Akron School Board member Linda Kersker nearly stands up and cheers at a recent board meeting about the number of their students achieving accelerated or advanced status on proficiency tests. She says the district has long led the way for urban schools.
Linda Kersker: On 90% of the state rankings, Akron is the number one district on the Big Eight urban districts.
Akron also has a high school graduation rate of slightly over 80%, higher than the state average. District officials say they had hoped residents would respond to their success, but have found passing additional levies difficult. The last two attempts have failed - last May's by just 400 votes.
Sylvester Small: We cut all but varsity sports, cut middle school foreign language, elementary instrumental music.
Since May, Akron Public School's Superintendent Sylvester Small has had to slash $10 million from the budget. 115 positions were eliminated - and that from the big eight district with the highest percentage of its budget spent on instruction. Because this is the third attempt to pass a levy in the last year, it's been hard to raise money for the campaign, but Small says local businesses have stepped up to help.
Sylvester Small: They tell us the future of Akron. Our employers have told us we need good students to have a good educated workforce in order for us to remain here. It's a quality of life issue.
It's about looking long term, says Linda Kersker. She wants voters to see that today's students will set the city's future.
Linda Kersker: They'll see the circle from good schools to educate workforce to good jobs to healthy Akron neighborhoods. It's about all of us being in it together.
Going back to 2001, Akron Schools have cut over 500 teachers and slashed spending by $40 million dollars. If voters turn down the levy again, Small says the cuts will be draconian. In budgetary terms, he says, they are heading towards a waterfall.
Sylvester Small: Next year, we'll have a small deficit - about $2 million - but the next year we'll have a $30 million deficit.
If it passes, Small says he would love to bring back middle school foreign languages. In a nod to foreign competition, he notes that while Midwestern manufacturing jobs are dwindling, 110 million Chinese students are studying English. Mark Urycki, 90.3.