YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown City Schools’ next superintendent will be current CEO Justin Jennings beginning in June.

Jennings initially will work as the district’s interim CEO for one month before becoming its permanent superintendent under a new contract approved Tuesday through July 31, 2027.

Jennings’ interim tag will be for one month because, by law, he cannot have a contract for more than a five-year term.

It was a 5-to-2 vote to name him the district’s next superintendent, with board members Brenda Kimble and Jerome Williams voting no. Board members Tiffany Patterson, Juanita Walker, Tina Cvetkovich, Kenneth Donaldson Sr. and Dawn Turnage voted to appoint Jennings as superintendent.

“I am excited,” Jennings said after the vote. “Now we get to begin to work officially, so I’m ready to work.”

Jennings’ goal is to continue to do everything he can to help the district get out of academic distress.

“That’s been the goal,” he said.

Patterson, the board president, described the vote as the right thing for the district.

“We started this in February,” she said. “We felt this is best decision for the district. We’ve shown progress since the plan has been in place. It makes sense just to keep him in place.”

Kimble disagreed saying the grades in the school buildings have continued to decline.

“He is giving our programs — licensed practical nursing and dentistry — away,” Kimble said about programs tying the district to the community. “We are losing programs that were taught at Choffin. All of these things were part of House Bill 70. They are finishing off HB 70.”

Youngstown, along with Lorain and East Cleveland school districts, have been under state control because each district received overall F grades on the state report card for at least four years in a row.

FIRST IN DISTRESS

Youngstown was the first school district to fall under state control under the HB 70 plan in 2015. The two other districts fell under state control later.

Once under state control, the state was able to name chief executive officers for day-to-day operations. Academic distress commissions assumed authority from elected school boards over spending and operations.

The Youngstown school board led the effort to overturn HB 70 in the courts. In May 2020, a divided Ohio Supreme Court ruled the state did not overstep its bounds when it enacted the law that allowed the takeover of failing school districts.

However, in 2021, state lawmakers, crafted ways for the failing schools to move from under HB 70, but only if they achieve certain academic goals over three to five years.

Under a state law passed in 2021, if the school district hired the CEO as the superintendent, the state would pay the superintendent’s salary and benefits.

Jennings in his current position as CEO earns $190,000 per year. He will earn the same amount as superintendent over the next three year as the district works to move from under academic distress.

If the school district fails to move from under academic distress in three years, the district can appeal for another two years, where the state will continue to pay the superintendent’s salary and benefits.

“At that time, the district will decide whether it wants to keep me and take over paying my salary and benefits,” Jennings said.

If the school district fails to move from under the academic distress designation, the state will, once again, take over the district and name a new academic distress commission.

The board will be looking to replace former treasurer A.J. Ginnetti, who became the Boardman schools treasurer on May 2. Jennings also will have to replace the district’s curriculum director.