The Akron Board of Education approved the master plan for its college and career academies Monday, but now the heavy lifting begins.
The plan is the blueprint for implementing high school academies that will help ready students for entry into the workforce, the military or college upon graduation.
The board’s approval means the district can pursue creating academies at all of its high schools.
The effort already has been launched at North High School — the site of Monday night’s board meeting — with the creation of a Freshman Academy to help guide students toward career paths and the Academy of Health and Human Services and the Academy of Global Technology and Business for grades 10-12. Students in the freshman program will be divided into the career academies in the fall.
“I think it’s all about opportunity,” said Superintendent David James. “Kids want to do a lot of different things, and we as a community have to be there to support them so they can do that, whether it’s being an entrepreneur and start their own business or whether it’s to work in one of our manufacturers or other companies here, and so that business engagement is important.”
The academy model will transform the secondary school experience, James said, with more college and career advising and dividing the students into smaller learning communities so there is more engagement with teachers and staff.
“The hard work really starts,” James said. “Getting the plan together a lot of times is the easy part. Implementing it, that’s the heavy lifting.”
And that begins Tuesday, said Ellen McWilliams-Woods, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.
“North High School is our trailblazer school, first out of the gate,” she said.
The other high schools will follow North High’s lead in the 2018-2019 school year with the launch of Freshman Academies. In 2019-2020, all the high schools will have career academies for grades 10-12.
The board has been active throughout the entire process, McWilliams-Woods said, so no changes to the plan were expected at the meeting. The board had a final retreat last week to go through the “nuts and bolts” of the master plan and answer any remaining questions.
Scholarships available
In other business, Eric Garrett, owner of Beyond Expectations Barber College, asked to address the board and offered $60,000 in scholarships for six students to attend the college. Students must write an essay of 500 words on why small-business owners are important to the community. Essays are due May 19. Email eric@bebc-ohio.com for more information.
Treasurer Ryan Pendleton announced the school district recently passed its 2016 annual audit, in which the State of Ohio Auditor’s Office looked at the district’s $500 million in assets.
“Akron Public Schools has once again received a clean bill of financial health from the Auditor of State, resulting in an unmodified opinion,” Pendleton said. An unmodified opinion is the highest possible audit rating and demonstrates to taxpayers the district’s commitment to proper stewardship of the monies entrusted to the district, he said.
The board also:
• Approved a resolution for the replacement of concrete sidewalks, entrance and exit lanes, bus loading areas and related trench drain repairs at Kenmore High School after a recent review determined the need. The board approved $56,120 for the work that will be completed over the summer break.
• Announced the appointment of Dina Popa as the new principal of the STEM High School from her position as assistant principal and interim principal. She will receive an annual salary of $107,063.52, effective July 1.
• Approved the purchase of 1,659 HP Chromebooks for the 1:World districtwide initiative from CDW Government LLC, total cost not to exceed $435,729. This finishes the implementation of Chromebooks for middle school students. High school students will receive them in the fall, grades 3-5 next spring, and preschool through second grade in fall 2018.
Monica L. Thomas can be reached at 330-996-3827 or mthomas@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @MLThomasABJ and www.facebook.com/MLThomasABJ.