State budget would put moratorium on state oversight of schools

YOUNGSTOWN

The General Assembly will approve a state budget later today that includes a moratorium on state oversight of school districts, but wouldn’t change the system in place at Youngstown and two other districts.

The moratorium on House Bill 70, also known as the Youngstown Plan, would be in place through Oct. 1, 2020, stopping the state from taking control over other academically-troubled school districts.

The Youngstown Plan was signed into law by then-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.

However, there are two other options that can take away state control of the Youngstown district as well as Lorain and East Cleveland.

One is the state Senate will consider in the coming months a bipartisan bill approved by the House to repeal the Youngstown Plan.

The other is a ruling from the Ohio Supreme Court. Oral arguments in that case will be heard Oct. 23.

For the complete story, read Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com