NAACP rates CEO qualifications

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown chapter of the NAACP doled out a number of F grades for the new Youngstown City Schools CEO qualifications.

“In qualifications it states an Ohio superintendent certification is preferred, but not required,” explained George Freeman, NAACP Youngstown chapter president.

He continued to explain superintendent experience, urban experience, turnaround experience, knowledge of Ohio school funding and more are also preferred but not required.

“We’re going to pay this much money to lower the standards,” Freeman said.

The qualifications are sought by Finding Leaders, a search firm retained by the school district’s academic distress commission. The salary for the new CEO is between $170,000 and $190,000.

The two areas that scored with As were excellent communication and people skills.

Also discussed during Monday’s meeting was the state Department of Education’s lowering of standards for black students and raising of standards for white students.

The academic expectations/goals for black students is 63.4 and white students is 86.4 on a 120-point scale for proficiency.

“We would like to see the standards level,” Freeman said.

By level, Freeman explained, he means the same across the board for white and black students.

“Everybody is going to have to seek employment after high school,” he said. “At this rate, black children are never able to compete with white children.”

Dan Minnich, Ohio Department of Education communications and outreach executive director, said: “Ohio’s long-term goal is to eliminate achievement gaps so that all students are proficient or higher. The federal Every Student Succeeds Act as well as Ohio law both require that every student becomes proficient. The long-term goal for all subgroups of students [grouped by language abilities, socioeconomic status, racial or ethnic identification, etc.] is for those that are struggling to eventually catch up and close the achievement gap with other students.”