After nearly three hours of candidate interviews and internal debates, the Akron Public Schools’ Board of Education on Tuesday night voted to appoint Akron pastor Gregory Harrison to the seat vacated by Job Esau Perry.
Harrison, an Akron native, graduated from Garfield High School and the University of Akron. He’s currently the senior pastor at Antioch Baptist Church. He also served in the U.S. Army and was a longtime detective with the Akron Police Department, retiring in 2005.
For nearly a decade, Harrison has been a regular presence at Akron Board of Education meetings — after advocating for his son who he said was denied services that he was legally entitled to.
“Sometimes it’s easy to sit back and critique and point out issues,” Harrison said, “and then sometimes you’ve just gotta be a part of a solution.
“Since I’m down here almost every week, since I read the agendas and look up things, I might as well be a board member.”
Board Member Bruce Alexander, the longest-tenured member on the school board, said Harrison could be a spark.
“It’ll be good for us,” Alexander said. “He will be someone that was on that side and is on this side now.”
Board President Diana Autry agreed, saying that Harrison’s knowledge and willingness to speak up will pay dividends when he’s on the board.
“He’s engaged, he’s aware of the issues, he’s a fighter, he’s a leader, and he’s involved with our students in and out of the schools,” Autry said. “We’re happy to have him — he’s going to be a great addition.”
Harrison has attended school board meetings for years
At past board meetings, Harrison’s public comments centered around accountability.
He plans to maintain that focus.
Harrison said the board is operating during a period of change, which sometimes appears as dysfunction. This, he added, is a product of the accountability process.
“Continuing in the accountability of district resources and how those resources are distributed within the district will be my challenge,” he said. “To make sure I’m asking the appropriate questions. But ultimately it’s the administrators, and this board needs to be able to empower administrators to do what they do.”
“I think those [financial] reports, in my personal opinion, need to be clearer and reflect more, because we’re reporting to stakeholders,” he said.
The broader challenges Harrison envisions mirror those in other large urban school districts: attendance, disciplinary issues, competition from charter schools and lagging test scores.
“We have to be able to offer quality education, quality sports programs, quality workforce development programs,” Harrison said. “We have to be competitive in what we offer in the district.”
Balancing activist streak and board’s structure
Perry resigned from the board to take a part-time magistrate appointment under Summit County Court of Common Pleas Judge Elinore Marsh Stormer. In his new part-time role, Perry is hearing mental health cases. He previously worked as a defense attorney.
Harrison will serve the rest of Perry’s four-year term, which runs until Dec. 31, 2025. Harrison will be eligible to run for reelection, similar to how Autry and Board Member Rene Molenaur retained their seats after being appointed to fill vacancies.
Alexander said Harrison’s appointment to the vacant seat followed a similar path to Autry’s. Autry had long been a vocal presence at board meetings and in the community. Prior to being appointed to the board in 2019, she kept Alexander on his toes as the PTA president at Buchtel Community Learning Center.
He said this dynamic of a vocal critic joining the board can make for a strong stakeholder — as long as they balance their activist streak within the board’s structure.
“I think it can have its positives because you’ve been out in the community,” Alexander said, “you know the community, you know the district, you know what’s expected.”