Next CEO of Y’town schools must not give in to pressure

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a dozen times: The state of Ohio did not want to take over the academically imploding Youngstown City School District. It was forced to get involved to save the city’s children from the incompetence, ineptitude and lack of vision of the elected school board.

The declaration of academic emergency in 2011 by the Ohio Department of Education came after years of failing grades in the statewide tests.

But with several years under emergency, it became clear to Republican Gov. John Kasich that the traditional public education paradigm was not working in Youngstown.

Kasich asked business and community leaders in the Mahoning Valley to recommend changes to the administration and governance of the district.

Those recommendations gave rise to House Bill 70 that was passed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly and signed into law by the governor.

The measure is commonly referred to as the Youngstown Plan because it was first implemented in 2015 in the city school district.

In the end, however, it doesn’t matter what members of the marginalized Youngstown school board say, or what self-serving individuals in the district who yearn for the past contend.

The only opinions that count are those that come from Columbus.

So long as Paolo DeMaria, state superintendent of public instruction, Barbara Mattei-Smith, assistant policy director for education in the governor’s office, Kasich and legislative leaders stay committed to HB 70, it will remain intact.

Thus, the restructured academic distress commission will continue to govern the district, while the chief executive officer, appointed by the commission, will continue to have wide-ranging authority in the day-to-day running of the schools.

In other words, nothing will change in the way the district has operated when CEO Krish Mohip leaves at the end of this academic year.

Mohip, a veteran educator from Chicago, was hired in 2016 by the distress commission after a national search.

MOHIP’S CHALLENGES

As the first CEO, he not only had to chart a new academic course for the failing system but had to contend with the constant pushback from the enemies of change. There were a slew of lawsuits and unfair labor-practice complaints filed against him that created an unnecessary distraction.

In addition, the advocates of the status quo kept demanding instant academic success.

We are, therefore, not surprised that Mohip has decided to leave when his current contract expires.

He signaled earlier this year that he was open to moving on when he applied for three superintendent jobs around the country.

Mohip’s announcement last week that he is departing brought the predictable inconsequential reactions from members of the school board. Under HB 70, the board has been relegated to an advisory capacity.

The reaction that counts the most came from the Gov. Kasich’s office.

“Youngstown schools failed students for far too long,” said Jon Keeling, the governor’s press secretary. “Thanks to the new governance model made possible by the General Assembly and under Krish Mohip’s leadership during the past three years, long-overdue progress is finally emerging.”

Indeed, state officials correctly contend that it will take five to seven years for Youngstown to completely shed its long-standing reputation for academic failure.

The foundation for future success has been laid, and the mechanism for achieving the annual goals is in place. State officials also point to progress being made in numerous categories that comprise the state report card.

To be sure, the overall F grade is a disappointment, but Columbus is confident that the Youngstown district is on the right track.

Thus, Mohip’s successor must be an experienced educator who not only is committed to the Youngstown Plan, but understands there can be no compromising when it comes to implementing all the provisions of HB 70.

Indeed, the statute gives the chief executive officer unfettered authority over such important issues as labor contracts and curriculum.

We are confident that the Ohio Department of Education and the governor’s education adviser will be more than willing to work with the academic distress commission in launching the national search for a new chief executive officer.

There can be no turning back.

We remain unwavering in our support of the Youngstown Plan and the student-centric programs that are designed to do more than just meet the academic needs of Youngstown’s children.