Y’town schools CEO sends clear message to city BOE

Youngstown schools Chief Executive Officer Krish Mohip’s naming of Joseph Meranto as the district’s superintendent is another public rebuke of the board of education.

It’s time board members accepted the reality that Mohip isn’t about to delegate to them the powers conferred upon him by the state law that lays out how academically failing school systems like Youngstown’s are to be governed.

Indeed, the law, which originated in the General Assembly as House Bill 70, is commonly referred to as the Youngstown Plan.

It gives the chief executive officer, who is appointed by a special state-mandated academic distress commission, total operational control of the district.

In other words, the elected school board no longer sets policy and does not have the power to hire or fire anyone. Mohip has offered to let members serve in an advisory capacity, which means he is under no obligation to listen to them.

In appointing Meranto superintendent – the veteran Youngstown educator had served as interim superintendent since early July – Mohip knocked the school board down another peg.

The board had sent him the names of three individuals who had emerged as finalists after the application review and interview process. The board recommended Andre Cowling as its top choice, with Martha Hasselbusch and Diane Longstreth as the alternates.

The names were contained in an email from board President Brenda Kimble to Mohip. The CEO replied he would take the recommendation under consideration. He then selected Meranto.

The director of the Choffin Career and Technical Center for the past 13 years had submitted his application for the superintendent’s job, but there is now some question as to whether he was formally interviewed by the board of education. He says he does not consider the conversation he had with the members to be a formal interview. The board disagrees.

Nonetheless, he has the job because that’s who Mohip believes is the proper fit in the overall scheme that has been developed by the CEO, with the approval of the academic distress commission.

Mohip has spent the last year putting in place a new education structure to ensure that learning takes place in and out of the classroom.

The goal is to improve Youngstown students’ performance in the state proficiency tests and to provide them with the credentials and academic preparedness to attend college.

The urban school district with a large number of students coming from dysfunctional homes or families that fall under the federal poverty guidelines can ill afford to be distracted by a school board that refuses to accept the dilution of its authority.

AWAITING LEGAL RULING

That’s why we again urge the 10th District Court of Appeals in Columbus to render a decision on the constitutionality of House Bill 70. The legal challenge was filed by the Youngstown Education Association, Ohio Education Association, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Ohio Council 8 and Jane Haggerty, a city school teacher and district resident.

Earlier this year, the school board sought to delay implementation of HB 70 – the Youngstown Plan – while the case was being adjudicated, but the 10th District court denied the motion.

It should be noted the school board’s recommendation for superintendent came on a 4-2 vote. Members Dario Hunter and Corrine Sanderson voted no. Hunter said he believed the word “recommend” in the resolution was inappropriate, which makes us wonder if he believes the board had the authority to hire the superintendent.

Here’s a reality check: It would not have mattered to Mohip had the board chosen to appoint the superintendent because he controls the district’s treasury and would not have approved payment of a salary.

The start of school is about a month away, which means the focus of everyone involved in the district should be centered on one thing only: setting the stage for students to hit the academic ground running.

There’s no time to waste over the petty arguments that have ensued since the district reorganization law went into effect.

Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich and the Ohio Department of Education have made it clear that Youngstown is on a short leash. They want to see marked improvement in test scores in the next two years, or they will begin exploring other options to ensure Youngstown’s children receive the education they deserve.