Schools’ CEO hears from teachers

By Denise Dick | October 13, 2016 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

City school district CEO Krish Mohip says the district’s teachers are some of the best he’s encountered.

“They are the most caring, competent and committed teachers I’ve ever dealt with,” the chief executive officer said at the first meeting Wednesday of his 30-member teachers’ advisory group.

In listing aspects of the district that are working well, teachers talked about some after-school activities. They didn’t only talk about what’s working, though.

Some teachers had concerns about elements of the curriculum and frequent changes in school alignment and programs over the last few years.

“The teachers didn’t hold back,” Mohip said.

He plans to meet with the committee monthly. When he first announced plans for a teachers’ advisory committee, the panel was to include 14, but he increased that number because many more educators were interested in serving.

“I think this was a good meeting,” the CEO said.

To select teachers for the committee, Mohip asked each school principal to recommend two teachers to be members. The president and two vice presidents of the Youngstown Education Association, the teachers’ union, also sit on the panel.

“I believe Mr. Mohip sincerely wants to listen to teachers and for teachers to have a voice,” said Paula Valentini, a YEA vice president and veteran teacher.

Valentini, who teaches at Harding Elementary School, said that since passage last year of House Bill 70, also called the Youngstown Plan, teachers have realized that it’s time for them to speak up. HB 70 created a five-member Academic Distress Commission that appointed Mohip as the district’s CEO.

Remaining quiet and behind-the-scenes can be detrimental to teachers and to the school district as well, Valentini said.

She’s been asked during her time in the city schools to provide input on a curriculum change after it’s been implemented. It’s more rare though for administrators to seek teachers’ views in selecting curriculum.

Cheryl Vanatsky, a special education teacher at William Holmes McGuffey Elementary School, said that the advisory committee is the first time in her teaching career — including 12 years in Youngstown — an administrator has asked for teacher input.

“I’ve never really been asked for my opinion,” Vanatsky said.

Mohip told the teachers he is open to feedback.

,. and he won’t hold grudges.