UPDATE | Mohip begins first day at helm of city schools

YOUNGSTOWN — Krish Mohip begins his tenure today as the city schools chief executive officer.

"Every decision I make will be student centered," Mohip told The Vindicator in an interview this morning.

He began his first day in charge of the academically-struggling school district with an early morning run.

Mohip said he wants to raise expectations for student academics among school personnel and students themselves.

"I want students to love themselves enough to know they can do better," he said.

Leading up to his first day, Mohip and district contacted students who have dropped out of the district.

"I want to find out why they left, do they want to come back, what can we do to help," he said.

He's meeting those who responded today. Later, he's having dinner with a family of a district student. The dinners with families are something Mohip wants to do regularly.

With the school board, a panel that filed a lawsuit to stop the Youngstown Plan from taking effect, Mohip wants to develop a relationship of trust and collaboration.

He envisions the board filling an advisory role.

The remainder of his first day will be spent in more meetings with more people.

He said he wants to as many people as he can and to listen to them.

District principals and representatives of the Youngstown Education Association, the teachers' union, are on today's list of meetings.

A group of people gathered outside of his office in the administration building, wanting to meet him.

A South High School graduate who lives out of state sent his well wishes too.

Jon and Adrienne Howell sent a cake and balloons to welcome to town and to wish him well.