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More parents show up for Youngstown schools community session
YOUNGSTOWN
More than 30 parents and community members attended Youngstown city schools’ community input meeting at East High School.
The Tuesday meeting had substantially more in attendance than Monday’s session, when only one parent showed up.
A third meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. today at Chaney Campus, 731 S. Hazelwood Ave.
CEO Krish Mohip said, with pleasure, the crowd was larger than any he’s seen at East for such a community meeting.
“We are all a community,” he said. “We are a community school district. That’s why I’ve asked everyone to come together and give input to help make the decision as to what’s best for the future of our district. ... We need to start making decisions on what the future of our district looks like. I’m willing to make drastic changes if that’s what the community desires or I’m willing to make none if we feel that we are doing what’s right and are on the right path.”
It was evident after parents and educators broke up into discussion groups that change is something necessary for the district.
One topic Mohip asked the groups to talk about was balanced or all-year school.
Parent RaCole Taltoan was among those in favor of a balanced calendar year, but she wanted to ensure it meshed with a summer workforce program for her son.
“I like the structure of all-year school, but I like how excited [my son] gets to work when school lets out,” she said. “I guess it’s just about asking and talking to the right people.”
A problem parent and district social worker Lawanna Sims wanted to discuss was parental involvement.
“When my son was acting up in class and having an issue, I went and sat in his classes right next to him, and there was no problem anymore,” she said. “We need more of that.”
Sims said issues arise with the involvement when students are in foster homes, live with grandparents or have parents who have to work an excess amount to make ends meet.
“We need community support for these kids,” she said.
Mohip recently installed social workers, counselors and psychology students into the district to help provide some of the wraparound services Sims discussed.
Grandparent Rosie Hall brought up another issue in the discussion: committed teachers.
“Teachers today act like they don’t care,” she said. “They want a paycheck, but they aren’t pushing these children to do what they are capable of.”
Hall recalled when she was in school there were teachers who helped everyone learn, regardless of behavior or learning style.
“We had teachers who cared,” she said. “We had Susie, John, Mary and Lou acting up, so they said, ‘You guys sit over there,’ and the teacher taught the class and then she went back to Susie, John, Mary and Lou and told them, ‘You’re going to learn whether you want to or not.’”
Mohip thanked each person for attending the second of his three scheduled meetings. He said he feels positive moving forward with the district – especially being able to tap into what the community feels it wants and needs.