Plans for Youngstown upperclassmen to attend Choffin half the day starting next year
Aimed at improving graduation rates and better positioning Youngstown school students for after graduation, the Youngstown City School District is again restructuring some grades.
Starting next school year, 11th and 12th graders from Chaney and East High Schools in Youngstown will head to Choffin Career and Technical Center for part of their school day.
"I think that our children will be more prepared than ever by doing this," School Board Member Brenda Kimble said.
Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor said this move isn't entirely new: more than 80 percent of students already attend a half-day program at Choffin.
What is new is that now, all upperclassmen will choose a track, whether it's a hands-on trade or another program. Students will also have the option to pursue college credit plus courses.
Potential programs for students to pursue at Choffin include cosmetology, business, YOUMed Academy, arts, public safety and Skilled Trades, among others.
Batchelor said, "This is a way to ensure all our students get a pathway before they graduate."
Youngstown City School District's Director of Communications and Public Relations Stacy Quinones said under Batchelor's leadership, the YSCD has made "significant strides in program development, career and technical education expansion, and academic innovation."
Elective classes will remain at the home high schools while some courses like manufacturing may shift to Choffin, but a teacher's union memo 21 News obtained makes clear any rumors that electives are being cut are false.
The district said no official announcements have been made regarding the Choffin plans but that more information is to come "in the near future."
9th and 10th graders would stay at the high schools.
YCSD's full statement:
"The path forward is not one of silence but of strategic advocacy," Batchelor concluded. "Youngstown will continue to fight for equity while safeguarding every dollar that helps
our children thrive."
Although no formal plan has been finalized or formally announced, the district ensures every scholar has a pathway to college or career readiness. Eighty percent of juniors and seniors at YCSD already attend Choffin Career and Technical Center. The district seeks to increase that number by offering additional programs to already available career readiness programs such as cosmetology, business, YOUMed Academy, the Arts, Public Safety, and Skilled Trades.
Youngstown City School District will maintain its College Credit Plus option for eligible scholars and offer the Y-STAR scholarship, which is unique to YCSD only. Through the generous support of the Youngstown Foundation, Y-STAR offers eligible YCSD graduates a tuition-free degree, in addition to housing and meals, at no cost at Youngstown State University.
The current plans do not remove opportunities; instead, they increase educational opportunity, one of our central priorities at Youngstown City Schools. More information will be released in the near future.