School Board President Is On The Radio Now (9:00 a.m.+)

[iwasthere]

the case with houser is, where was the jjc involvement in this person life? he had to been under theresa dellick's supervision due to his crimminal arrest records in his teenage years.

[PMDragon]

Middle school guidance couselors were cut back this year to one serving two middle schools, spending 2 and ahalf days at each building. I don't know for certain about the high schools.

[The Hammer]

[b""]Same with guidance couselors, which we do need them full time for every building at least from middle school through high school.[/b]

Aren't they already full time at all the middle schools and high schools? I thought they were just half time at the elementary schools?


You also said, Yes we still have math coaches and literacy specialists but they too have been cut back and now each has to serve multiple buildings or, in some cases if assigned one building, they serve multiple positions. We deffinately need them full time in every building.

I agree!

[PMDragon]

Hammer you're right. D&E counseling is contracted to provide school-based services. However one counselor covers at least two buildings, splitting the days each week that they are in each school. Same with guidance couselors, which we do need them full time for every building at least from middle school through high school. The more complex or severe cases are referred to D&E person but requires a signed consent from parent/guardian before services can be rendered. Also each school currently has a "Multi-Disciplinary Student Achievement Team" (MDSAT) comprised of: teacher leader, the community resource person, guidance counselor,administrator, nurse and, when approved by parent, a D&E counselor. This team meets weekly to review referrals of students needing academic and behavior intervention including further referral for testing for special ed. The team conducts meeting with parent/guardian, establishes and implements a plan involving various services of both "in-house" and community resources professionals for the student's academic/behavorial improvement.  Then continues to monitor and review his/her progress.
Just a note:  All these services were available during the years Houser would have been a student. That is if he attended school enough to participate in them.
Yes we still have math coaches and literacy specialists but they too have been cut back and now each has to serve multiple buildings or, in some cases if assigned one building, they serve multiple positions. We deffinately need them full time in every building. 

[iwasthere]

hammer that is opinion and you deserve the right to have it. we need full time counselors at ALL schools throughout the entire school year. there are grants out there that will pay for these necessary healthcare professionals so the argument about monies is a red erring in this matter. the students welfare is the first concern above all others in the education process. catale did say the board did not have a plan for the stimulus monies he made that clear on that radio program when i called in that morning on the bill betram show. he was endorsed by the hanni gang and anyone that is backed by the hanni is nothing in my eyes scum of the earth but hammer that is my opinion. this election year i did not vote for anyone for reelection or to be elected because they do not possess the boe quality to serve on the ytown boe and that includes next year's boe election.

[The Hammer]

i listened to him and he did meet my expectations of him. he is  a clueless, big, out of touch jerk that should not be on the school board and especially the president of the board of education. he and the other board members do not want to use the stimulus monies that ytown school district recieved from washington, dc for guidance counselors due in the elementary schools due to the fact that the boe might have to hire them after two years of employment. maybe if we had guidance counselors in the ytown school district the eighteen year old that killed the eighty year old lady would not have happened and both lives would be spared from its tradegic ending. catale also said they do not have a plan to spend any of its stimulus monies on important matters that are concerns of the ytown students, and its school personnel. rumour has it he wants to run for righetti's council seat. GOD HELP US ALL IS WHAT I CAN SAY ABOUT THIS CLUELESS JERK.

You are certianly entitoled to your opinion, but I disagree with your assesment a bit. I have been an educator and I also listened to the program today and I think you are wrong about a couple of things. Maybe you didn't happen to hear correctly. I think those things need to be addressed so that others who didn't listen aren't fed with misinformation.

First, you said, "if we had guidance counselors in the ytown school district the eighteen year old that killed the eighty year old lady would not have happened and both lives would be spared from its tradegic ending."

There are guidance counselors for every school. There are half-time counselors at the elementaries and full-time at the rest, I believe. It was clear from listening to Catale that the reason counselors in the elementaries are half-time is because there has been a reduction in the number of counselors over the past couple of years because of the fact that they are in fiscal emergency. I can't blame them for having to make cuts across the board. However, I also heard him mention that they also contract out to external counseling firms. I heard him mention D & E Counseling as one of the entities they contract out to. I'm not sure of the process they use, but I am assuming that the counselors in the buildings refer their more serious behaviorally or mentally handicapped children to the clinicians at D&E. The bottom line is that it isn't like their aren't any counselors in the system. I'm willing to bet the students of YCS have had a lot more "guidance services" than any other local school district.


You also said, "he and the other board members do not want to use the stimulus monies that ytown school district recieved from washington, dc for guidance counselors due in the elementary schools due to the fact that the boe might have to hire them after two years of employment." And, "catale also said they do not have a plan to spend any of its stimulus monies on important matters that are concerns of the ytown students, and its school personnel."

I heard Catale say that the he is not opposed to hiring additional counselors, but that they have to be cautious because the stimulus money is only one time funding and that the district would have to either pay the counselors or cut the counselors once the money runs out. I think this is a very logical response. If they were cut because they needed to reduce spending in the district to get out of fiscal emergency, how can we, as taxpayers, expect the district to get out of FE if they hire back a bunch of employees that had to be laid off because they don't have the money to pay them?....He also said that the district administration presented a total budget to be used to the board and the board approved $1 million of it but sent the rest back to be re-worked because there was nothing in the budget to assist classroom tecahers by way of math coaches, literacy coaches, etc. That is why the don't have the budget finalized he said. In my opinion, how can you have any success without giving tecahers additional resources for students who are behind? It helps a teacher to have a math tutor, reading tutor, etc. so that a teacher doesn't have to teach 'down' so that a few students can "get it" while the others are not advancing because they already know the materials being covered. I think maybe a combination of counselors and tutors would be the best use of the stimulus money but they need to cut anyone the hire when the money runs dry because they don't have it, and I won't support and additional levy to pay for additional employees. I, myself, like the school district, do not have the additional money. But, just like you iwasthere, that is also just my opinion.

I think all of the board members, as well as, administrators, teachers, etc. have it rough. There is going to be a lot of hostility when you have a chool district in both academic and fiscal emergencies. However, I, as a taxpayer of Youngstown, appreciate the fact that these people are stepping up and attempting to do a job that most couldn't handle the stress of even attempting to do. However, things need to happen quickly to improve the school district for the sake of the children and the community.

[AllanY2525]

Jay,

Could you please give us a quick re-cap of the meeting and the major issues
that were discussed?

I hate being an out of towner - I miss a lot.

[jay]

I'm glad I listened.  I learned a few new things about the school system.

[iwasthere]

i listened to him and he did meet my expectations of him. he is  a clueless, big, out of touch jerk that should not be on the school board and especially the president of the board of education. he and the other board members do not want to use the stimulus monies that ytown school district recieved from washington, dc for guidance counselors due in the elementary schools due to the fact that the boe might have to hire them after two years of employment. maybe if we had guidance counselors in the ytown school district the eighteen year old that killed the eighty year old lady would not have happened and both lives would be spared from its tradegic ending. catale also said they do not have a plan to spend any of its stimulus monies on important matters that are concerns of the ytown students, and its school personnel. rumour has it he wants to run for righetti's council seat. GOD HELP US ALL IS WHAT I CAN SAY ABOUT THIS CLUELESS JERK.

[jay]

The Youngstown School Board President is being interview on the radio this morning.  The radio audience is able to ask questions by calling the program.

The Valley's Talking Show
1330-AM
9:00 a.m. ->?