There is a crowded field in the contests for Akron Board of Education this fall, with nine candidates seeking four open seats.
That includes three incumbents: current Board President Carla Jackson, former Board President Diana Autry and Pastor Gregory Harrison, who was appointed to an open seat in October 2024. Jackson is serving her first term, while Autry has been on the board since 2019.
Current Board Member and Vice President Bruce Alexander, now in his third term, did not file to run for re-election.
The other candidates are Phil Montgomery, Gwen Bryant, Keith Mills, Karmaya Kelly, Nathaniel Jarosz and Cynthia Blake. Three of those candidates have run for the board previously: Montgomery, who is director of finance and budget for Summit County; Gwen Bryant, an education consultant and former APS teacher; and Keith Mills, who is an intervention specialist at a school in Cleveland.
Jarosz lost to Derrick Hall, previously a board of ed member, in the Ohio 34th House District race in 2024. Blake previously ran, unsuccessfully, for both Akron City Council and Summit County Council.
The Board of Education has been split on several recent decisions, including a vote to appoint Jackson and Alexander to leadership positions, and on how to handle parting ways with superintendent Michael Robinson, who was found by an investigation to have bullied staff and created a hostile work environment. The system faces financial challenges and the board approved staff cuts in 2024 and 2025.
