MCCTC, Choffin to Share Admin Services, Students

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Choffin Career and Technical Center and Mahoning County Career and Technical Center will begin sharing administrative services, allowing students at one center to enroll in classes at the other.

The deal must still be approved by the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center’s board, which meets June 22.

Through the agreement, students at Choffin will be able to take courses at MCCTC not offered by the city school, while MCCTC students can enroll in half-day programs at Choffin.

“They work hard at teaching kids the skills required in their programs,” said Ron Iarussi, superintendent of the Mahoning County Educational Service Center, in a release. “The MCCTC has worked diligently to make sure kids have every opportunity to be successful through passage of web exams and industry credentialing. We think our leaders and our system will benefit both teachers and students.”

The agreement will save the Youngstown City School District about $300,000 in administrative costs in its first year, said district CEO Krish Mohip. The per-pupil cost at Choffin, which is operated by the city school district, is $30,467, far above MCCTC’s $17,149.

In the announcement, Youngstown City Schools also cited a study done last year by Youngstown State University education professor Karen Larwin that found more students at the county career center earn industry credentials –- 62% of students — than at Choffin, where only 9% of students earn credentials.

Joseph Meranto, executive director of Choffin, said the deal should attract new students to Choffin from school districts on the eastern side of the county such as Struthers and Campbell, who will now have a shorter commute to downtown Youngstown rather than Canfield.

All Choffin teachers will remain employees of the city district and an MCCTC administrator will be assigned to Choffin.

Source: Youngstown City Schools

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