Cincinnati Post
April 26, 2005
By Kevin Osborne
Post Staff Reporter

Cincinnati mayoral candidate David Pepper says the city and the local school board should work together in a more coordinated way to focus efforts for helping the area's at-risk youth.

Pepper unveiled a five-point plan Monday heavy on City Council-school district collaboration that he would implement if elected mayor this fall.

The plan's centerpiece calls for the creation of the Mayor's Youth and Education Leadership Council.

It would be made up of the school superintendent, the school board president, the head of the teachers' union, the mayor, business leaders, university officials, a City Council member and parent representatives. They would craft a common agenda for education and youth development, and pooling resources.

The plan comes more than two months after another mayoral contender, state Sen. Mark Mallory, introduced legislation in the Ohio General Assembly that would transfer control of Cincinnati Public Schools from the independently elected school board to the mayor.

With a high number of students living in poverty and a school district listed in academic emergency three of the past four years, Pepper agrees some changes are needed. But giving the city direct control over the school system isn't the answer, he said.

More than 32 percent of children in Cincinnati live in families below the poverty line. Meanwhile, within a 25-mile radius of downtown, there are more than 2,000 charities registered with the IRS that provide some type of youth services.

No one currently is in charge of issues like youth employment, after-school activities and increasing access to college for area students, Pepper said.

"With an elected school board and city officials, there are a whole host of issues in no-man's land," he said.

"Right now, it's very scattered. We're spending a lot of money on these issues but no one's in charge and no one's doing any real measuring on if what we're doing is working."

Cities like Philadelphia track and aggregate all spending on children, across governmental jurisdictions and programs, and set objectives for child welfare. Pepper wants to use a similar "youth report card" on an annual basis as a performance measurement.

Other aspects of Pepper's plan include:

Creating an after-school initiative, which would be managed by a full-time coordinator who would inventory all after-school programs. The person would serve as a one-stop resource to connect youth with productive activities across the city.

Partnering with the school district by pushing for new or renovated schools to serve as "community learning centers" that will remain open after the normal school day and offer other services. Also, the city would work to make teachers more invested in the community by offering low-interest loans and other incentives to buy homes in Cincinnati.

Shifting youth employment efforts to the regional Workforce Policy Board. The board receives millions of dollars in federal grants and is tied into more employers than the city's program, Pepper said.

Expanding college access to area students through better mentoring and streamlining the process to apply for scholarships. Pepper wants to tap into current students at area universities to serve as "college coaches" for high school students.

During the past several months, Pepper held forums and one-on-one discussions with parents, educators and community leaders to develop the plan. His proposal doesn't necessarily mean spending more money on his initiatives, Pepper said.

"It could mean spending some more, but it also could just shift it," he said. "The issue is how we spend it. Is it just money going over the transom without any plan?"

Vice Mayor Alicia Reece, another mayoral challenger, questioned Pepper's commitment to youth issues based on his support for the 2005-2006 city budget.

Only $225,000 was allocated to provide jobs for 150 young people, far less than the public-private partnership created with area corporations just after riots four years ago, which used $2.8 million to find jobs for 2,400 youth.

Pepper supported the municipal budget that cut money from summer youth employment, while she opposed it, Reece said.

"I don't see how you can have a youth plan when you vote to cut summer employment by $800,000," Reece said. "You don't have to wait to run for mayor to support youth."

Reece will announce her own youth development plan within the next several weeks, she said.

Pepper countered that much of the city's funding for the summer youth jobs program has come from federal grants administered by the city, which have decreased sharply in recent years.

City Council is trying to find another $225,000 to add to the jobs program this year.

Shifting the program to the regional Workforce Policy Board would prevent similar crises from happening again, Pepper said.

"This plan will set out a long-term strategy," he said.

Publication date: 04-26-2005

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050426/NEWS01/504260361