Position Description Chief Executive Officer Lorain (Ohio) City School District June 2017
Position Availability: July 1, 2017 The Lorain City Schools Academic Distress Commission is seeking an individual with the experiences, background, skills, and qualifications to become the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Lorain City School District. The CEO will be appointed by an academic distress commission pursuant to Section 3302.10 of the Revised Code of the State of Ohio. Background: Lorain City School District (LCSD) serves 6,650 students in grades PreK-‐12 residing in the “International City” of Lorain about 25 miles west of Cleveland, Ohio on the shore of beautiful Lake Erie. LCSD has 14 new school buildings funded 81% through state funding, with a state-‐of-‐the-‐art 3-‐building new Lorain High School which opened in 2016. Students benefit from several regional college credit opportunities, a no-‐fee championship athletic program, fine arts programming, free meals, free all-‐day kindergarten, award winning pre-‐schools, and the opportunity to earn a 2-‐year college degree and career and technical education on campus through Lorain High School upon graduation. LCSD has six academic, administrative, and operational priorities, namely: 1) Cultural Competency 2) Graduating for College and Career Readiness 3) Instructional Standards and Academic Rigor 4) Communications & Engagement 5) Staff Recognition & Retention 6) Professional Learning Communities Despite the many positive developments in LCSD, in – – –, an Academic Recovery Plan was created by the Lorain City Schools Academic Distress Commission and approved by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. A Lorain Academic Distress Commission (LADC) was appointed in – – – to oversee the district as it transforms from low performance to a high-‐performing district. Based on Ohio state law (known as House Bill 70) the LADC is a joint school district and state panel that has been given broad powers to oversee the district. The academic distress commission consists of five members as follows: (a) Three members appointed by the state superintendent, one of whom is a resident in the county in which a majority of the district's territory is located;
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Position Description Chief Executive Officer Lorain (Ohio) City School District June 2017
(b) One member appointed by the president of the district board of education, who shall be a teacher employed by the district; (c) One member appointed by the mayor of the municipality in which a majority of the district's territory is located or, if no such municipality exists, by the mayor of a municipality selected by the state superintendent in which the district has territory. LADC, in consultation with the state superintendent and the chief executive officer, is responsible for expanding high-‐quality school choice options in the district, including a “high quality school accelerator” (either operated by the district or a third party). The district is currently managed by a superintendent whose role will be dramatically changed with the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer. More information on the qualifications and expectations for the CEO are in a later section. The district had a total budget of approximately $129 million for the 2015-‐2016 school year. More than 65% of its revenue came from the state with local funds making up the second highest percent. Lorain Board of Education Lorain also has an elected Board of Education which serves, in this new governance structure, as a representative body for the community. On an ongoing basis, the Ohio Department Of Education conducts an intensive review of those districts that are deemed to be in “academic distress”. Such reviews have been conducted on LCSD since 2014. The most recent Lorraine District Review Report, dated January 2017, notes the following strengths and challenges for the district:
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Position Description Chief Executive Officer Lorain (Ohio) City School District June 2017
LCSD Strengths – District Review Report (January 2017) Leadership, • Governance and Communication • Curriculum and • Instruction Assessment and • Effective Use of Data • • Human Resources • and Professional Development •
• Student Supports
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• • Fiscal Management
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The superintendent promotes a culture of collaboration and public confidence with internal and external district stakeholders to support the goals of the Academic Recovery Plan and the Ohio Improvement Process. The district aligns community resources to support the diverse needs of students and families. The district uses evidence-‐based instructional practices to improve student learning. The district has implemented the Ohio Improvement Process. The district provides classroom technology, the necessary infrastructure, and technical assistance to support student learning and district operations. The district provides professional development on the use of technology and instructional software that supports instruction and student learning. The district increased its efforts to recruit diverse, qualified candidates for all positions that reflect the student population to increase student achievement and proficiency. The district has developed and implemented an initiative to orient and acclimate new teachers to their new roles to lessen transition time and to support the teacher. The district creates collaborative ways to communicate and address district priorities. The district has formed partnerships with many community organizations and other stakeholders to give students and families access to behavioral, health and social educational services. The district has established policies, practices and procedures to create a safe and positive school environment for students. The district’s system of communication enables and engages students, parents and community members to access district and student information The treasurer has developed a budget plan to include the participation of district administrators and principals for Fiscal Year 2018. The district allocates resources to increase efficiency, accuracy and communication through collaborative efforts with Human Resources and the Fiscal department.
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Position Description Chief Executive Officer Lorain (Ohio) City School District June 2017
LCSD Challenges – District Review Report (January 2017) Leadership, • The board of education has not collaborated with the superintendent to establish Governance and evaluative and measurable goals that focus on student achievement. Communication • The district has not developed a formalized system of evaluation to determine the effectiveness of programs, practices, services or initiatives to align with student achievement goals. Curriculum and • The district has not developed a systemic cycle of effective classroom instruction Instruction with formative and summative assessments. • The district does not provide instructional resources that are aligned to Ohio’s Learning Standards. • The district lacks consistent curriculum guides for all content areas that link standards, aims, resources, differentiated instructional strategies and measurable outcomes. Assessment and • Accountability for the components of the Ohio Improvement Process, including Effective Use of use of the Ohio 5-‐Step Process, is not consistent during district leadership team, Data building leadership team and teacher-‐based team meetings. • District and school staff members do not have consistent professional development and online access to user-‐friendly, districtwide and school-‐based reports that offer data on student achievement, student growth and other student performance data that informs instruction. • The district does not have a consistent system of formative and common assessments to guide instruction and to determine the individual remedial and enrichment requirements of students. Human Resources • At the time of the review, there is no evidence that the district provides job-‐ and Professional embedded professional learning to assure district initiatives improve instruction. Development • The Lorain Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (LOTES) does not support changes in teacher practices that are the focus of district professional learning initiatives. • The district is planning for students to take Ohio state tests online in the spring of 2017, but have not provided training for staff or practice for students Student Supports • The district’s attendance monitoring process does not accurately report student absences. • The district lacks consistent implementation of a co-‐teaching model to promote inclusive practices. • The district’s student success rate for earning industry-‐recognized credentials is low. Fiscal Management • The district does not have a comprehensive budgeting process that includes collaboration with building principals and district administration and does not detail the salary and benefits to inform the administration and board of education
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Position Description Chief Executive Officer Lorain (Ohio) City School District June 2017
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for fiscal allocations during FY17. The district does not provide training for student activity advisors on the use and monitoring of fiscal resources. The district does not have a capital plan for replacement of equipment or repair of buildings and an instructional plan for the replacement of textbooks and/or materials.
In addition to the areas noted above from the District Review Report, there were several items of concern regarding the district’s lack of academic progress: •
Very low ratings for K – 3 literacy (D), Achievement (F), Indicators Met (F), Progress (F), Value-‐added Growth (F), Students with Disabilities (F), Gifted Students (F), Students in the lowest 20% of achievement (F), Annual Measurable Objectives (F), Prepared for Success (F), overall graduation rate (F), and 4 – and 5 – year regulation rates (F).
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Subgroup underperformance against Annual Measurable Objectives
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Lack of meeting indicators for performance on the English language arts Ohio State Test (75% of students did not pass reading tests in grades 3, 7, and 8)
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Despite some progress in mathematics for grade 3 on state tests, no grade level outperform the state averages in mathematics for 2015 – 16 and the district did not meet any mathematics indicators for performance on those tests for any grade
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Declines in the Performance Index score over the last three years
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Lower four – and five – year graduation rates than similar districts and the state average (only 27% of district students graduated within four years)
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Although disciplinary actions per 100 students for all discipline types were lower in LCSD than comparable districts, LCSD had significantly more discipline occurrences compared to state averages
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LCSD spent more on classroom instruction then the average of other similar districts, and the state average and yet ranks 41st out of 48 districts in terms of spending directed to the classroom priorities
Demographics The estimated population of Lorain City, as of July 1, 2015, was 63,647 (U.S. Census Bureau data), which is less than a 1 percent decrease in population since the 2010 Census. Approximately 81.9% of the population graduated from high school. The median household income in Lorain City is $35,042, with 27% of the population living below the poverty line. In comparison, the median household income in Ohio is $49,429, with 14.8% living below the poverty line. The April 2017 unemployment rate in Lorain was 5.8% (according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve) vs. the state average unemployment rate of 4.4%. (District Review Report, Jan. 2017 and Federal Reserve website)
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Position Description Chief Executive Officer Lorain (Ohio) City School District June 2017
The average teacher salary in Lorain City School District for 2015-‐2016 was $61,908 (see table B-‐1, Appendix B) approximately $3,000 less than the 2013-‐14 salary average. Teacher attendance also has fluctuated over this four-‐year period, with the highest attendance rate in 2015-‐2016 at 94.7 percent. In the 2015-‐2016 school year, about 10% of students chose to travel to neighboring districts for their education. About one in six enrolled in a community school and almost 7% took advantage of one of the state’s scholarship opportunities to attend private schools (District Review Report, Jan. 2017) More background information can be found here: Lorain City School District website LORAIN CITY SCHOOLS DISTRICT REVIEW REPORT State of the Schools – 2017 LCSD Facebook Page
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Position Description Chief Executive Officer Lorain (Ohio) City School District June 2017
Preferred Position Qualifications, Skills, and Characteristics: Professional/Academic Leadership Experience •
Prior leadership roles in districts of similar or greater size, particularly those which have been deemed as being in academic distress or equivalent circumstances;
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Experience in “hybrid” or “portfolio” districts that have traditional, charter, private, or other types of schools;
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Demonstrated background in turning around and/or transformation initiatives at school and district levels
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Strong preference to have superintendent’s license, regardless of state
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Experience in PreK-‐16 systems, including adult education
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Experience working with ESL, Spanish-‐speaking population
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Understands the structure and rationale for Annual Measurable Objectives, particularly for sub-‐groups
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Has developed and implemented an academic plan
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Has worked in unionized, represented environments and played a role in collective bargaining
Managerial Experience •
Community engagement
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Demonstrated leadership qualities
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Successful reorganization of staff, new policies
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Staff morale, team-‐building
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Cultural competency, diversity
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Plus: Spanish language familiarity
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Change agent
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Understands the urgency of “academic distress"
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Budget leadership: developing, understanding, and monitoring
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ODE review
CEO Position Responsibilities
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Position Description Chief Executive Officer Lorain (Ohio) City School District June 2017
From House Bill 70: “Within sixty days after the state superintendent has designated a chairperson for the academic distress commission, the commission shall appoint a chief executive officer for the district, who shall be paid by the department of education and shall serve at the pleasure of the commission. The individual appointed as chief executive officer shall have high-‐level management experience in the public or private sector. The chief executive officer shall exercise complete operational, managerial, and instructional control of the district, which shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following powers and duties, but the chief executive officer may delegate, in writing, specific powers or duties to the district board or district superintendent: (a) Replacing school administrators and central office staff; (b) Assigning employees to schools and approving transfers; (c) Hiring new employees; (d) Defining employee responsibilities and job descriptions; (e) Establishing employee compensation; (f) Allocating teacher class loads; (g) Conducting employee evaluations; (h) Making reductions in staff under section 3319.17, 3319.171, or 3319.172 of the Revised Code; (i) Setting the school calendar; (j) Creating a budget for the district;
(k) Contracting for services for the district; (l) Modifying policies and procedures established by the district board; (m) Establishing grade configurations of schools; (n) Determining the school curriculum; (o) Selecting instructional materials and assessments; (p) Setting class sizes; (q) Providing for staff professional development.
Specific responsibilities are as follows: 1. Academic Plan: The chief executive officer shall create a plan to improve the district's academic performance, with the following elements: •
Consultation with several mandated community groups and stakeholders
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Consideration of the availability of funding to ensure sustainability of the plan.
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Position Description Chief Executive Officer Lorain (Ohio) City School District June 2017
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Clear, measurable performance goals for the district and for each school operated by the district which will include performance measures prescribed for report cards issued under section 3302.03 of the Revised Code.
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Within 90 days after appointment, the CEO must submit the plan to the LADC for approval, and within 30 days after submission, the LADC must approve the plan or suggest modifications to the plan
that
will
render
it
acceptable.
2. Community Engagement Groups: The CEO shall convene groups of community stakeholders: •
Within 30 days after appointment, the CEO must convene a district-‐level group which should include educators, civic and business leaders, and representatives of institutions of higher education and government service agencies. The group’s purpose is to develop expectations for academic improvement in the district and to assist the district in building relationships with organizations in the community that can provide needed services to students.
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School-‐based community groups must also be convened within 90 days after appointment. Each school will have a community group, which will include teachers employed in the school and parents of students enrolled in the school among its members
3. District Improvement Plans: Annually, the CEO shall implement improvement plans •
Improvement Plans will address key concerns, deficiencies, and outcomes, and incorporate modifications approved by the LADC.
4. Innovative Education Programs: The CEO may implement innovative education programs to do any of the following, the funding for which will come from a separate fund to support education programs: •
Address the physical and mental well-‐being of students and their families;
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Provide mentoring
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Provide job resources;
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Disseminate higher education information;
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Offer recreational or cultural activities;
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Provide any other services that will contribute to a successful learning environment.
5. Reconstitute schools: The CEO may reconstitute schools through plans that outline the following: •
Change the mission of the school or focus of its curriculum;
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Position Description Chief Executive Officer Lorain (Ohio) City School District June 2017
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Replace the school's principal and/or administrative staff;
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Replace a majority of the school's staff, including teaching and nonteaching employees;
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Contract with a nonprofit or for-‐profit entity to manage the operations of the school.
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Reopen the school as a community school under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code or a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics school under Chapter 3326. of the Revised Code;
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Permanently close the school.
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