Analysis shows poor school districts – Youngstown, Campbell, Warren – lead to poor performance

YOUNGSTOWN

Area educators are not surprised by an analysis that shows stark differences between state report card performance of districts with more poor children and those with fewer.

An analysis of state report card data by the Ohio Education Policy Institute released Wednesday by the Ohio School Boards Association, Buckeye Association of School Administrators and the Ohio Association of School Business Officials found disparities between economically disadvantaged students and others in a report-card measurement called “Prepared for Success.”

Districts that have a higher concentration of poor students earned lower scores in college and career readiness, the analysis showed

Stephen Stohla, interim Youngstown City Schools superintendent, said he was not shocked by the disparity.

“I look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and you have eating, safety, security,” Stohla said. “Science, math and English language arts don’t seem that important to me if I’m hungry or worried about my safety.”

Last year three Mahoning Valley school districts – Youngs-town, Campbell and Warren – were ranked among the state’s poorest, according to the state. Youngstown was first, Campbell was fourth and Warren was the state’s fifth poorest.

Poorer districts have additional problems, educators note.

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