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Information was given at a meeting that board members left
YOUNGSTOWN
Krish Mohip, Youngstown City Schools chief executive officer, maintains that the district is being transparent despite board members’ pleas for more information about the schools.
During recent board meetings, board member Jacqueline Adair expressed concern about many areas concerning the schools – including salary raises, technology spending and new positions.
She fears if Mohip continues to “spend, spend, spend,” the district will return to financial distress.
Adair said the only avenue she has been receiving information from is “rumors.”
Specifically, she sought more information about department raises without evaluation and justification; additional administrative staff without justification; a “substantial raise” for chief of academics, accountability and assessment Timothy Filipovich; and excess technology spending.
These questions have become the topic of conversation at monthly board meetings, which occur prior to the CEO’s meeting. The CEO’s own session normally takes place immediately after school board meetings.
Board member Jerome Williams suggested scheduling a separate joint meeting to specifically discuss communication between the board and the CEO.
Board member Dario Hunter said, in his opinion, Mohip has no interest in open communication.
“Having open communication would open him up to a [public relations] image he doesn’t appreciate and doesn’t want,” he said.
Mohip said he has a high interest in communicating.
“I return phone calls and I’ve offered to meet individually with board members,” he said. “Despite the outreach, some board members haven’t returned my recent phone calls. At the [Nov. 22] CEO update, three board members [Hunter, Adair and board member Corrine Sanderson] left before it began. The CEO update meeting was immediately after the board meeting and was held in the same room. Much of the information they are seeking was discussed and reported on.”
Mohip said he is going to continue to have his CEO meetings where he will be open to addressing concerns from the board.
As far as administrative positions, Mohip created chief of academics, accountability and assessments, and six deputy chiefs of transformation.
He said these positions significantly increased employees’ contracted workdays, which in turn, increase their pay.
“I’m asking a lot of these people,” he said. “This work is too important. I need people there who I believe can do the kind of work – and it’s a lot of work – required to get the job of improving services and academic achievement of our city schoolchildren done.”
Because those contracts haven’t been finalized, the district – at the direction of legal counsel – isn’t releasing the new salary amounts at this time.
Mohip announced these newly created positions and the people selected to fill them at the November CEO update meeting. The announcement came six weeks prior to any finalized contracts.
Filipovich, former executive director of teaching and learning, now serves as chief of academics, accountability and assessment. His new responsibilities include overseeing the directors of transformation, evaluating building leadership, improving the quality of instruction and holding principals accountable to school improvement goals.
The deputy chiefs of transformation are Amanda McGinnis, Kelly Weeks, Roshay Huff, Stephanie Rider, Connie Coburn and Michele McCaughtry. Their duties include both teacher and student support to foster more successful learning environments.
As far as technology spending, the technology budget for fiscal year 2017 is $2,235,992. Last year, about $2 million was allotted for technology and about $1.1 million was spent.
The difference between this and last year is the district’s technology plans.
Mohip said last year the time line was much less aggressive due to the need for teacher training on the technology and how to use it in instruction.
He said that’s not a reason to hold up the technology plan and that teachers should be given professional development to learn about and feel comfortable with varied devices sooner rather than later. The students need to have better technology sooner.
In addition, Mohip believes it makes more sense to invest in one-to-one rather than the district’s original plan of a computer lab so the students can take devices with them.