Lorain leader calls HB 70 like leading sheep to slaughter

YOUNGSTOWN — House Bill 70’s impact on public education is the equivalent to “leading sheep to slaughter,” said a Lorain school board member.

Tim Williams described his district as “captured” by HB 70 during tonight’s community meeting hosted by Youngstown Board of Education members and the Community Leaders Coalition on Education, which is composed by a group of local concerned community activists.

The meeting was at Elizabeth Missionary Baptist Church’s Family Life Center on Garland Avenue on the East Side.

HB 70 was the main topic of discussion at the meeting. Gov. John Kasich signed it into law by in July 2015. It enabled a state-appointed academic distress commission to hire Youngstown schools CEO Krish Mohip to lead Youngstown City Schools. The bill gives Mohip complete operational, managerial and instructional control.

Lorain schools are also under the auspices of HB 70.

Despite trying to learn from Youngstown’s mistakes, Williams said Lorain schools are in the same poor academic state as Youngstown schools.

“These experiments are not new,” Williams said in reference to HB 70. “When you disengage a community from things fundamentally indigenous to that community the outcome you get is not excitable.”

Williams referred to HB 70 as “a crafty version of taxation without representation” and called it “one of the worst pieces of legislation ever drafted.”

For the complete story, read Wednesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com