YEA opposes charter school idea

November 24, 2014 at 12:05a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

The union representing Youngstown City Schools teachers says it opposes any plans to turn the district over to a charter school.

In a statement released Sunday, the Youngstown Education Association said it is “strongly against” such a move.

The statement comes after state Rep.-elect Michele Lepore-Hagan said last week that Gov. John Kasich told her during a private conversation at a meeting for incoming lawmakers in Columbus that the district is in such a mess that he wants to dissolve it and turn it over to a charter school.

The comment was then tweeted by Lepore-Hagan’s husband, state Rep. Robert F. Hagan of Youngstown, D-58th, whose term expires at the end of this year because of term limits. Lepore-Hagan ran to replace her husband, who will take a spot on the state board of education.

The governor’s office did not comment on the remark.

YEA President Larry Ellis said the union met with the Hagans on Saturday morning.

“The YEA strongly believes in a free and public education for the students of Youngstown,” the statement said. “Taking this right away from the residents and students of Youngstown is wrong.”

The statement said the union believes all students in the district should be educated by the city school district and not by a private entity that would receive state tax dollars. The statement also said that charter schools have less accountability than public schools, for both students and taxpayers.

Ellis said Sunday evening he believes the governor’s remark could be more than idle talk because the state Academic Distress Commission has been in place in the district since 2010 and not a lot of change has been made since then.

“Eventually, they’ll run out of people to point fingers at,” Ellis said.

Ellis said the goal of the YEA right now is to meet with community groups to help get residents involved should the charter option become more than just idle talk.

“Educating the public is a big task, and I think that’s the one thing we need to start now,” Ellis said.