Youngstown schools CEO can tap KnowledgeWorks

Four years ago, officials of a Cincinnati-based education- reform organization unveiled a plan for reviving the academically and fiscally ailing Youngstown City School District.

And, KnowledgeWorks was prepared to secure some of the funding needed to implement the “bold” recommendations.

Incidentally, the word “bold” came from Youngstown native Nathaniel Jones, a retired judge with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.

Judge Jones and other KnowledgeWorks officials presented the revival plan to the then Youngstown City School District Academic Distress Commission. Unfortunately, they were too late because the commission had already decided to move forward with an academic recovery plan it had developed in conjunction with the board of education and then schools Superintendent Dr. Connie Hathorn.

The plan, which was approved by then state superintendent of public instruction, Stan Hefner, failed to turn the urban school district around.

It is now being replaced by a new one commonly referred to as the Youngstown Plan. The Republican- controlled General Assembly approved legislation based on the recommendations of a group of Mahoning Valley business and community leaders.

Republican Gov. John Kasich, who has long voiced concern about the failure of the Youngstown city schools, signed the measure into law.

The centerpiece of the plan is the creation of a chief executive officer position that will be selected by the five- member academic distress commission, also created by the new law.

The CEO, expected to be appointed next month, will have full authority over the school district. The state will pay his or her salary and provide all benefits.

The Youngstown Plan also lays out a time line for the CEO to develop an academic recovery program that not only addresses the needs of the students in the classroom but also addresses some of the social issues that have contributed to their failing test scores.

It is noteworthy that four years ago, KnowledgeWorks presented a similar vision for Youngstown.

Decentralization of education

The organization’s strategy called for a decentralization of education, with an emphasis on autonomy at the school level, in concert with formal district-wide and school-based councils.

One of the ideas we found most intriguing was the establishment of community learning centers within each school campus. They were to serve as a hub for community services; provide access for students and families to health, safety and social services, as well as recreational, educational and cultural opportunities.

The parallels between the Youngs-town Plan and the proposal presented by KnowledgeWorks make the school district and the Cincinnati-based organization a natural fit. There should be no hesitation on the part of the CEO to pursue a partnership.

The deadline for applications for the chief executive position is Tuesday. The distress commission hosted a public forum Wednesday to hear residents’ opinions on the position, which it will use in making its selection.

Recently, EdWorks, a subsidiary of KnowledgeWorks, proposed the expansion of the very successful Youngstown Early College format to all the schools in the city. KnowledgeWorks helped finance establishment of the early college.

EdWorks’ idea has merit, but unlike KnowledgeWorks’ 2012 proposal, it does not come with a commitment to help finance the plan.

An official said the Youngstown district could use funding it already has, including federal Title 1 dollars. The federal program is designed to aid economically disadvantaged children.

Given the Youngstown Plan’s emphasis on the academic recovery of the school district, we believe there’s a greater need to find solutions to the dysfunctional home lives of many children in the city that undermine learning in the classrooms.

The holistic approach to education, as laid out by KnowledgeWorks and proven effective in cities such as Cincinnati, is what Youngstown has needed for a very long time.

KnowledgeWorks has the financial wherewithal to provide the type of assistance to Youngstown that will make a difference in the lives of the students.