YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – Moving forward, Youngstown City Schools may be in session throughout the year, bypassing summer break.
CEO Krish Mohip sent out a video to his staff, updating them on the possible change. He also discussed transportation problems and teacher salaries.
“Teachers have been asking [about] where we are going, parents have been asking,” Mohip said. “That’s the reason we had five community meetings. That’s the reason why I was trying to get input from everybody from all spaces and all walks of town.”
Mohip is referring to the all-year calendar idea as a “balanced calendar.”
He worries about students not retaining information in the ten weeks of summer vacation.
“I don’t want people thinking ‘year-round,'” he said. “When they hear ‘year-round,’ they think I’m adding days. I am not adding days to the calendar.”
There are 183 days in the Youngstown City Schools’ calendar. That would not change.
Instead of a ten-week summer vacation, Mohip’s balanced calendar model consists of a two-week break in the fall and spring, a three-week winter break, and a six-week summer break.
He said he has experience with implementing the balanced calendar model in schools.
“My teachers liked it. They didn’t like it at first, but when I went back and surveyed them, 97 percent of my teachers like that balanced calendar approach.”
He believes the balanced calendar model is successful because by the time students and teachers get tired of school, it’s time for a break.
Still, having school throughout the year is not a done deal yet.
Mohip and his team asked teachers to fill out surveys. Their input, as well as the input from the community meetings last month, will go into the decision.
“We’re looking over the trends, the data, and what the community wants,” Mohip said.
As far as transportation for the school district, he admitted Youngstown is struggling.
“And to no fault of anybody. It’s just difficult for parents to get kids on buses and when they don’t get buses, they just don’t come to school.”
Mohip and his administration will meet during spring break next week to solidify their plans.
He knows transitions in a student’s life in the first 18 years can be detrimental. That’s why he said once a decision is made, it’s not going to change.
“We’re being very thoughtful because when we make this decision, we don’t want to revisit it in the coming years. We want to make sure that this is right for the district, this is right for our community, and we don’t mess with it again. We’re either going to fail together or we’re going to succeed together.”
Mohip also mentioned his teachers aren’t paid what they’re worth, but he’s working on it.
“I’m happy and willing to pay you what you need,” he said. “I need every single one of you back here next year…I know you’re looking at jobs. I know you’re trying to leave. We lost 20 percent of our staff last year and we can’t continue to do that. I will do everything I can to make this place a district that you’re proud of.”