Town hall meeting held to discuss Youngstown school district control
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -
After six years of Youngstown schools being controlled by a CEO there is optimism that local control could be restored.
Parents from Youngstown, Lorraine, and East Cleveland told state lawamkers that school under the control of a CEO was not helping educate their children, but made things worse.
However parents want to know if legislation doesn't work, what's plan C?
Reverend Kenneth Simon led a zoom town hall meeting about the repeal of House Bill 70.
That bill stripped local control of public school districts in academic distress, and put those districts under the control of an appointed Chief Executive Officer.
Youngstown, Lorraine and East Cleveland are all effected.
State Senator Michael Rulli, told folks attending the meeting by phone that hope is here. He was talking about several bills that have bipartisan support including his which would restore local control.
"We are going to push Nathan Manning's piece of legislation right now because it's in front of us. If that doesn't work, Representative Miller, or Representative Lepore-Hagan, or my piece of legislation. We're not going to stop. We're never going to rest," said Rulli.
Some state lawmakers made it very clear they want Governor Mike DeWine to be part of the solution even though he inherited state take overs from former governor John Kasich.
"It is the governor's responsibility to reach out and work with us on this. This needs to happen," said State Representative Joe MIller.
"Yes he was not the governor when this legislation passed, but he's got to deal with it now, whether he wants to or not," added State Representative Kent Smith.
The group and parents are starting a letter and e-mail writing campaign to let the Governor know their wishes.
State Representative Michele-Lepore Hagan who has been working to repeal HB 70 for six years answered a parents question about plan C if legislation doesnlt work..
"I believe it will be resolved in this General Assembly, and if it's not, we have to just take it to the ballot across the board, just like we did with Senate Bill 5. We can not sit back and let this happen," emphasized Lepore-Hagan.
