YOUNGSTOWN — Longtime community activist Jimma McWilson will lead meetings this summer detailing the academic performance of Youngstown city schools — and what he terms a failure of black leaders to fix it.

A current and a former school board member, however, respond that’s an irresponsible position to take and note that their service to the schools stemmed from concern for the community and the future of Youngstown’s children.

McWilson is a former vice president with the Youngstown NAACP. He is financing this project on his own.

The first virtual meeting, “The Intellectual Welfare Begins,” will take place June 22. It will discuss how McWilson said black community leaders have failed black students in the Youngstown schools. Subsequent meetings will be held July 22 and Aug. 22.

All “authentic black community leaders” are invited to attend, he said. Those interested in registering for the meeting can register at africaneducationparty@gmail.com.

“Black leadership must hold some accountability for what is happening today,” he said. “Our community is not holding our leaders’ feet to the fire.”

There have been more than 22 years of the schools receiving state report card grades that have been in either “D” and “F ranges, regardless of the school leaders, McWilson said Monday.

He has documented that the school district received failing grades on its state report cards from 1998 through 2002; in 2005, 2009 and 2010; and from 2016 through 2019. During the years it did not earn overall “F” grades, the district climbed to a “D.”

McWilson is concerned about what this has done to years of students attending and graduating from the Youngstown City School District.

“Who were the people serving on these boards?” McWilson questioned. “They included our current mayor.”

Lock P. Beachum Sr. said he gave 43 years of his adult life to the school district. He worked as a teacher, principal, board member and as the board president. He also served on Youngstown City Council.

“I believe I gave great service,” Beachum said.

Current school board member Ronald Shadd said McWilson’s claim is “extremely irresponsible” given the state of education in urban communities nationwide.

“These districts are having challenges that include high rates of poverty and the effects of it, children and families experiencing various forms of trauma who go without assistance, and a lack of funding for evidence-based solutions,” Shadd noted. “Districts are faced with changing state standards and high stakes examinations, unfunded mandates, and state takeovers leaving districts worse off academically and financially than they were while under elected local control, to name a few.”

Shadd emphasized the majority of those who served on the school board did so out of their concern for the community and the future of Youngstown’s children.

“McWilson believes we have failed. However I and others have not failed to fight for our children and community,” Shadd said. ” I believe we all take credit for fighting against the odds, and we were not afraid to stand up for our children.”

Shadd emphasized that the city school district has done worse on its report cards over the last five years while it has been under the state-imposed authority of an academic distress commission and a CEO than it did under the elected school board.

Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, who had served on the school board, did not respond to a call for comment.

McWilson argues the Youngstown schools need to follow the example of successful school districts that have similar, if not the same, demographics as the city.

“They must follow role model schools,” McWilson said. “What is being done in Youngstown must be reviewed every nine weeks to make sure they are going in the right direction. We can’t wait for an annual review.”

rsmith@tribtoday.com