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District, not state, has been paying Mohip
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown City Schools, not the Ohio Department of Education, has been paying CEO Krish Mohip’s salary for the past two years.
Mohip is supposed to be paid by the ODE, but A.J. Ginnetti, district deputy chief of finance/treasurer, revealed at a special school board meeting Wednesday evening that the district has been footing that bill. Mohip’s salary is now $170,000 after a few salary increases.
District spokeswoman Denise Dick said the arrangement is that the state is to reimburse the district, but Ginnetti said it hasn’t.
Board President Brenda Kimble said this shouldn’t be happening under House Bill 70.
“Mr. Mohip is an employee of the state, not an employee of the district,” Kimble said.
HB 70, also known 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 Mohip to lead the district with complete operational, managerial and instructional control.
John Richard, an ODE employee and chairman of the distress commission overseeing Mohip, said he would “prefer not to be a part of that” when asked for a comment.
“This is on top of the fact that we are paying $23,000 more to look for another CEO,” Kimble added. “Nowhere in the law does it say the school district is responsible for the CEO search.”
Kimble is referring to the amount the district is paying Finding Leaders search firm of Sagamore Hills, Ohio, to find new CEO candidates because Mohip is leaving the district when his contract expires July 31. The commission selected the firm.
The district’s money matters were the topic of discussion at Wednesday’s meeting.
Board member Jackie Adair asked a number of questions about the finances, including the definitions of line items on the budget. Adair said the format of the financial update has changed, and she cannot decipher what the report is trying to tell the board.
Ginnetti provided Adair with definitions.
Board member Ron Shadd wanted to know where the money went that was supposed to be spent in the classroom.
“There has been $4.5 million less spent in the classroom on instruction since the CEO has been here,” he said.
Shadd asked where that money was spent, but Ginnetti had no answer.
Asked after the meeting, Kimble said she didn’t know.
“We don’t get any information,” she said.
Dick said it’s difficult to respond to that contention about spending when the people making the charge can’t explain what they mean.
“Is the board referring to personnel like principals, assistant principals, instructional framework specialists or chiefs who deal with academics? While those people may not be directly in front of a classroom all day, the work they do certainly enhances academics and instruction. Are they referring to technology? We’ve invested money in technology to help prepare our students for life after high school, whether that be in college, in a trade school, the military or the job market. Or are they including professional development, which helps our educators improve and sharpen their abilities so they can offer improved instruction for students? Whatever they’re including in that figure, all of the spending under CEO Mohip’s tenure has been student-centered.”
Dick added that the district is forecast to have a $20 million surplus by 2021.
“Back in 2016 when Mohip began as [the district’s] CEO, the forecast developed under board governance showed a surplus of less than half that amount,” she said.