Five members announced

Joint statement made concerning Academic Distress Commission

In a joint statement between the Ohio Department of Education, city of Lorain and Lorain City School Board, the five members of the new Lorain Academic Distress Commission were announced April 6 through a news release.

Three members of the commission chosen by Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMaria include: Dr. Michele Soliz, assistant vice president of student success and inclusion at University of Toledo; Patricia O’Brien, executive director of The Stocker Foundation;

and Anthony Richardson, program officer of The Nord Family Foundation.

Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer chose John Monteleone as a resident to represent the interests of the city.

Monteleone served as

“experience, diversity, intelligence, local roots and a strong belief in public service are all represented.”

— Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer

principal of Washington Elementary before accepting a position as assistant superintendent at Oberlin City Schools.

And Lorain School Board President Tim Williams chose teacher Dorinda Hall, an academic instruction coach, with an alternate of Steve Cawthon, a teacher at Lorain High School.

“This is a very favorable commission,” Williams said.

“Lorain is a proud community,” DeMaria said. “I am impressed by the commitment and dedication of

teachers, administrators, civic leaders and the community working together to make city schools better.

“The academic distress commission will go about its work valuing all that is taking place and building on the progress being made with the goal that all students succeed.

“We are grateful to these new commission members for their expertise and willingness to support the goal of a high-quality education system in Lorain.”

Ritenauer said he is impressed with the quality of the appointees to the academic distress commission.

“Experience, diversity, intelligence, local roots and a strong belief in public service

are all represented,” Ritenauer said. “These attributes are essential in earning community trust in the academic distress commission process.

“The appointees to the commission represent a positive step forward for the schools and for the entire Lorain community, and I look forward to doing my part as mayor to assure that our students have access to quality education and opportunity.”

Around the community, several people expressed interest in serving on the commission, Ritenauer said.

He added he had no formal application process; Monteleone’s background made him an ideal candidate.

“He was recommended by a number of people, to be quite honest, and he was interested in the appointment,” Ritenauer said.

The mayor acknowledged some residents also suggested he take the seat, but Monteleone would contribute more.

“My appointment is in very good hands with John Monteleone,” Ritenauer said.

The mayor also emphasized he was pleased with the state superintendent’s selections of people who are from the city and have connections to the schools.

No one wants Lorain City Schools to be in academic distress, but the new

commission is a positive step in a negative situation, Ritenauer said.

Speaking for the school board, Williams said, they really appreciate the collaborative process the state and city have taken with this initiative.

“They have recognized that the success of our district is directly correlated to its community engagement,” he said. “State Superintendent DeMaria shared with us earlier how impressed he was with the broad range of community support we have here in our district.

“I believe this commission represents a solid continuation of that tradition here in Lorain. This commission will allow us to

continue to build upon the work that has been done and the progress that has been made.”

The Stocker Foundation is dedicated to increasing literacy of underprivileged children. Hall and Richardson sat on a citizen committee that in 2015, hired current Lorain Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff Graham.

The commission will carry on the duties laid out in law to support improvement and excellence in the district, the release related.