Youngstown's new school leader plans effort to get all students to school

YOUNGSTOWN

In Canfield or Poland, a 98 percent attendance rate the first day of school is expected, but Youngstown schools CEO Krish Mohip is aiming at that target for the city district.

“I’ve been in schools in the past where we had 96, 97 percent,” he said, referring to his tenure in the Chicago public schools. “We’re a small district, and there’s a lot of support for getting our kids to school.”

An urban district with high student mobility, the city schools’ attendance on the last state report card was 91.2 percent. And a lot of students don’t show up until a week or two into the school year – sometimes later.

The district’s chronic absenteeism was 31.4 percent on last year’s report card.

At East High School, attendance was only 85.9 percent with a 54 percent chronic absenteeism rate.

To help the effort, Mohip has organized a Welcome Back to School neighborhood canvass today.

From 3 to 8 p.m., Mohip, district staff and administrators and members of the community will fan out across the city, visiting homes to remind parents, guardians and students that school starts Monday.

Participants will meet at 2 p.m. today at East, 474 Bennington Ave., for training and neighborhood assignments.

Read more about the effort in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.