YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio– One Ohio school district is hoping for a turn around after years of receiving a failing grade on the state report card. But not everyone agrees on the best way to get there. 

• The district received an "F" on the state report card 
• District's current focus is literacy and chronic absenteeism
• School board members say being under state control has not improved anything

Since 2010, Youngstown City Schools have been under state control to improve learning for students. While some say having an academic distress commission put in place by the state hasn't changed anything, it's CEO – who has only been in charge a few months - believes it's a new day.

Students at East High School in Youngstown take their time working through an assignment. They're doing the best that they can with a little help from peers and their teacher. While students are in class, school board member Tina Cvetkovich ​listens to what the newest Youngstown City Schools CEO, Justin Jennings, has to say about the district's failing grade on the state report card and plans for improvement at a community meeting. Justin Jennings said, "Our two big focuses right now is literacy and truancy. So, you can't educate scholars who are not in the building. So, our focus is to make sure we get them here. And then once we get them here, we want to focus on all teaching and learning."

Jennings, appointed by the academic distress commission, has only been in charge for a few short months. But Cvetkovich doesn't believe state leadership is the way to go. "I just don't understand how a state can strip powers away from people and not let them govern the way that the people of that community want them to." While she believes students in the district deserve better, she doesn't see how they'll get that with the district under state control.

On the latest report card, 84 percent of third-graders were not on track with reading and other components of English, language arts. While more than 80 percent graduated within four years, earning them a "C," 37 percent of the district's students struggled with chronic absenteeism.

Cvetkovich says, "The ADC model is not working for Youngstown, and neither is the CEO model."

Fellow board member Jackie Adair feels the same. "I'm saying that the district is just in chaos."

Cvetkovich ran because she wanted to make a difference, but now she's not sure if that's still possible. She says, "We're being blamed for everything that has happened, and that's why potentially, we are going to be losing our jobs on January 1st." That's because the process to replace the entire school board begins now. Come January, two mayoral appointees, a district principal and teacher, the CEO, state superintendent, parent, and chairman of the academic distress commission, will nominate new board members unless a new law replaces HB 70 before then. But those aren't the only changes coming. 

​Jennings says, it also means "moving personnel, changing personnel. That means buying new curriculum. That means doing professional development around the curriculum. That means looking at leadership, whether it's a CEO, whether it's a principal." Some like school board member Jackie Adair are looking to Jennings' leadership and holding out. She says, "I am hopeful, and I was not before."

Others like Cvetkovich wait for their day in court.

That's because a lawsuit's been filed by the school board in hopes of reversing HB 70 and eliminating district takeovers. Cvetkovich says, "We just have to hope that with the supreme court hearing coming up that we can get a positive resolution with that." She's hoping it's a resolution that will turn things around for students.

The Ohio Supreme Court will hear the case brought by Youngstown School Board members against the state on October 23rd. The lawsuit protests the legislative move to take over school districts.