33 people applied for Youngstown Schools CEO post

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Three more people have applied to be the Youngstown City Schools chief executive officer.

That brings to 33 the total applicants.

The Youngstown City Schools Academic Distress Commission, the panel charged with selecting a CEO, plans to interview six of the candidates who had applied as of last week’s deadline later this week.

At the same meeting where the commission selected the six people to interview, its members voted to extend the application deadline until the job is filled or the commission opts to close it.

The new applicants:

Martin Ashby of Republic, Ohio, real-estate broker, M.J. Ashley Realty; superintendent of Pschtecin Public Schools of Columbus, 2005-13.

Diane Gonda of Youngstown, AmeriCorps VISTA, White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong Communities May/June 2015 and a substitute teacher, Youngstown City Schools.

James Powell of Avon, Ohio, superintendent, North Ridgeville City Schools, since 2013.

The CEO and the newly constituted academic distress commission came out of the Youngstown Plan, legislation approved last year by both houses of the state Legislature.

The CEO will have broad powers in managing the academically troubled city school district. The plan calls for the CEO to be selected by early next month.