An extensive report documenting the state of Akron Public Schools praised many of the district’s successful community partnerships while also stating it is “leaning towards a crisis.”
The 67-page report recommended dozens of improvements, from reducing the amount of overtime paid to facilities workers to reconfiguring the entire organization of the school district, creating separate schools for 4th through 6th graders and putting 7th to 12th graders together.
Stuart Berger, the CEO of Burns/Van Fleet, the consulting firm that created the report, acknowledged that some of the suggestions were unlikely to result in changes because of costs, logistics or political obstacles. Still, Berger prioritized five suggestions among 20 high-level recommendations. Those include:
- Improving professional development, particularly around the idea of implicit bias
- Strengthening leadership by principals who have lost some authority
- Creating a culture that sets high expectations for all students
- Reducing dependence on retired principals for recruitment and as substitutes
- Increasing access to Akron After School, a grant-funded program for at-risk elementary students
“I really believe in my heart that this will not go on a shelf,” Berger said. “It doesn’t mean they’ll take every idea that I had, but I think they will try. I think they’ll get their money’s worth out of it.”
The district paid $37,500 for the work.
A personal relationship with Akron’s superintendent
The document, released this week, was intended as a transition report for Superintendent Michael Robinson, who started at the district in August. Berger said in an ideal world, Robinson would have received the report before Christmas, but his own health issues got in the way. Its May delivery, he said, is perfect in a sense because administrators may have time over the summer to implement suggestions.
Robinson received a draft of the report before it was made public. Berger said there were no major changes after Robinson received it. Through a spokesperson, Robinson declined to comment on the report. Others on the school board and in the administration were still being briefed.
Prior to becoming Akron’s superintendent, Robinson worked at Burns/Van Fleet as a senior executive, beginning in March 2020, according to his resume. Berger said Robinson was a consultant, but the right project for him never came about.
While Robinson may have contributed to the firm, Berger said, he didn’t consider Robinson an employee.
“I know he was never paid,” Berger said.
Berger described Robinson as a friend, adding their relationship dated back to a similar report Berger created in East Baton Rouge, La., when Robinson worked in that school district. But Berger said he felt comfortable that there was no conflict with him creating a report that analyzed Akron’s shortfalls and successes before the superintendent’s arrival.
Akron’s school board, Berger said, was aware of the relationship.
Consultant’s Akron schools recommendations: Increased hiring, more specialty schools, less union power
Berger spent five weeks between August and October 2023 at the district, talking mostly to administrators but also to union leaders, community members and teachers. In the report, he said expectations for students were low. He also discovered glaring inequities in available programs, from athletics to Advanced Placement classes. Berger also said he had concerns about the power of the Akron Education Association and his perception that the district was “partially paralyzed” by fear of retribution from the teachers’ union.
Pat Shipe, the AEA president, did not return a phone call Friday seeking comment.
Berger’s report recommended cuts, including eliminating climate coaches, as district employment shrinks to coincide with falling enrollment. The school board on Monday voted to cut more than 250 jobs and lay off more than 50 teachers.
At the same time, Berger recommended the district move faster to hire student teachers into permanent positions and work harder to diversify its teaching staff.
He said in the report that employees are resistant to conflict and risk, adding that there’s a need for increased accountability. Additionally, Berger dinged members of the school board for becoming “intimately involved in the daily operations” of the district, reminding them that their power comes as a group, not as individual members.
Berger suggested that the district develop a policy to better respond to anonymous complaints. In the fall, the principal of North High School was placed on administrative leave following an anonymous complaint that was sent to the then-president of the Board of Education. She was recently cleared of any wrongdoing.
Berger suggested the district become more entrepreneurial to compete with charter and private schools in an age of vouchers and open enrollment. He suggested APS create more specialty schools to lure students, actively recruit for pre-Kindergarten and launch a consistent gifted program.
Some of those efforts might increase inequities, he said, but efforts should be made to expand access to such programs.
“The district has to stop the bleeding of enrollment,” Berger said. “It has to compete.”
Future of North High School
Berger said he wasn’t sure what should be done about North High School, a crumbling building that was slated to be closed before enrollment increased and led to overcrowding. School board members on Tuesday are slated to vote on a proposal that would allow them access to bonds to build a replacement school.
That can be a challenge for voters, Berger said, as other school buildings have excess space. But he said if North High School students are redistributed, many will likely leave the district.
“Normally, I would have said close it, but you can’t,” he said. “The best thing to do, if you can get the money to do it … is to rebuild. If that’s not possible, then you’ve got to try to refurbish it.”
Despite the litany of issues he identified, Berger said Akron Public Schools is still the most stable of Ohio’s urban school districts, over time. He recommended the creation of a foundation, with at least $500,000 in annual donations, to further support the district.
Berger also said while urban education is in crisis nationally, Akron’s offerings are “better than most” similar districts.
“Is it doing what it should be doing for kids? No, absolutely not,” Berger said. “Does it do a lot of very good things? Absolutely. Are there some kids that are getting a dynamite education? Yes.
“… Like with any school system, you can get a good education. You’d better be diligent.”