Youngstown school board president's appointee to distress commission hits snag

YOUNGSTOWN

Carol Staten won’t be serving on the city schools academic distress commission – at least not yet.

Judge Lou A. D’Apolito of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday granted a temporary restraining order to the Youngstown Education Association, the union representing teachers at Youngstown City Schools.

The teachers argue that the appointment should be a city schools teacher.

The temporary order prevents Brenda Kimble, school board president, from appointing Staten, a substitute principal, or anyone else who isn’t a city schools teacher, to the commission and to prevent Staten from accepting the appointment.

A hearing on a preliminary injunction in the matter is set for 9:30 a.m. Dec. 14.

“I’m going to let the court take its course,” Kimble said.

She said she supports the teachers and that support predates her tenure as a board member.

“This is not their appointment,” she said.

Kimble said her appointment, which she said was made with the consensus of the full school board, is supposed to represent the whole school district and be a liaison for the school board.

“I still have to do what I think is best for the total school district and not just for one organization,” Kimble said.

Paula Valentini, YEA vice president, is pleased with the judge’s decision.

“We felt strongly that our case was justified and that the best selection for the academic commission – and the person who would be able to do the most amount of good – would be ... an active teacher in that position,” she said.

The teachers are the ones who have the closest contact with children regarding academics, Valentini said.

Read more about the situation in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.