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District approves appointment of academic and fiscal monitor

Dr. Young Wilkins speaking at Board meeting
District approves appointment of academic and fiscal monitor

The Mount Vernon Board of Education approved the New York State Education Department’s appointment of Dr. Kimberly Young Wilkins as state monitor for academic and financial plans for the District through June 30, 2027. The appointment, which was approved last Tuesday during the Board’s first work session of the 2025-2026 school year, is effective July 1, 2025.

Dr. Young Wilkins will provide oversight, guidance and technical assistance related to the educational and financial policies, practices, programs and decisions of the District, Board and superintendent. 

Three public hearings will be held within 60 days of her appointment, allowing a forum for community members, parents, families and employees to comment on the needs of the District. The first hearing, from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, July 22, in the Board Room at the Education Center, will cover monitor duties and laws surrounding them.

The second hearing will be about academics and the sustainability of the academic improvement plan. The final hearing will be about the monitor’s fiscal duties and the financial improvement plan.

Dr. Young Wilkins is the CEO of Young Wilkins Consultants and previously served as the Deputy Commissioner of P-12 Instructional Support for the New York State Education Department. She will serve as a non-voting, ex-officio member of the Board of Education.  

“It warms my heart to talk about instruction, students and learning because that’s why we’re all here,” said Dr. Young Wilkins at the Board meeting. “That’s why you send your children to the school district.” 

Among her duties as a monitor, she will review the District’s conflict of interest policy and work with the Board to develop a five-year financial plan and a five-year academic improvement plan. 

Beginning with the proposed 2026-2027 school year budget, Dr. Young Wilkins will also conduct an annual review of the budget to ensure that it is balanced and consistent with the District’s financial and academic improvement plans. 

To update the state on her work as monitor, she will provide semiannual reports to officials within the State Education Department. These reports will detail the academic, fiscal and operational status of the District, including any contracts the District enters throughout her appointment. 

New York State Education Department visits MVCSD
New York State Education Department visits MVCSD

Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Demario Strickland, met with several individuals from the New York State Education Department to present the District’s strengths and challenges Thursday morning. The purpose of this meeting was to strengthen working relationships between State Education Department area leaders and their district counterparts, while establishing next steps to assist the District out of academic and fiscal distress.

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