Turnaround plan proposed

School board puts focus on academics, social and emotional welfare

Lorain City Schools’ board of education would improve the district by focusing on academics, social and emotional wellbeing and more community and parent engagement, according to a new plan created by the board.

On May 14, Lorain School Board President Mark Ballard published The Lorain Plan, with six accountability components and key next steps to get Lorain Schools out of the state’s “academic distress” rating.

The plan was signed by Ballard and fellow board members Tony Dimacchia, Yvonne Johnson, Bill Sturgill and Timothy Williams. Ballard was to present it on May 14 at the meeting of the Ohio State Board of Education.

“It is clear that the Academic Distress Commission formula has failed,” the plan said,

“It is clear that the Academic Distress Commission formula has failed.”

— The Lorain Plan

referring to the state-appointed board that now oversees Lorain Schools.

“The elected board members of the Lorain City Schools assume responsibility for the education of our children and families,” the plan said. “We understand we must improve and we must be held accountable to provide a framework for success and the implementation of a transformation and accountability system that improves scores and thereby saving the lives of children and saving the city of Lorain.”

Under The Lorain Plan, the district no longer would have an Academic Distress Commission. The school board would hire a chief executive officer with authority granted through House Bill 70, the state law that governs school districts in academic distress.

The Lorain Plan includes three core strategies.

Transformational academic and instructional practices will use a continuous improvement model requiring alignment of all district programs and purchases. The board “will require a collaborative datadriven culture where all decisions are made through a systematic and quantifiable manner that will lead to success for all of our students.”

Another core strategy is social-emotional and wraparound services for students and families through on-site integrated services.

Poverty, socio-economic status and other conditions of life are not excuses to not succeed. But the school board would use collective efficiency and collaborative initiatives to overcome those challenges, according to the plan.

The third core strategy would be authentic community and parent engagement aligned to the goals of the board. That would happen through quarterly sessions to report on progress and a “Board of Education Report Card” published and shared with the community.

There are six accountability components, including the report card, hiring an independent board leadership consultant and working with a student support team of the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Mid-Sized Urban Districts Leadership Collaborative.

“The members of the Board of Education seek to be responsible and accountable for the success of students in the district,” the plan summary said. “We will hold ourselves accountable to the citizens of our community who elected us to serve as board members.”

Under The Lorain Plan, the district no longer would have an Academic Distress Commission.