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Youngstown Board of Education has first of a three-day retreat
YOUNGSTOWN
The Youngstown Board of Education had the first session Monday of a three-day retreat.
Members were given a legislative update on several bills in Columbus including one that centers around implementing a Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports framework.
School district CEO Krish Mohip launched PBIS in the district in March 2017.
In addition, board members voiced concerns about administrative salaries, and had a number of questions for A.J. Ginnetti, deputy chief of finance/treasurer, about the budget that should be answered by the board’s Oct. 23 meeting.
“We have a district full of administrators with bloated salaries – that’s a serious financial issue,” said board member Dario Hunter. “There needs to be some reckoning whether these expenditures you’re making get results and if these administrators are qualified for their positions.”
Other concerns stemmed from a high number of police officers in the school district.
“Folks that come into school buildings and kill people are not our kids, yet we have this heavy presence of police officers policing our kids,” said board member Jackie Adair.
Adair said another problem facing the district is one of cultural competency.
“The students need to have more people who look like them teaching them,” she said.
The board will host two additional meetings from 5 to 8 p.m. today and Wednesday.
Today’s meeting is to discuss the turnaround of the Trotwood Madison school district, as well as an update on Lorain City Schools.
Lorain, like Youngstown City Schools, is under the auspices of House Bill 70.
HB 70, commonly referred to as the Youngstown Plan, was signed into law by Gov. John Kasich in July 2015. It enabled a state-appointed academic distress commission to hire a CEO to lead the district. The bill gives the CEO complete operational, managerial and instructional control. The elected school board now serves in an advisory capacity.
Wednesday’s meeting centers around governance and Mohip will be present.