This November, residents in the Akron school district will elect four members to the Akron Public Schools Board of Education in what’s expected to be a hotly contested race.
Hear from the candidates firsthand about their views on the important issues facing the district during a debate hosted by Akron Decides, a partnership of the Akron Press Club, Akron Beacon Journal, Ideastream Public Media and Signal Akron.
The Akron Decides Akron 2025 Akron School Board Debate will take place Oct. 8 at Quaker Station, 135 S. Broadway St., Akron. All eight candidates for school board have been invited to participate.
The district is attempting to move forward after parting ways earlier this year with former Superintendent Michael Robinson following a four-month investigation that found he created “a toxic and fearful work environment.”
A split school board agreed to pay Robinson $200,000 to walk away and then immediately replaced him with interim Superintendent Mary Outley, a longtime APS educator and administrator.
APS also is coming off a second year of staff layoffs to keep its budget in line while bracing for another two rounds of $10 million cuts projected over the next two years.
During the debate, the candidates will field questions posed by local journalists from the Beacon Journal, Ideastream and Signal Akron. Cheryl Powell, executive editor of the Beacon Journal, will serve as moderator.
Have a question you want to pose to the candidates? Submit your suggestions to AkronDecides@gmail.com for consideration.
The event will include a buffet lunch, with doors opening at 11 a.m. The debate will begin at noon and is expected to last about 90 minutes.
The cost is $35 or $280 for a table of eight. The proceeds help the Akron Press Club fund scholarships for journalism and public relations students.
Seating will be made available free to members of the public who want to see the debate but not eat lunch.
In addition, the debate will be aired live on Ideastream.org, BeaconJournal.com and SignalAkron.org, courtesy of Ideastream Public Media. Ideastream will air the debate on WKSU 89.7-FM at 9 p.m. Oct. 9.
Replays of the debate also will be available on the media partners' websites.
(This article is reprinted article originally published in the Akron Beacon Journal)
