Youngstown school board can’t justify more money

In the fall of 2014, the then Youngstown City School District Academic Distress Commission issued an edict that was appropriate and necessary: School board members will be paid for only two meetings a month.

The state superintendent of public instruction at the time, Richard Ross, endorsed the decision.

Needless to say, members of the board weren’t happy about losing the goose that had laid golden eggs for so long. They are paid $125 a meeting.

At the time the commission acted, the seven-member school board had racked up a whopping $31,500 tab for 36 regular and special meetings in fiscal year 2014. The irony is that the more the board met, the worse the district got academically and financially.

From 2006 to 2011, the urban school system was under state-declared fiscal emergency. Then in 2011, the state again stepped in – this time to declare an academic emergency.

The emergency gave rise to the creation of the academic distress commission. Under state law, the commission had significant control over the operation of the district, which caused great consternation among school board members.

The restriction on the number of paid meetings was the straw that broke the crippled board’s back.

From an outsider’s perspective, the edict was appropriate given that the board had very little decision-making authority and yet was scheduling numerous paid meetings.

And, the limit was necessary because the district was still facing an uncertain economic future.

Unfortunately, the restriction on the number of paid meetings is no longer in effect. The distress commission was disbanded last year after a new law was enacted that created the so-called Youngstown Plan.

Under the plan, which was developed by a group of business and community leaders, a new five-member academic commission has been created. That resulted in the original commission being disbanded,

The centerpiece of the Youngstown Plan is the appointment of a chief executive officer by the commission. The CEO will have total authority over the district.

Regretfully, a legal battle over the appointment of a member of the commission has put the brakes on the plan.

Thus, the restriction on the number of paid board meetings is null and void. Members are now free to meet as often as they want – and get paid for those unnecessary sessions.

The bitter truth about the board not earning its keep comes from someone who should know. Member Jackie Adair had this to say about the $125 a meeting the members earn:

“We don’t do anything at board meetings. We get nothing done except entertain students and pass superintendent recommendations. We get paid for doing nothing.”

Given that reality, we believe the only hope for the troubled school district is the implementation of the Youngstown Plan. The courts should permit the new commission to appoint the CEO.