesigning the curriculum, to re-shuffling the teaching and administrative staffs, the superintendent has moved boldly to prevent a total collapse of the urban system.

He has done so while dodging political bullets and having first the State Fiscal Oversight Commission and now the State Academic Distress Commission exert authority over the operation of the district. The power to veto decisions of the superintendent and the school board is ever present.

But Hathorn’s “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” attitude has endeared him to the residents of the district, as a recent survey revealed. By contrast, the elected board of education isn’t winning any accolades.

So when Dr. Hathorn met with members of The Vindicator’s editorial board and the paper’s education writer on Tuesday, a day after he delivered his State of the Schools address at the regular meeting of the school board, we expected straight talk and even some surprises. We weren’t disappointed.

But it was his response to a question about the Ohio Department of Education’s possible seizure of the system in 2013 that was, well, audacious.

“The state is not going to come in here to take over. I’m not going to let that happen,” he said, when reminded that state education officials have said the district must show improvement in its proficiency test scores, or some dramatic action will be taken. “I’m going to improve.” By which he means the school district, which is in state-mandated academic watch and was freed from fiscal emergency not long ago.

Next year, however, the Ohio Department of Education and Gov. John Kasich are expecting the district to move up to continuous improvement. If it falls short, the state could step in and turn the failing schools into charter schools. Or it could decide to dissolve the district and assign the students to adjacent districts.

Programs in place

But Hathorn made it clear that programs are in place to facilitate the academic recovery.

“I feel like what we’re doing now ... what I’ve seen this summer, I can feel a sense of urgency ... real progress,” he told The Vindicator. He added that the priority today is no longer the employees, as it was in years past, but the students and student achievement.

It is clear the superintendent is not going to give up without a fight and that he now has allies inside and outside the district to assist him in his quest. In addition, he has established a good working relationship with the state academic commission, which has the statutory authority to manage the recovery.

There are hurdles to clear — starting with many students’ dysfunctional home life. But as long as Hathorn remains committed and daring, the district stands a chance of succeeding.