Three new Akron Board of Education members. Three unique Akron stories.
Karmaya Kelly’s journey as an Akron Public Schools’ student took a turn when, diagnosed with ADD and dyslexia, she was placed on an individualized education plan designed to meet her unique learning needs.
Nathan Jarosz, who highlights his experience of teaching, managing and developing leadership curriculum for youth, knows he needs to develop relationships in the school district given that he’s not a homegrown graduate.
Phil Montgomery, who grew up in Michigan, isn’t either, although he often reminded prospective voters he had a vested interest as the father of students enrolled in APS. Montgomery expects to quickly get up to speed on the school board, drawing on his experience on Akron City Council and his current role with the County of Summit.
Their successful election campaigns ensure the Akron Board of Education will look drastically different come January, when they will be sworn in.
“I’m living proof of what having a strong school district means,” Kelly told Signal Akron.
What does this turnover mean for Akron’s public schools? And will new faces change the dynamics of a sometimes dysfunctional board?
Already, Kelly said she, Montgomery, Jarosz and Gregory Harrison — the incumbent had the third-highest vote total in Tuesday’s election — have begun to work together. They all received notable endorsements as a bloc, and, looking forward, Kelly said, the experience of running similar campaigns will help them collaborate and, just as importantly, communicate on the school board.
Kelly brings lived experience, community perspective to board position
Of the eight candidates who ran for a seat on Akron’s school board, Kelly said she’s the only one who did not pursue a traditional higher education path after high school.
She was the least known of the candidates vying for four seats. Prior to this year, she had never sought public office — unlike Montgomery, Jarosz and every other candidate. (Harrison, who won his first campaign for public office Tuesday, was appointed to the board last year when Job Perry resigned.)
That newcomer’s mentality, alongside her lived experiences, proved to be a benefit. Kelly secured endorsements from the Akron Education Association, current board member Barbara Sykes and the Summit County Progressive Democrats.
Kelly believes her non-traditional background could benefit APS — nearly half of its 2024 graduates did not pursue post-secondary education, according to state data.
Ironically, Kelly wouldn’t have lived in Akron and entered the race had she not moved home from Columbus last year to care for her ailing father, who made it .
“Caring for my father, advocating for him at his bedside, helped me develop a whole new level of resilience,” Kelly said. “Life couldn’t stop for me.”
Kelly felt called by her neighbors and community. So she tapped family members to watch her father while she knocked on doors and made herself, and her candidacy, known.
Montgomery doesn’t plan to ‘sit quietly’
Montgomery plans to lean on board members Sykes, Rene Molenaur and Harrison to better understand some of the finer points of the Akron Board of Education. But he doesn’t expect those lessons to hinder his decision making or input.
“I’m the guy that would sit and listen and absorb and whatever,” he said. “Not for this one. This one, I’m ready.
“I’m ready for the tricks that have been played for a while, to not sit quietly.”
Montgomery oversees Summit County’s budget for his day job — he campaigned around his deep experience in financial management.
“I now need to request from the treasurer — give me the five-year forecast and the details,” Montgomery said of Wayne Bowers, who was hired into the position in October. “I don’t need the scary version you show to the public. I need the real version.”
Those forecasts and financial decisions exist alongside two high-dollar and highly public, construction projects — that will bring two new buildings to Akron Public Schools’ footprint.
“It’s going to be a fine dance about thinking through building two new buildings while you might need to cut $20 million from the budget,” Montgomery said.
Jarosz’s servant leadership ethos drove him to run for Akron Board of Education
The Akron Board of Education race was not Jarosz’s first foray into the region’s politics, as he previously ran against former board member Derrick Hall for a seat in the Ohio House. His win Tuesday, though, makes him the youngest citywide elected official in Akron. (Fran Wilson is one year younger, but will only represent Akron’s Ward 1).
Jarosz’s election experience against Hall helped him realize how critical public education is to voters.
“It was an important issue then, and it’s an important issue now,” Jarosz, 30, told Signal Akron following his victory late Tuesday night. “Part of servant leadership is it doesn’t matter what your position is; it matters where you can do the best service in the community.”
Outside of his successful candidacy, he’s doubling down on influencing education with his pursuit of a doctorate of education in interprofessional leadership at Kent State University. That means that during the campaign, which featured at least 10 public forums and other opportunities to meet voters directly, he balanced the coursework a doctorate demands.
That education, Sykes said, will help him come prepared to make informed decisions on the school board.
And as for his youthful outlook?
He said what the school board needs most is collaboration, a common vision, stability and preparedness.
“The greatest way to show the result is by the actions I want to take,” Jarosz said. “The campaign was about the commitment and the ideas that we had. Now it’s time to put them into action.”