Y’town may live to regret Dr. Hathorn’s departure

At the risk of sounding like hero worshippers, we mark the departure of Dr. Connie Hathorn as superintendent of the Youngstown City School District thusly: An honorable, talented, dedicated educator was treated like a dunce by individuals in the community who have neither the qualifications nor the talent to be taken seriously. And yet, they had no qualms about publicly and privately berating the superintendent.

Thus, when the call came from a head hunter that the Watson Chapel School District in Pine Bluff, Ark., was looking for a leader with a proven track record, Hathorn jumped at the opportunity to explore the new opportunity. He liked what he saw of the district, but it was the attitude of the members of the board of education that sealed the deal.

The ulcer that had formed in his stomach over the four years he spent in Youngstown has begun to heal. His last day in the troubled urban district was Friday.

The search for a successor will not be easy given the national reputation of the system and the well-publicized battles between Hathorn and his detractors on the school board and in the city. Indeed, the Youngstown School District Academic Distress Commission, which took over management of the schools after the state declared an academic emergency, has announced that an interim superintendent will be appointed so there isn’t a rush to judgment.

Bad timing

Hathorn’s departure could not have come at a worse time. The Youngstown district is under pressure from the state, especially Gov. John Kasich and the state superintendent of public instruction, Richard Ross, to show substantive improvement in the academic performance of the students, while on the local level the continuing exodus of the city’s children remains a major problem.

Almost half of the 10,000 or so school-age children are not in city schools. And, because state dollars follow the students, Youngstown’s financial loss is some other system’s gain.

Hathorn, who had the unwavering support of the academic distress commission, the governor and the state superintendent, was pursuing a strategy designed not only to improve the academic standing so the commission could be disbanded, but to create unique programs that would bring in students from outside the city.

The former superintendent also focused on long-standing systemic problems, such as attendance and the absence of parental involvement in the lives of children.

His willingness to publicly discuss the dysfunction in many of the inner city homes made him a target of self-styled black leaders who have been unwilling to face the truth and do not want such dirty laundry to be aired.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that there are adults in Youngstown who believe the school system should take the place of the mother and father. Just ask the principals and teachers.

Hathorn consistently pointed out that the district has the children less than 30 percent of the time, which means whatever is happening in the homes and on the streets greatly affects the behavior and attitudes of the the city’s young people.

Hathorn attempted to ignite the passions of parents and guardians in the community, but rather than being praised for this effort, he was vilified by those who would rather stick their heads in the sand.

Dr. Connie Hathorn was run out of town by those with personal agendas. The city of Youngstown could well live to regret his departure.