AKRON, Ohio — ‘We will not be silenced.’ It was the message from students, teachers, and community members questioning the decision for layoffs at Akron Public Schools.
It was standing room only at the Akron Board of Education meeting Monday.
After a long night, came what parents, students, and teachers didn’t want to see, the approval of a restructuring plan.
“When I found out you guys were considering removing so many positions I had to speak up,” said one parent.
Heartfelt pleas came for the district to change the course of action.
“It won’t only impact the budget you guys are considering, it's going to impact student outcomes and parent confidence in keeping their students in Akron Public Schools,” said the parent.
Students stood up for their teachers and staff on the chopping block.
“Has formed lasting bonds with his students and has provided invaluable life advice that I use daily,” said one student about his history teacher.
Teachers also stood up for themselves at the meeting.
“They will know it was not I who left them but you who forced me out,” said one teacher.
Outside the BOE building, the Akron Teachers Association chanted AEA.
They made it clear before the meeting that they were not going anywhere.
“It is an attempt at union busting and we will not remain silent,” said AEA President Patricia Shipe.
Hours before the meeting, students at Garfield Community Learning Center walked out of their classrooms toward the end of the school day.
The students rallied in the gym for their beloved teachers. “In order for us to have good students we need to have good educators,” said one student.
Skye Bower, a senior at North High School, held her message high at the BOE.
“It’s important we have people we can relate to but also people who have history,” Bower said.
Bower says she is now concerned about her own future.
“Someone who wants to become an educator I wouldn’t want this taken from me just because I just started or just because I’m young,” Bower said.
In presenting the five-year forecast, the Akron Schools CFO says they’re outpacing their spending more than what they’re bringing in and need to balance the budget.
"This is the worst part of our job and we fully understand and know that these are lives we're talking about,” said CFO Dr. Stephen Thompson.
But Dr. Thompson said if they don’t make cuts they’ll be looking at a 110 or 112-million-dollar deficit in 2028.
“If they’re not willing to change, they can’t expect the AEA to stop, they can’t expect students to stop,” Bower said.
The district says the implementation for restructuring will begin after approval.
Dr. Thompson told people who attended the meeting that the five-year forecast will be voted on during a special board meeting on May 28.
