Second public hearing discusses academics in the District

The Mount Vernon City School District held its second of three public hearings regarding the state monitor on Tuesday evening at the Education Center. Here, state monitor Dr. Kimberly Young Wilkins presented on the New York State legislation regarding monitoring the District’s academic performance.

Dr. Young Wilkins began her presentation by explaining how she was appointed and her role with the District. She will develop a proposed financial plan and a proposed academic improvement plan for the District for the 2025 - 2026 school year and the four subsequent school years.

She discussed the overview of the District’s academic performance for the 2023 - 2024 school year, empathizing how the district under-performed in the majority of academic indicators compared to the state average. Dr. Young Wilkins noted the large gap in proficiency rates, most specifically in math. She then went over the five- year academic plan that must be developed no later than November 1, 2025. This plan is likely to be curated based on findings and recommendations regarding a variety of topics.

“The focus of this initial plan is likely to be quick fixes that can be accomplished in the 25-26 school year, as well as more in depth recommendations that can be accomplished in the 26-27 school year,” she said. “There may be recommendations for long-term projects that may take multiple years to implement fully.”

Moving forward, she continued to discuss her responsibilities as monitor including serving as a non-voting ex-officio member of the board, and assisting the board to adopt a conflict-of-interest policy that ensures board members and administrators act in the district’s best interest.

The presentation ended with public comment, where community members shared their questions and concerns with Dr. Young Wilkins. Dr. Strickland and Dr. Young Wilkins responded to questions regarding class size, course guides and more. If you would like to submit a question to the state monitor, you may do so by emailing kyoungwilkins@mtvernoncsd.org.

More information regarding the state monitor can be found on the district website, under the state monitor tab. The final public hearing will take place on August 5 at the Education Center, where the fiscal performance of the District will be discussed.