State report card is proof of Y’town schools’ failing

Although Ohio’s school districts did not receive overall grades in the state report cards issued last week, it’s safe to say that the troubled Youngstown system scored an F.

But that isn’t surprising given the downward academic trajectory the urban district has followed for the past six years.

With no A’s, one B, two C’s, one D and 12 F’s on its transcript, Youngstown clearly needs aggressive intervention.

Indeed, the results of the state testing vindicate Republican Gov. John R. Kasich, who persuaded the GOP- controlled General Assembly to enact legislation to deal with the persistent academic failure in Youngstown.

House Bill 70, which contains the so-called Youngstown Plan, aims to restructure failing school districts.

It calls for the appointment of an academic distress commission to govern the system in place of the elected school board.

The commission’s most important responsibility is the appointment of a chief executive officer whose authority and powers are clearly defined in the law.

The new Youngstown School District Academic Distress Commission was created last year, and this summer named Krish Mohip, an experienced educator from Chicago, to serve as the chief executive officer.

Mohip began work at the end of June and had 90 days to submit an academic recovery plan to the commission. He did so two weeks ago.

Here’s what the introduction to the blueprint says, in part:

“As the highest priority, the Youngs-town City School District’s three-year plan focuses on academic achievement. High-quality instruction aligned to the Ohio Learning Standards will be the focus everyday in every classroom.”

Given last week’s report, it’s clear that without the “Youngstown Plan,” the district was certainly doomed to continued failure. Now, there’s a chance for a turnaround.

The grades

Opponents of the restructuring and advocates of the status quo should study the report card, which is based on the district’s performance in six components during the 2015-16 school year: Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Graduation Rate, K-3 Literacy and Prepared for Success. There also were letter grades for many individual measures within the components.

CEO Mohip is well aware that while this year’s report is not a reflection on him personally, it does continue to place the district in a bad light.

His immediate reaction Thursday to The Vindicator shortly after the results were made public reveals his strategy for building bridges within the district.

“This is not a direct reflection of the passion and dedication of the teachers we have,” the former administrator, principal and teacher said. “We have to use all of the resources of the district and provide all the needed support.”

But the question that looms today is one that has been asked many times before: Is it possible to solve the systemic problems that have plagued the urban school district, given the economic and social challenges confronting the students?

In a meeting recently with Vindicator writers, Mohip acknowledged there are numerous hurdles that must be cleared, foremost of which is the well-being of the students.

Many years ago, a president of the teachers’ union, responding to a question from a Vindicator writer, said teachers aren’t social workers. They are paid to educate students and nothing more, he insisted.

When Mohip was told about that comment, he responded in a way that should reassure the community: “We do have to be social workers in urban districts.” But he also noted that the parents and the community must be more engaged in the lives of the students.

The CEO is well aware that there are children who are at risk because of their dysfunctional home lives. He talked about developing a check-in/check-out program that would assign adults to the at-risk students to make sure they are at school each day and get home safely at the end of the day.

It has been said that Youngstown’s children require a holistic approach to education. Mohip’s academic recovery plan is designed to meet that goal.

The 2017 state report card will show if the district is on the right path.