2015 State of the Akron Public Schools Speech
Thank you for attending our 2015 State of the Akron Public Schools
address. I want to thank the Akron Press Club for sponsoring this event
along with the University of Akron, our host here at Quaker Station.
First, a bit of personal business; today is my dad’s 90th birthday; so
happy birthday dad. I know you’ll be listening so I’ll try not to mess this up.
I would like to acknowledge our school board members:
Mrs. Lisa Mansfield, President
Mr. Bruce Alexander, Vice-President
Mr. Patrick Bravo,
Mr. Dave Lombardi
Mr. Tim Miller
Mrs. Veronica Sims
Rev. Dr. Curtis T. Walker, Sr.
If there are any former school board members with us today, please
stand; welcome.
I would like our elected officials present with us today to please stand
and be recognized. (Recognize the Mayor, Russ Pry if present)
Thank you.
And, to our other honored guests, welcome.
I would like to advise you of the handout we have placed at your
tables. Peruse those at your leisure and please take them with you. We’ve
designed them to unfold and be posted on a bulletin board where you work.
This is my seventh year as your superintendent. Over the last 12
months, we went from the “polar vortex” and blizzard bags to the Ebola
virus. This year we are moving away from the Ohio Graduation Test to End
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of Course Exams and school schedules that are calculated in hours,
instead of days.
Last year, I stated my frustration with having to learn one set of rules
one day, only to come back the next day to face yet another set of rules.
Well not much has changed, since now we hear that the number of statemandated tests that our students are going to take will most likely be
reduced. We are also studying another new education funding formula.
As a leader, I have to remain calm in the midst of the various storms
that come our way. Because if I panic, our people will panic; but talk about
a hamster wheel. These constant changes in the rules that govern us are
really stressing out our teachers, our students, well everyone, even me.
Last year I spoke about our three district focus areas; core academics
in the classroom, college and career readiness supports, and building
sustainable partnerships with people and organizations to support student
success. All of our strategies are built around helping our students become
well-rounded and academically prepared.
It is more important than ever to promote a college-going and
workforce-ready culture among our students. This is why we are in full
support of Summit Education Initiative and the Cradle to Career Alliance. I
want to thank Derran Wimer and Matt Deevers for their work in identifying
those critical transition points along the educational continuum. SEI is
helping us analyze our progress to help prepare each child for success. So
today, I want to talk about where I believe we need to go in preparing our
students for the future. But first, I want to provide an update on this past
year, beginning with a key transition point; early learning.
The Akron Public Schools Early Learning Program serves children
from ages 3-5. With 10 locations throughout the city, this program is
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designed to meet the educational needs of typically developing children, as
well as those with special needs. We provide additional services, such as
speech, language, physical and occupational therapies, according to each
student’s individual needs.
Since last year, we have added 249 additional students to our Early
Learning Program. In the fall, we reopened Essex School as an Early
Learning Program site with 60 seats, with room to expand.
A robust system of early learning programming sets the foundation
for future success. And I would like to thank Pat Cronin, for her leadership
in overseeing our Early Learning Program.
Another critical point on the education continuum is third grade
reading.
Last year we started with 916 students identified at risk for being
retained because they did not meet the state’s requirements under the
Third Grade Reading Guarantee. After much hard work by our teachers
and principals, we reduced this number to only nine students being
retained.
And, according to the Ohio Department of Education, Akron had one
of the highest percentages, among the “Big 8” urban districts, of third grade
students who met the requirements for promotion to 4th grade at 98.7%. A
big thank you goes out to Mary Outley-Kelly, executive director of
elementary education and Dr. Toan Dang-Nguyen, our English and
Language Arts Specialist, for leading our 3rd grade reading guarantee
efforts.
To further improve reading skills among our elementary learners, we
also launched a new K-5 literacy curriculum.
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Teams of teachers worked last year to review curriculum options
aligned with Ohio’s New Learning Standards and selected a highly-effective
literacy curriculum that is delivered in a blended learning format, offering
both printed and digital texts.
This new curricular option increased the amount of time allocated to
literacy instruction, from 120 minutes to 180 minutes per day for students in
grades K-3.
We also re-tooled our approach to improving instruction.
Teacher leadership teams now come together throughout the year to
intensively review student performance data. The results of these reviews
are then used to develop 90- day, strategic improvement plans that are
much more precise than the year-long plans of the past.
Our teachers then analyze student performance and use this data to
adjust their instruction. We developed these practices in conjunction with
our work with the University of Virginia School Turnaround Program
targeting 11 APS schools that are part of our Impact Network of Schools.
This turnaround effort focuses on how to take our data-driven
instruction to a whole new level of analysis and action planning. We
expanded these strategies beyond the 11 Impact Network Schools to all
schools across the city.
Our teachers have become masterful at collaboration; analyzing
student performance data and determining how to differentiate instruction
to make sure all students are succeeding. This is the main foundation of
our teaching and learning approach.
At the middle and high school level, we are focusing on increasing
the rigor and relevance of our curriculum so our students graduate college
and career ready.
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In my previous updates, I have stressed the importance of preparing
our young people for the future, a future that includes work.
And from my conversation with many business leaders in this
community, there is valid concern for the workforce needs of our local and
regional economy.
One area that stands out is the critical need for talent in the areas of
science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Our partnership with the City of Akron, the University of Akron, the
Greater Akron Chamber, Akron Tomorrow and InventNow has resulted in
two high performing STEM Schools in our community; the National
Inventors Hall of Fame STEM Middle and STEM High schools.
Now, the challenge with our STEM platform schools is how to take
what we are doing there and expand it to other APS schools. I am sure
that in many of your organizations you realize that if some important
initiative or effort is going to be accomplished, someone has to “own” it.
To expand innovative learning practices and make sure our
innovative programs are maintaining the correct course, the Board and I
appointed Traci Buckner, former principal of the National Inventors Hall of
Fame middle school as director of innovative programs. Believe me when I
say she is under a lot of pressure.
The Board and I also approved a proposal developed by teachers at
Case Elementary and Litchfield Middle schools to implement the
International Baccalaureate Program.
Findley Community Learning Center and North High School have
started digital literacy and integrated technology courses.
Portage Path CLC continues its work in implementing its STEM
program.
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Buchtel CLC continues its work with the NewTech Network to expand
its one-to-one technology adoption into teaching and learning. We have
also expanded options for problem-based learning activities across all of
our elementary schools. (So if you ask a third-grader about “chick quest;”
be ready to hear about the time, temperature and conditions required for
the successful hatching of a chicken.)
Or, ask them about germination and be ready to hear about the
“Veggie U” project and the importance of sustainable gardens.
Ask 5th grade students how adding mass on their rockets can
increase the distance they travel.
Ask a 6th grader why dirt is a dirty word, or ask a physics student to
tell you about building bridges, dropping eggs and floating canoes and be
ready to hear about displacement, mass, tension, force and motion. Our
students are doing some amazing things because of amazing teachers.
And speaking of amazing; 450 students competed in the Akron
Science Fair. Sixty of them went forward to compete at the regional
Science Fair; with 10 students moving forward to compete at the Statelevel Science Fair in Columbus.
Just off the presses: We received $7,500 grant from Akron
Community Foundation for our collaboration with Great Lakes Biomimicry
and our STEM Program to develop a workshop around the development of
21st century skills using biomimicry principles.
For those of you who don’t know, biomimicry is the application of
examples, mechanisms, and processes from nature to solve real world
problems. For example understanding how the evolution of a Gecko’s foot
may help us develop better adhesive materials. Our APS students are
working on problems like this every day.
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And these activities are just related to STEM.
In the visual and performing arts I recently attended the Bands in the
Round concert at East CLC. Our students performed superbly. And
overall this was a very busy year for the visual and performing arts in our
schools.
The artwork of three Firestone High School students was honored at
the Congressional Art Show awards ceremony. Junior Mengu Yu,
sophomore Natalie Steigmann-Gall and sophomore Louisa McCoy were
honored. The Crouse Dancing Classrooms team won first place again in
the North East Ohio regional competition. The Firestone High School Band
swept Ohio Music Association Band Awards in November.
Our own Tommy Bruno of WAPS 91.3 The Summit won an Impact
Award from the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation for his efforts to provide
donated musical instruments to students in Greater Akron and Canton. In
addition 91.3 The Summit debuted KidJam Radio at Akron Children’s
Hospital.
A major highlight for us will occur on April 1st, when our fifth-grade
students will participate in a concert, featuring our students playing the
recorder alongside the Akron Symphony Orchestra. This is a result of a
grant with Carnegie Hall.
On a personal note, my daughter who plays cello in the National
Inventors Hall of Fame STEM High School Orchestra will be going to
Disney World in March with members of the STEM HS musical group under
the direction of Jennifer Lewis. They are putting on three performances
and I wish them luck. Actually, I am a little jealous that I am not going.
In the area of career readiness, our 30 plus career technical
programs are preparing students for their future careers.
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Several years ago I spoke about bringing a program by the Ford
Foundation here to Akron that focuses on career academies. Ford Next
Generation Learning is a national network of schools with the goal of
infusing high expectations and the academic rigor of college prep, with realworld relevance to career and technical programs.
Cities like Nashville have adopted this program, which serves as a
national model of bringing together educators, employers, and community
leaders to implement the Ford NGL model of transforming schools. In fact,
our own Business Advisory Council chaired by Lou Ciraldo of Summit
Construction has been advocating for this type of career engagement for
quite some time.
This group, made up of representatives of local business has been
working with our schools in supporting our career programs. And today I
like to announce that our friends at the GAR Foundation have awarded the
Akron Public Schools a grant in the amount of $350 thousand dollars to
begin the process of developing a career academy for health careers.
(Thank them and lead applause)
My goal-- with the Board’s approval--- is to build upon our current
Project Lead the Way BioScience Program at North High School.
This will provide us the opportunity to consolidate our health-related
career programs and develop partnerships with local and regional
healthcare providers to create opportunities to fill critical needs in the
healthcare workforce. Christine Mayer and Kirstin Toth, I thank you and
the GAR Foundation for your support in this effort.
Another critical piece of our career and academic program is postsecondary preparation.
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In promoting college and career readiness, Akron Public Schools
already provides all juniors the opportunity to take the ACT test. We have
also incorporated options for dual enrollment in ALL of our high schools.
The University of Akron, Stark State College, Lorain Community College
and Kent State University all have options for our students to take college
level courses.
I want to tell you that in the last fall semester, our students earned
499 college credits. And by spring semester, our students are on track to
earn an additional 633 college credits. My goal here is to have the majority
of APS students complete at least one year of college-level coursework
while still in high school. (you might want to generate applause here).
Last year I reported that our Akron Early College High School was
recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School. This partnership with the
University of Akron allows first generation college students earn their high
school diploma and associates degree simultaneously. In fact, this school
is again one of the top 15 schools in all of Ohio. And this past year the
Akron Early College was recognized as a bronze award winner, as a top
school in America by US News and World Report.
I know what you are thinking, and yes we have been quite busy this
past year; but WAIT, there’s more.
Last year, I introduced our new APS website and stressed the
importance of expanding our digital infrastructure. We have made solid
investments in technology to support our expansion of digital courses and
digital curriculum. New math and literacy curricula adopted a few years
ago have huge digital delivery systems.
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We have developed a student portal that can be accessed 24/7 that
contains a wide array of subject area applications to expand student’s
skills, reinforce deficits, and enrich strengths.
This portal includes student’s ability to use google apps for education,
including cloud-based google docs so they can collaboratively work on
documents and share them with their teachers.
We also use this portal to create and implement On-line Blizzard
Lessons. When Akron faced more calamity days than anticipated last year,
we turned to an on-line delivery system to support learning despite missing
many days of face to face instruction.
Digital learning may also present us with the opportunity to re-engage
with former students who find this method of education preferable to our
current in-person delivery system.
As we work to regain market share and make our services more
relevant in the digital era, I have appointed Marcie Ebright as digital
learning specialist. And one of her first tasks is to find a turnkey solution
partner to offer digital learning options to compete with other online
education providers who currently offer services to former APS students.
For our current APS students, we look to bring more blended learning
options that incorporate technology tools to truly differentiate instruction.
We are also using technology to improve our library and media
service offerings to our students.
This school year, we have successfully launched round-the-clock
access to APS libraries through eBooks, digital databases and INFOhio
resources. Our partnership with SEBCO Books and the LeBron James
Family Foundation is providing our students with 24/7 online access to a
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library of 3,400 supplemental books that can be accessed both at school
and at home.
According to the School Library Journal, this may be one of the
largest eBook collections in the United States.
The most important aspect of teaching and learning in the Akron
Public Schools is of course, our highly trained, dedicated and caring
teachers.
In looking at where we have been this past year, it is obvious to me
that, more often than not, we work in collaboration. Under the previous
leadership of Bill Siegferth and Jeff Moats, we were an exemplar of
collaboration by the Ohio Department of Education on our Race to the Top
Grant.
In fact, out of Race to the Top, we created many of the collaborative
teams that are still at work today, teams that include teachers and
administrators. Teams that have jointly set testing schedules, procedures
for implementing our Teacher Evaluation process; we even have
collaborative teams in place that are not even required by our labor
agreement.
I do understand our teachers are frustrated because of the myriad
state mandates around testing, teacher evaluation, third grade reading and
the like.
However, despite of all these pressures, we have teachers like
Ronald Boldry, our APS Teacher of the Year who teaches in the
automotive department at Ellet High School. And Eric Mathews, a
marketing teacher at North High School who was named the 2015
Association for Career and Technical Education National New Teacher of
the Year. (Ask them to stand if they are present)
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Every day these teachers and many more give all they have to our
children, preparing them for the future.
Speaking of dedication, let’s not forget the numerous organizations
and community volunteers who are working in collaboration with our
schools to improve the lives of our students.
This year we have expanded the number of partnerships with
individual schools.
For example, Love Akron Network, SEI and the Hudson United
Church of Christ continue their work supporting our students at Findley
CLC. St Hillary Parish and Seeds of Change are providing tutors for
students at Helen Arnold as well as providing enrichment.
A group of local ministers, including our own Rev. Dr. Curtis T. Walker Sr.,
Bishop Joey Johnson, Bishop Samuel Hampton Jr., Bishop William Smith,
Pastors: Clifton Norwood; Dennis Butts; Diana Swoope; Jeffrey Dennis;
Melford Elliott; David Nelson, Eugene Norris, and David Parker and many
more.
Joining them are County Councilwoman Tamela Lee, and the Summit
Education Initiative, teaming up to explore ways to support our children on
the road to success.
We have joined them in applying for the State of Ohio Community
Connectors Grant to provide funding to support much needed one on one
mentoring for our students.
I would like to thank Jonathan Greer of Man Up and Andrew Ziccardi
our school climate specialist for assisting in this effort.
Along these same lines it is very disheartening when I hear stories
about un-sportsmanlike conduct from our student athletes. It is a poor
reflection on APS. Our athletic program should be a vehicle to promote
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post-secondary opportunity and success. Although mentoring will help, I
believe it is time to really evaluate our entire district athletic program.
First and foremost it is about our kids.
It has come to my attention that we have not kept up with the careful
monitoring of the Ohio High School Athletic Association rules and the
training of our coaches, which is not acceptable.
As we look to hire a new district athletic director, I would like to
provide as much support as I can to our athletic office. I have spoken with
former Cleveland Browns player Tom Cousineau about forming a
Superintendent's Athletic Advisory Council.
The primary goal of this council will be to advise the superintendent,
and to make recommendations to inform the planning and decision-making
regarding the overall co-curricular athletic programming.
Co-curricular athletics are an extension of the school day and the
classroom. Through lessons taught in gyms, on the courts, and fields of
play our students grow into young adults through practice and competition
guided by skilled and thoughtful coaches.
A quality co-curricular program is carefully planned, continuously
evaluated and improving, well equipped, safe, and led by well trained
professionals who share a common purpose and mission. I look forward to
working with Tom, with the support of Summit Education Initiative to make
our athletic program exemplary.
Speaking of professional athletes, what a special year it’s been for
one of our premier partners, LeBron James and the LeBron James Family
Foundation.
This summer, our Wheels for Education kids were there in person at
InfoCision Stadium to welcome LeBron Home.
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And Wheels for Education keeps turning. Whether it was having
lunch with Dr. Scott Scarborough, president of the University of Akron, or
touring Harry London Chocolates, or meeting internationally renowned
pianist Lang Lang who visited Miller-South, our Wheels for Education
students have been on a whirlwind of activities.
But the highlight had to be seeing the face of Mariah Riley and her
family during the unveiling of her family’s home makeover completed by
Nicole Curtis of HGTV’s Rehab Addict.
With a little help from the LeBron and probably a few hundred
volunteers, their home on Rhodes Avenue was completely transformed.
And Nicole said it was nice to have a guy who can fix or paint virtually
anything in a house without having to use a ladder.
I would like to thank LeBron, Michelle Campbell and her crew at the
LeBron James Family Foundation for putting our kids first, and providing
them support through their partnership with Akron After School.
I have to say that for as much as we have always appreciated
LeBron’s commitment to our students…it is especially nice to have that
commitment and his presence back in our community again. (Applaud)
This year the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority celebrated the
opening of the REACH Opportunity Center in Summit Lake.
The mission of the Reach Opportunity Center is to enhance the
quality of life for the residents of the Summit Lake neighborhood in by
increasing educational opportunities for both children and adults, through
the collaboration of community partners.
I for one am very proud that APS is a capital partner in the project by
building two kindergarten classrooms at the REACH Opportunity Center. I
thank Tony O’Leary and Chris Yuhasz for their leadership. This really is
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how we need to approach education today. The needs in our community
are not like they were in the past, and our families are not like they were in
the past.
Our school population is changing as we continue to welcome our
newest members of the Akron community to our schools. Our non-English
language learners total 1,444. These students speak a variety of
languages such as Nepali, Spanish, Karen KAH WREN, Burmese, Arabic,
and Hmong.
For me this hit home last year in the middle of the Ebola Virus
situation that hit our community.
First I want to say that as a community we are very fortunate to have
our Summit County Public Health Department. During the Ebola scare,
Gene Nixon, Donna Skoda, and Dr. Margo Erme assisted us is getting the
correct information out to our families.
And at North High School, we needed interpreters to help get the
message out to our diverse student body and their families. I just want to
say thank you to Summit County Public Health for being there with us
during that crisis.
All of our work is challenging, especially when we have to pay for it.
At this time I am very pleased to introduce our treasurer, Ryan Pendleton. I
want you hear from him about our school finances, and how he sees the
world. I think you will not be disappointed; ---Ryan.
Thank you Superintendent James. My first six months have been a
wonderful experience of getting to know our board, superintendent
and employees.
Thank you so much for making me feel welcome.
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The Financial Office must reflect the district’s commitment to its stated core
values, vision, mission and established goals.
Put more simply, we must align the budget to where the students and
organization need it the most.
This is an especially important time in Ohio for school funding. The
governor recently released the next biennium budget. The budget process
is lengthy and will most definitely change between now and June. My
pledge is that we will be part of the conversation and that Akron Public
Schools students will be represented.
As in every department of Akron Public Schools we strive to serve
students better than we have before. There is always room for
improvement… Akron Public Schools have furthered that commitment in
the following ways:
1)
We have a started a well-functioning finance committee to evaluate
spending, set benchmarks and keep the community informed.
2)
To further enhance the transparent work of the finance committee, we
will be launching a webpage dedicated to school finance related
information. Look for our budget, monthly financials and special reports on
our website.
3)
The Akron Public Schools financial audits are exemplary and overall
the process of an audit, allows a third party to independently determine the
accuracy and legality of the financial practices or our district.
Our fiscal 2014 audit has recently been completed at we will be
issuing a news release shortly.
For the past several years, Akron Public Schools has received an
“unqualified opinion” the highest possible mark on its financial statements.
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4)
The Community Learning Center partnership with the City of Akron
comes with the responsibility of fiscal oversight. The construction funds
follow the same independent audit process and are reviewed on a daily
basis by the superintendent, treasurer, owner’s representatives and board
of education. With 60% of the funding from the state of Ohio, this is a once
in a lifetime opportunity to shape education for the next generation.
Again, I am so grateful to be a part of the Akron Public Schools team
and look forward to meeting so many of you who make this the place to be!
---DJ: Thanks Ryan.
Speaking of the governor’s budget, I would like to add that we are in
the process of reviewing his operating budget language in order to
understand the full impact that these funding changes and related policy
modifications will have on our district.
I am cautiously optimistic but want to ensure that the detailed budget
language does not unintentionally pit districts against one another as all
districts around the state - urban, suburban, and rural - are working hard to
fulfill our commitment to providing excellent educational opportunities for all
of our students.
And what better way to provide educational opportunity than building
modern school facilities?
This past fall we opened the King Community Learning Center. This
unique partnership with Mayor Plusquellic continues to see progress being
made with King opening as our 29th CLC.
If you drive by Firestone High School, you will see that we are making
great progress on the Firestone and Litchfield CLCs, slated to open in fall
of 2016.
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Work has also begun on the site of the future Harris CLC which is
estimated to be open by the fall of 2016 as well. We are currently in the
community planning phases for Ellet High and Case Elementary schools.
As we look at future projects and our projected enrollment, we must
make adjustments because of forecasted decline in enrollment. To that
end we are looking at each school cluster and will make recommendations
to adjust our facility master plan.
So, as we continue to move through our school rebuilding program,
we will keep a keen eye to making sure that we continue to right-size our
building footprint to meet our projected student enrollment. Our facilities
department, under the leadership of Paul Flesher has done an excellent
job, thank you.
As an urban public school district, our challenges reflect the
challenges in our community. However, we must not let that prevent us
from doing everything we can for all children. This means looking at
alternate ways of educating our children in an effort to meet their diverse
needs. Collaboration and partnership remain at the top of the list on how to
accomplish our goals.
All of the things I have outlined for you today are just a sampling of
what we do at Akron Public Schools to put our students first on the road to
success.
This recipe has provided us with successes like Rimer and Ritzman
CLCs being named by the Ohio Department of Education as High Progress
Schools of Honor for their 2013-14 reading and math performance. This is
the second year that Ritzman CLC has received this honor.
A graduation rate that is up from the previous year that exceeds
similar districts among Ohio’s eight urban districts.
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Or…. The $12.5 million dollars in scholarships earned by the class of
2014.
In closing, yes I acknowledge that we have our challenges, but since
the days of Mortimer Leggett, the first superintendent of the Akron Public
Schools, we have been ready and able to meet the challenges of the day.
We will continue to do so, God willing, with your help. Our future, and the
future of our children, depend on it.
Thank you.
(Ad lib fini)
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