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Board president stands by commission appointment
Teachers’ union upset about appointment
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
The city school board president defends her decision to appoint a longtime administrator to the Youngstown City School District Academic Distress Commission.
“She is a utility administrator,” Brenda Kimble said of her appointee, Carol Staten. “She works in all capacities.”
Kimble acknowledged that Staten is her cousin but points out that Staten has been in the school district for more than 30 years. Kimble was elected to her second school-board term earlier this month.
The Youngstown Education Association, the union that represents district teachers, is upset about the selection.
The law allows the school board president to appoint one person, a district teacher, to the commission.
Staten is a longtime principal who retired and now fills in when called by the district. She worked as a teacher before becoming a principal.
Paula Valentini, a union vice president and spokeswoman, said the union continues to explore its options. The union believes a current teacher should have been appointed, she has said.
The union sent a list of teachers’ names who were willing to serve on the commission to Kimble but didn’t hear back from her, union officials said last week.
Staten is one of nine people who applied to become the district’s interim superintendent. That job went to Stephen Stohla, a former Brookfield and Alliance schools superintendent.
The five-member academic distress commission, created through the Youngstown Plan, replaced the commission that had been in place since 2010. The new commission will select a state-paid chief executive officer to manage and operate the city schools.
The CEO will have broad authority.
Besides Staten, the other commission members announced last week are: Barbara Brothers, a retired Youngstown State University dean, who was appointed by Mayor John A. McNally; and Laura Meeks, retired president of Eastern Gateway Community College; Jennifer Roller, president of the Raymond John Wean Foundation; and Brian Benyo, president of Brilex Industries, all appointed by Richard Ross, state superintendent of public instruction.