YOUNGSTOWN - Legislators are asking to collaborate with the Youngstown City School District (YCSD) Board to dissolve academic distress commissions.

Two bills are expected to be brought up to the YCSD board by State Senator Al Cutrona and State Representative Lauren McNally.

Senate Bill 332 introduced by Cutrona dissolves academic distress commissions and instead requires student support teams for certain low-performing school buildings.

House Bill 610 by McNally dissolves existing academic distress commissions and repeals the law that creates new commissions.

The two bills have differences, but both aim to remove academic distress commissions.

“We're trying to really put a lid on the final finality of academic distress commissions completely for the state of Ohio,” said McNally. “Academic distress commissions have been a complete failed experiment, quite frankly, and the General Assembly has already admitted to that because we put moratoriums on any other school district in the state falling into academic distress.”

Under the 2015 Youngstown plan, the state had complete control over the district's decisions. Some of that control has since been restored to the district.

YCSD is the only Ohio school left in academic distress, which shifts decision-making from the school to the state.

Since there's been state oversight of the district, its structure changed multiple times.

“It's affected our funding that I think this whole community is aware of under both CEOs, not just one. It pulled programs, much needed programs that we had just created because we were actually moving forward when the state took over,” said Brenda Kimble, board member of the YCSD.

Cutrona told 21 News YCSD has been doing better without being controlled by a CEO. He also said the academic distress commission model has not been successful.

YCSD Board member Joseph Meranto, who is in favor of both bills, told 21 News school takeovers take away the community's voice, and never work.

A YCSD spokesperson sent 21 News a statement, saying the district is in favor of the bills.

“The Youngstown City School District continues to achieve progress, in particular with literacy and growing graduation rates. In addition, providing access to pathways such as the 5-star Choffin Career and Technical Center and the 4.5-star Youngstown Rayen Early College High School. The district is greatly committed to collaborating with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and proudly supports legislative initiatives to create an even more empowering educational environment by transitioning away from the Academic Distress Commission model.”


Cutrona, McNally and a member of the Ohio Education Association are expected to discuss the bills at Tuesday's board meeting.

“We are actually going down to the school board meeting to ask for their support for our bills. We want to make sure that we're working with our school board and our school superintendent so that they are supportive of the actions that we're doing,” said McNally.