Akron Public Schools' teachers union has filed a grievance with the district's board of education seeking to halt it from hiring a private company to tutor students. It's accused the district of trying to outsource teaching positions.
The Akron Education Association also says it'll seek to file an injunction in Summit County Common Pleas Court to stop implementation of the tutoring program, which the union argues was done illegally after an improper closed-door executive session during the Board of Education's Jan. 8 meeting. It'll also seek to file a complaint with the State Employment Relations Board, according to a press release Thursday.
The board voted 6-1 to enter into a service agreement with Varsity Tutors for Schools LLC after entering into executive session to discuss pending legal matters and personnel matters, according to a livestream of the Jan. 8 meeting and the board's agenda. It shows the board return from executive session and vote on the matter, with board member Rene Molenaur voting against the agreement; the video appears to cut off in the middle of Molenaur speaking about her concerns.
The Akron Education Association alleges Molenaur was "shouted down" by another board member during that portion of the meeting, which was later edited out.
"The deliberate concealment of a critical discussion to this matter is an extremely concerning and serious offense, and in no way supports the Board's assertion that they wish to conduct business in a transparent manner," the release reads.
The service agreement with the tutoring company would cost $156,000 and would be paid for by the Ohio Department of Education, according to the agenda.
"The program offered to Akron Public Schools by the Ohio Department of Education is in support of state required mandated services under Ohio House Bill 33," the agenda reads.
The state legislature added a requirement for "high-dosage tutoring" for kindergarten through fourth grade students not proficient in reading in the budget bill last year.
The program in Akron would provide one-on-one tutoring sessions for students enrolled in fourth grade who did not successfully "earn the promotion score of the Third Grade Ohio State Test," sessions which would be scheduled after school hours, the agenda reads.
