Critics of Youngstown Plan say local input was not sought

Staff report

cOLUMBUS

The so-called “Youngstown Plan” for the city school district is meeting with opposition from those close to home.

The Ohio House and Senate on Wednesday approved legislation that would transfer authority over the failing Youngstown City School District to an appointed chief executive. The bill now goes to Gov. John Kasich, who is expected to sign it.

“Children in chronically failing schools don’t deserve to be abandoned. They need our help, badly,” Robert Nichols, Kasich’s spokesman, said in a statement. “These long-overdue reforms to Ohio’s support system for failing schools will bring hope to these kids, parents and educators, and the governor applauds the local and state leaders who have had the courage to stand up and help lead these needed changes.”

The legislation raises questions from city school board members, however.

“I’m very concerned about it if it takes any type of local control away from our school district,” said Brenda Kimble, city school board president. “I’m upset that the state and the governor continue to bring people into our district who know nothing about our district.”

HB 70, which passed the Ohio House last month, would create a process for revamping failing school buildings into community learning centers.

The 18-14 Senate vote, with Democrats and a few Republicans opposing, came after a delayed morning session of the chamber’s Education Committee, which accepted the last-minute Youngstown schools amendment.

The Ohio House concurred on the amendments later in the evening on a vote of 55-40, without the support of Democrats and a few Republicans.

Sen. Peggy Lehner of Kettering, R-6th, chairwoman of the Senate’s Education Committee, said the current academic distress commission isn’t getting the job done.

“We have seen no improvement, so the time to keep doing what we’ve been doing is passed,” Lehner said. “It is time to change the rules, change the approach, change the strategy, to try to do something to rescue these children who, without an education, are doomed to live a life of poverty.”

But Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni of Boardman, D-33rd, called for further hearings and consideration of a Youngstown school plan.

“We’re talking about changing the face of Youngstown City Schools upon passage of this legislation ...” Schiavoni said. “This bill was crafted by eight people in the Mahoning Valley. ... This is not a plan that Youngstown has embraced.”

Schiavoni said he won’t stand in the way of the plan, however.

“I hope it works,” he said. “I want it to work. I’ll do everything I can to see it implemented and to make it work, but there are a lot of possible pitfalls.”

in the plan

The legislation calls for the state superintendent of public instruction to establish new academic distress commissions for failing school districts – those that receive overall grades of “F” for three-consecutive years on state-level report cards or those that already have previous academic distress commissions in place.

Academic distress commissions, such as the one in Youngstown, would be abolished and new ones would take their place. The panels would include three members appointed by the state superintendent, a teacher selected by the president of the district school board, and a member picked by the mayor of the community where a failing school is located.

The commission, in turn, would appoint a state-paid chief executive officer for the district, who would have authority to replace school administrators and central office staff, close schools, hire new employees, set teacher class loads, curriculum, class sizes and compensation rates, among other administrative decisions.

The new CEO would have to have “high-level management experience in the public or private sector” and would “exercise complete operational, managerial and instructional control of the district.”

Within 30 days of being appointed, the CEO would be required to convene a group of community stakeholders to develop expectations for academic improvement and build relationships with business and civic groups to provide needed services to students.

has supporters

Youngstown State University President Jim Tressel, the Most. Rev. George Murry of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown and former city schools Superintendent Connie Hathorn testified in support of the changes.

“By adopting the amendment proposed today, it is my belief that you will be empowering the Youngstown City School District, and any other district in Ohio that might find itself in an academic emergency in the future, to truly transform themselves into a system in which children have a chance at success,” Hathorn said in his written testimony.

Richard Ross, state superintendent of public instruction, said he’s been concerned about the education of Youngstown’s children.

“It’s been a concern to me as well as [to] the governor,” he said.

Valley legislators see it differently.

Also opponents

Schiavoni and state Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan of Youngstown, D-58th, said they didn’t find out about the amendment until Tuesday night and say the proposal was rushed.

Schiavoni said he’s concerned the new committee members would have a 3-2 advantage in favor of Columbus over Youngstown under the proposal, and that the three members appointed by the state superintendent already know who’ll be hired as the CEO.

When it was pointed out that three of the five members of the Youngstown academic commission are appointed by the state superintendent, Schiavoni said “that’s been an issue.”

The CEO would have complete control over the Youngstown school district, and there’s no provision to remove or stop that person from doing anything, Schiavoni said.

Lepore-Hagan said, “The end result will be the dissolution of the [Youngstown school] system as we know it, and it will force our children to attend failed charter schools, and I’m concerned about it. This board will have a lot more power” than the existing commission. “It’s what the governor wants.”

Schiavoni recognizes that improvement is necessary for the city school district. He referred to a program in which YSU students mentor and city school students as one such external investment.

When the Cleveland plan was proposed for that school system, it was enacted after public forums and input from that community, he said.

not effective

Ross said the Ohio Department of Education recognizes the current system hasn’t been as effective as officials hoped. Youngstown, the first district to see a commission appointed because of poor academic performance, has only realized marginal improvement since the commission’s 2010 establishment.

“The chief executive officer shall exercise complete operational, managerial and instructional control of the district,” the legislation says. “If the district begins to improve by earning an overall ‘C’ on the state report card, a two-year transition out of academic distress and back to normal district management and control begins.”

The new system also would offer more support sooner, Ross said.

The current system only provides assistance after a district earns three “F’s.” New supports begin after a district receives its first “F.” An improvement coordinator will be appointed to lead academic and turnaround efforts.

opportunity

The new system sets up a year-by-year process toward school district improvement.

“This is an opportunity for Youngstown to be a leader and pave the way for restructuring in the state,” Ross said. “We view this as a positive opportunity.”

The legislation lays out a year-by-year process for the district under the CEO.

The first year, the CEO has full control of the school district. The elected local board would remain in place, but it would be up to the CEO to determine whether to involve its members in district decisions and to what degree, state officials said.

Ross said that year one for the Youngstown district would be the 2015-16 school year.

“The CEO will be paid by state dollars,” Ross said.

Ross said, however, he doesn’t have a particular candidate in mind. He said the CEO would need to be “someone who is tough as nails.”

Contributor: Marc Kovac, Columbus reporter