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School panel chief reflects
EDITOR’S NOTE — As 2014 winds down, The Vindicator is taking a daily look back at the people and events that made this year unforgettable. “The Vindicator Rewind” will highlight and update a memorable story from 2014.
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
Six months ago, Canton educator Adrienne O’Neill stepped down as chairwoman of the Youngstown City School District Academic Distress Commission, citing health reasons and a desire to devote more time to her job.
O’Neill, who serves as president of Stark Education Partnership, was appointed to the commission in 2011 by Stan Hefner, then state superintendent of public instruction. She became chairwoman when Richard Ross, the former commission chairman and now state superintendent, was appointed director of Gov. John Kasich’s Office of 21st Century Education.
Since resigning from the commission, a voluntary position, O’Neill said her health has improved.
“I had my left knee replaced in October and I’ve been able to stand up straight for the first time in a long time,” she said.
She’s still at the partnership with plans to retire Aug. 31.
Ross appointed Joffrey Jones, a retired Euclid City Schools superintendent, as the new commission chairman.
Some of the commission’s actions under O’Neill’s leadership met with opposition with current and former city school board members who viewed them as heavy-handed. Since her resignation, she hasn’t been following the day-to-day goings-on of the district, although she recently learned of the commission’s action to take away some of the local board’s power.
The latest update to the academic recovery plan, approved by Ross in October, takes authority for curriculum and administrative appointments away from the board.
“I thought it was interesting that the ADC took the power of the board away,” O’Neill said. “I always have questions about that. The public did elect the officials, although they have had some in-service [training]. Perhaps when the power is given back to them, they’ll use it correctly.”
The commission was established in 2010 to guide the city schools out of academic difficulty. By law, an ADC is appointed when a school district fails to make adequate yearly progress for four or more years and is designated in “academic emergency.”
Only one other district in the state, Lorain, has an ADC.
O’Neill believes it’s a difficult position for a district to be in and a difficult task for commission members.
“There’s a lot of ground to cover,” she said. “The target keeps changing. More students have to pass the test to capture the indicator.”
As she said right before leaving the commission, O’Neill believes the city schools suffer from a lack of investment and support by the community such as exists in other cities including Canton. Businesses, individuals and foundations work together in those communities to offer resources and opportunities to city school students, she said.
“You don’t see that kind of effort in Youngstown,” O’Neill said. “It’s not that individuals are not doing things, it’s that they’re not all focused together on the same wavelength.”