YOUNGSTOWN — Ohio’s interim schools superintendent approved academic improvement plans for Youngstown and two other school districts under the control of academic distress commissions.

With these approvals, the Youngstown, Lorain and East Cleveland school districts may now begin a process with several steps to move from under state to local school board of education control.

“We need to begin to outline what will happen from now through the end of June 30,” Ronald Shadd, Youngstown Board of Education president, said. “It is a large task. The bulk of the work will have to happen after Jan. 1.”

Shadd noted that the approval of the plan on Friday by the Ohio Department of Education is the culmination of work that began long before Ohio legislators earlier this year provided the districts a path to move from under state control..

Youngstown was the first school district that was brought under state control under legislation known as House Bill 70 in 2015.

Under that plan, academic distress commissions and chief executive officers took over operations of school districts that for three years in a row had failing overall grades on state report cards.

East Cleveland and Lorain districts were placed under state control shortly after Youngstown schools.

LONG FIGHT

The Youngstown Board of Education has fought the state takeover nearly from the beginning.

“This plan began in 2015 when we, as a community, drew a line in the sand,” Shadd noted. “We fought for this opportunity to restore democracy, to demand accountability, and to positively impact our students and families. We now embark upon this dream for our future. We must stay committed to our ideals which have led us to this opportunity. We will become a better school district.”

The board will have a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. today at the Choffin Career and Technical Center to discuss the plan moving forward.

Although Shadd did not win re-election in November’s school board race, he wants the next board leaders to know he is willing to do whatever he can to help after Jan. 1.

“I want to stay involved,” Shadd said. “I am willing to come in and do whatever the board needs me to do. Just because you lose an election does not be mean you go away. This is still my community and if there are ways for me to help, I want to do so.”

Shadd emphasized the current board, and the new one, must work with the district’s administration to get prepared for the start of the next academic year.

“The days of the district not being transparent in what it is doing should be done,” Shadd said. “Everything that is done, the board will be accountable.”

WORK TO DO

There are issues Youngstown schools still must address. These are submitting a request to modify the improvement plan and annual targets after complete baseline year data becomes available, setting graduation credit requirements, expanding career technical education for seventh- and eighth-grade students on an annual basis and defining what is “proficient or higher” on relevant tests.

Stephanie K. Siddens, interim state superintendent for instruction, noted the state recognizes districts have had to work harder to support students as a result of pandemic-related challenges. She added, however, districts still must maintain high academic standards.

“The benchmarks (in the plans) are designed to determine whether, after three years of implementation, the district is making sufficient progress on long-term goals to justify the continued implementation of the plan rather than reverting to the oversight of an academic distress commission,” Siddens noted in her letter to the Youngstown schools.

State Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan, D-Youngstown, who has worked with the school board in its effort to restore local control, congratulated Shadd on getting the district’s improvement plan accepted by the state.

“A fair and equitable education is guaranteed to all Ohio children. Thanks to your diligence, our kids may finally realize this possibility,” she wrote.

Lorain school board President Mark Ballard said the districts having their plans approved is a win for the entire state.

“The implementation of HB -70 was devastating for education and especially these three districts,” Ballard said. “There were other districts that were tuned up and lined up to go under state control.”

He emphasized that it was Youngstown’s school board that led the fight against HB-70 and state takeover.

Youngstown, Lorain and East Cleveland will be able to move completely from under state control, if they are able to achieve the majority of objectives in the academic improvement plans.

“If the state ODE throws a lot of clean balls and strikes, we’ll get through this in three years,” Ballard said.

However, for those that do not achieve the majority of their goals in their improvement plans, they can work for two additional years. Any district that does not achieve its goals after the final review in June 2027 may be placed once again under state control and an academic distress commission.