Amid the calls for an ethics investigation, Youngstown City Schools CEO Krish Mohip continues to defend his use of the i-Ready afterschool program and potential conflict of interest. 

A press release was sent out Monday night in response to recent reports and state representatives calling into question Mohip's business dealings with Curriculum Associates. the company that develops and markets i-Ready and ERD, or Education Research and Development Institute, which provides feedback to educational companies including Curriculum Associates. 

Vindy.com reports Mohip was a paid consultant for ERD at the time he contracted with Curriculum Associates to bring i-Ready to Youngstown schools.

State representatives Michele Lepore-Hagan and John Boccieri both are calling for an ethics investigation. 

Boccieri said, “This news demands a thorough look at the plan again. The state would not let any of the 600 superintendents receive a paycheck from a vendor they were using taxpayer dollars to purchase services from. There are just no clear boundaries in this case.”

Mohip strongly denies any implication that he was ever paid by i-Ready or any other vendor. 

"There is nothing here, and if there is any independent inquiry the investigation will show that I never received any payment from Curriculum Associates or any other vendor," Mohip said.

The release says the ERD Institute does not own or have an interest in i-Ready or the company that develops and markets it, called Curriculum Associates. Curriculum Associates and i-Ready do not own or have an interest in the ERD Institute. 

Mohip says he chose the i-Ready program because it helped him turn around some of the lowest-performing schools in Chicago. 

"We picked i-Ready for Chicago schools because we believed it would best serve the needs of our students," Mohip said. "I saw how it helped light a fire for our students. That's the same reason we decided to bring the program to the Youngstown City Schools."

According to YCS, in five months, afterschool students using the i-Ready program achieved a full year's growth in reading. The same afterschool students also saw three-quarters of a year's growth in math. 

Also in the release, Mohip said he understands that the position of CEO and decisions that the CEO makes have constantly been under the microscope because school boards and some state legislators may hope to overturn parts of House Bill 70, the academic turnaround statute that put Youngstown City Schools under the control of a CEO.   

“I have no problem with citizens, schools boards, or legislators who disagree with the law,” Mohip said.  “That’s their job to represent their constituency’s feelings and opinions.  However, my job is to turn around this district and give our students a chance to succeed.  I understand everything I do is under a microscope, but I still plan to turn this school district around.”