Akron Board of Education: Contact Information, Key Issues, and Candidate Perspectives

The Akron Public Schools (APS) Board of Education plays a vital role in shaping the educational landscape for over 27,000 students in Akron, Ohio. This article provides information about the board, its members, and the key issues facing the district, as well as insights from candidates running for open seats.

Understanding the Akron Board of Education

The Akron Public Schools Board of Education is the official body representing Akron citizens on all matters of public education. The board is non-partisan and non-sectarian, and all policy issues are voted upon by board members at regularly scheduled meetings, with a simple majority carrying an issue. Committee chairs report at each board meeting.

The board comprises seven members, assisted by an appointed officer - the treasurer. The board president and vice president are elected from the membership at the first meeting of each calendar year. The board meets on the second and fourth Monday of every month. Board meetings are live-streamed in unedited form by Akron Public Schools via YouTube.

Key Issues Facing Akron Public Schools

Several significant issues confront the Akron Public Schools, demanding careful consideration and strategic solutions. These challenges include:

Financial Constraints: Rising costs, declining enrollment, the expansion of voucher programs, and limited state funding create a difficult financial situation for APS. The district is spending more than it takes in, necessitating transparent budget management, prioritization of direct student services, and creative partnerships with local organizations, nonprofits, and businesses. According to policy, the district should have three months of reserves, but Akron only reports having barely two months. It's becoming increasingly difficult to generate funds for the district, especially in the wake of state and federal reductions and re-allocations.

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Leadership Instability: The district has experienced four superintendents in five school years, which is detrimental to sustainability and stability.
Teacher Shortages: A significant and pressing challenge in public education systems is the shortage of qualified teachers, stemming from factors like teacher retirements, attrition, and a decline in individuals pursuing teaching degrees.
School Safety: Addressing safety concerns within schools is paramount, requiring a multifaceted approach that includes evidence-based and culturally sensitive policies tailored to each school's specific needs. Fear is a prominent theme, long before the recent challenges.
Voucher Programs and Defunding of Public Schools: The continued expansion of voucher programs and the defunding of public schools pose a threat to the resources available for public education. State lawmakers have passed legislation requiring public schools to provide services to students attending private schools through EdChoice vouchers, often under the claim that this gives disenfranchised populations access to a higher-quality education.

Candidate Perspectives on Addressing Key Issues

Several candidates are vying for open seats on the Akron Board of Education, each bringing unique perspectives and proposed solutions to the challenges facing the district.

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Diana Autry:

Experience and Leadership: Autry emphasizes her experience as an appointed and elected board member, highlighting her leadership during COVID and recent federal threats. She helped lead the district to its first successful levy in 12 years.
Safety Initiatives: Autry supports safety initiatives requested by teaching staff, such as metal detectors, bag scanners, cell-phone pouches, and visitor monitor systems. She would like to explore expanding the training and scope of our safety team members.
Community Engagement: Autry stresses the importance of educating and empowering families and the community to advocate for their collective interests through PTA's and other parent/civic groups.
Staffing Solutions: Autry will advocate for creative staffing solutions for schools with consistently large numbers of substitutes.
Focus on Fundamentals: She believes the district must return to its fundamental mission: ensuring every child receives the education they deserve. She advocates for evidence-based teaching methods, regular assessment of student progress, and immediate intervention when children fall behind.

Cynthia D.:

Focus on Equity and Opportunity: D. emphasizes her life’s mission to ensure that every student deserves the opportunity to receive an education of distinction.
Experience and Skills: She pledges to utilize her skills and knowledge as an educator and national educational consultant in school leadership to improve systems, set policy to advocate for public schools, and resolve core issues by creating strong relationships with the community.
Addressing Teacher Shortages: D. recognizes that the shortage of qualified teachers is a significant and pressing challenge.
Safe Learning Environment: D. supports the implementation of evidence-based and culturally sensitive policies tailored to each school’s specific needs and circumstances, ensuring a safe learning environment for all students, educators, and staff.

Gregory B. Harrison:

Transparency and Accountability: Harrison emphasizes transparency, fiscal responsibility, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Regular Academic Updates: He believes the Board should implement a policy requiring regular academic updates from the Superintendent.
Revisiting DEI Policies: Harrison believes it was a mistake to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies without new policies to ensure every student and staff member is treated with fairness and respect.
Addressing Voucher Programs: Harrison is concerned about the continued expansion of voucher programs and the defunding of public schools.

Carla Jackson:

Fair Systems and Community Engagement: Jackson focuses on creating fair systems, fostering community engagement, and ensuring fiscal and programmatic accountability.
Policy Development: She has experience adopting policy, overseeing the district’s policy manual, setting long-range goals, and making critical decisions regarding district leadership.
Prioritizing Individual Needs: Jackson believes policies should ensure that instructional practices, curriculum design, and assessment strategies prioritize the unique needs, strengths, and interests of each student and foster community collaboration.
Equity and Access: She believes policies should guarantee fair access to all opportunities and programming for every student, ensuring equity across academic, extracurricular, and enrichment activities.

Nathan Jarosz:

Transparency, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Excellence: Jarosz supports policies that strengthen these values.
Community Learning Centers: He believes Community Learning Centers should be more accessible and hassle-free for nonprofits, businesses, and local organizations to expand enrichment opportunities for students.
Consistent Disciplinary Policy: Jarosz believes the disciplinary policy should be enforced consistently, transparently, and fairly.
Balanced Budget: He believes the district needs to prioritize a balanced budget.
Inclusive Policy Development: Jarosz believes decisions should be made with more inclusion from teachers, administrators, parents, and even students.
Whole-Child Approach: He supports a whole-child approach to policy development, ensuring that students' physiological, safety, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization needs are addressed.

Proposed Solutions for Financial Challenges

Several candidates have offered solutions to address the financial challenges facing Akron Public Schools:

Transparent Budget Management: Candidates emphasize the need for transparent budget management, ensuring that the community is informed about how taxpayer dollars are being used.
Prioritizing Direct Student Services: Candidates advocate for prioritizing dollars on direct services to students, ensuring that resources reach classrooms.
Creative Partnerships: Candidates propose building creative partnerships with local organizations, nonprofits, and businesses to generate new revenue and ease the burden on taxpayers.
Lobbying for Increased State Investment: Candidates suggest partnering with other districts within the state to lobby for increased state investment by adjusting funding formulas to ensure all schools receive fair resources, particularly high-need districts.
Disciplined Budget: Stabilize finances and keep the focus where it belongs: students’ success. The budget should restore a surplus, protect jobs, prioritize teachers, counselors, and staff, and pursue new revenue through grants and partnerships to ease the burden on taxpayers.

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