Akron Public Schools says 'buffering' glitch cut out 40-second exchange in public meeting

The Akron teachers union is questioning why nearly 40 seconds from a recording of an over two-hour school board meeting are missing.

Originally livestreamed on YouTube, the recording from the Jan. 8 meeting showed Akron Public Schools board member Rene Molenaur expressing her disapproval of an impending vote on a tutoring contract before the video abruptly cut her off twice.

The tutoring contract is now the subject of a grievance filed by the teachers union this week against the district.

Although not legally required to broadcast and later post videos of meetings, Akron Public Schools has posted livestreamed board meetings since the COVID-19 pandemic, said Mark Williamson, APS communications director.

"It's a live video signal; we have no control over it," Williamson said. "To suggest that anyone was manipulating it in any way is absolutely absurd."

During those 40 missing seconds, he said there was an "exchange between two board members."

"Right at that moment, an icon on the screen started spinning, saying it was buffering," Williamson said. "The gentleman monitoring [the livestream] did not know what the content was because it was buffering."

The Akron Education Association teachers union said in a news release Friday that an unnamed school board member shouted down into silence another board member who expressed concern about the contract in those 40 seconds.

No other jumps occurred in the more than two-hour recording.

The union recently issued a "Special Edition" letter to its members, which made its way to Superintendent Michael Robinson, Williamson said.

He said the letter accused APS of editing the Jan. 8 livestream video and of breaking the union contract by approving a tutoring contract with Varsity Tutors.

The superintendent responded with a letter to union President Patricia Shipe countering her allegations.

"Your implication regarding improper editing of a livestream video from the January board meeting is both reckless and inaccurate," Robinson wrote in the letter.

Shipe did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The APS Board of Education President Diana Autry could not be reached for comment.

Contracting with Varsity Tutors for Schools

The contract with Varsity Tutors is part of Future Forward Ohio, which aims to help students recover from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, including education loss, Williamson said.

The contract allows for 2,400 one-on-one 60-minute tutoring sessions for fourth graders who did not get a promotion score on the third-grade Ohio State Test. It will use funds from the Ohio Department of Education, he said.

The Akron School Board voted 6 to 1 at the Jan. 8 meeting in favor of approving the contract. Molenaur was the dissenting voice.

Participating school districts can contract one of 11 vendors, including Varsity Tutors, to use state funding. The APS contract is expected to cost about $156,000 of state funds with no cost to the school district.

"Akron is struggling to fill tutor positions," Williamson wrote in an email, adding that this program will help fill more than 70 open tutor positions.

He said APS teachers can apply through Varsity Tutors to work after hours for extra income as a tutor.

Each of the 11 vendors went through a grading process. To be considered for the Future Forward Ohio program, they had to score 75% or more, according to the Ohio Department of Education website.

Teachers union responds to contract, video

The Akron teachers union filed a grievance in response to the contract, stating it violates the collective bargaining agreement, according to a news release issued from the AEA on Thursday.

The union also filed an unfair labor practice charge with the State Employment Relations Board against the school board for allegedly violating the rights of public employees.

Although it has yet to be filed, the union said it will file an injunction to halt the contract from going forward, citing the Jan. 8 executive session to discuss the contract as illegal, according to the news release.

The union also accused the school board of editing the Jan. 8 meeting on YouTube and limiting the discussion of agenda items.

First cut was less than one second

This first jump in the recording from the Jan. 8 school board meeting is marked by a skipped beat as Molenaur spoke after a 40-minute executive session and the board's decision to vote on the Varsity Tutors contract.

"I rarely don’t prepare something, but this is, I wasn’t expecting to have a discussion right now," Molenaur said.

"But I do feel that this…” Molenaur said before the video cut her off for less than one second at the 2 hour, 11 minute and 20-second mark.

Molenaur's head, which was looking up, jerked down. Barbara Sykes, who was looking down one second earlier is suddenly looking up at Molenaur.

Superintendent Robinson put on his glasses and looked at Molenaur in the seconds leading up to the skip. One second later and without movement, he can be seen looking at his desk.

As the video resumes, Molenaur starts again, "…questions, and I personally wish that we had more time as a board."

A second, longer jump

The second and larger jump comes four seconds after the first and occurs as the camera fades from a view of the board to an angle focused on Molenaur.

As the camera focused on her, a digital clock behind her on the wall continued to track time by the second. The last time it recorded was five seconds past 7:43 p.m.

With the camera fully focused on her, the clock is no longer visible, but about four more seconds tick by.

"I know…" she said before the video cut her off again. There is no transition as the camera abruptly returns to the wider view of the board. When the camera shows the clock again after the jump, about 40 seconds have elapsed. The clock reads 50 seconds past 7:43 p.m.

Molenaur was no longer talking as the board voted on the contract.

Can YouTube livestreams be edited after broadcasting?

Livestreams on YouTube cannot be edited during the live broadcast. Once a livestream has been completed, it can be uploaded to the social media platform, according to YouTube.

Once uploaded, the recorded video can be modified in the video editor. Here, the video can be trimmed and cut to remove portions of the livestream.

The Akron Beacon Journal could not immediately confirm how YouTube treats buffered moments in recorded livestreams.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron teachers: Why is portion missing from school board meeting video?