YOUNGSTOWN — School board members are formulating early plans now that they have a pathway to be removed from under the chief executive officer / academic distress commission model of governance the district has been under since 2015.

The board met Tuesday to discuss the work needed to regain local control of the district’s operations.

Attorney Edward L. Ostrowski of Youngstown recommended that the board hire a professional to help write the required academic improvement plan, which must be filed before Dec. 29.

“It should not be written only by a board member or even a group of board members,” Ostrowski said. “It should be done in consultation with the CEO and the ADC.”

The academic improvement plan must be approved by the state superintendent.

Between Sept. 30 and Dec. 29, the board — working with CEO Justin Jennings, the academic distress commission members and community stakeholders — will be required to come up with a three-year achievement plan to submit to the state superintendent for review and recommendations.

“Stakeholders are community residents, parents, school employees and anyone else with interests in the improvement of the schools for the city’s children,” Ostrowski said. “There should be a lot of interest.”

If the state superintendent makes changes to what is submitted, the board will be given 15 days to make modifications to the superintendent’s recommendations.

“The board shall begin to implement the plan from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2025,” Ostrowski said. “The plan’s progress will be reviewed on an annual basis.”

Ostrowski emphasized the plan will be whatever is agreed upon by the district that formulated it and the state superintendent.

“There has been no guidance given,” he said.

While saying members of the Youngstown school board should stay in contact with similarly situated boards in East Cleveland and Lorain, each improvement plan should be unique to the needs in their districts.

Jennings will continue to have operational control of the district until June 2022.

“On July 1, 2021, the chief executive officer is removed and the district’s board shall resume all powers granted to it under Ohio law,” Ostrowski said. “The district may hire the former CEO as its superintendent. If so, Ohio Department of Education will compensate the individual under the terms of the CEO contract.”

However, if the district removes the CEO and hires someone else as the superintendent, the district will pay the new superintendent from its own budget.

Sometime during the three-year period, the state auditor will be required to complete a performance audit of the district.

Board member Jackie Adair questioned whether the school district would have to pay the cost of the performance audit or if it would be charged to the state. Youngstown Schools Auditor A.J. Ginnetti said he did not have a definitive answer.

“Since it is part of the legislation, I would assume the state pays for it, but I don’t know,” Ginnetti said.

Board member Brenda Kimble noted that the Ohio School Board Association said the organization would provide assistance to the three school boards in Ohio throughout this process of moving from commission to board control.

Board President Ronald Shadd said that he does not know how the state’s new report card legislation, which passed after the Ohio’s two-year budget passed, will affect their efforts to regain self-control.

Shadd said that over the next several weeks, he will draft how the board meeting will operate and how various committees will work with members of the district leadership to make sure the board is fully informed about the decision-making process and are able to provide input.

rsmith@tribtoday.com