What's Happening in Youngstown, OH…

Krish Mohip, the CEO of Youngstown Schools, recently announced that after months of study and community meetings, the district will return to the idea of neighborhood schools.

Beginning with the next school year, students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade will attend school at the facility that is nearest to their homes. Once they graduate from junior high, they will go to either East or Chaney, attending the one located in their district.

The idea has the approval of school employees and leaders. Mohip noted that everyone said they missed Youngstown's neighborhood schools, and was happy to see them reinstated. However, Mohip emphasized that the goal of any change is to provide outstanding instruction, and there is no single model that accomplishes this. The change to neighborhood schools, however, may prove to be a more efficient way to provide that high-quality teaching.

There are a number of programs that will be offered by every school. These are fine arts, sports, physical education, technology classes, foreign languages, one-to-one device technology instruction, and STEM pathways. The early college program will not only be retained, but will be strengthened, Mohip said.

The teachers’ union is in favor of the move, and hopes that bringing schools back to the neighborhoods where students live will encourage greater parental involvement.

Efforts like this can benefit if officials work with a flyer printing company to create a mailer for district residents explaining the changes.