Akron school board goes forward with Varsity Tutors contract despite union opposition

Akron Public Schools Board of Education will go forward with a contract with Varsity Tutors funded by the state despite meeting stiff resistance from the local teachers' union.

With nearly 100 people watching from the meeting room and roughly 200 viewing the livestream, the board voted 5-to-2 Monday not to rescind the contract it had approved two weeks earlier. Board members Rene Molenaur and Job Perry voted to rescind it.

Jan. 8 meeting: Akron Public Schools says 'buffering' glitch cut out 40-second exchange in public meeting

Board President Diana Autry said the board could stand by its vote and answer the community's questions while not losing the opportunity with Varsity Tutors.

This vote came after Superintendent Michael Robinson recommended the board nullify its prior 6-to-1 vote approving the contract. He cited legal action by the Akron Education Association teachers' union that aims to halt the contract from going into effect.

"[The AEA] has indicated its intention to file an injunction to prevent the program from going forward," Robinson said. "Today is a sad day for our scholars and families."

He said the school district is willing to resolve the matter.

Although the decision was disappointing for AEA President Pat Shipe, she said she is willing to sit down and discuss the matter with the board.

"Until such a time as the Akron public school board wishes to authentically attempt to resolve this matter, AEA will move forward with its grievance, its unfair labor practice and the lawsuit, which was filed [Monday] morning," Shipe said.

She said the contract would outsource tutor jobs that could be filled by APS teachers to a private, for-profit company.

The lawsuit also alleges that the Jan. 8 meeting recording was edited in violation of Ohio law.

What is the contract with Varsity Tutors?

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.

Participating school districts can contract with 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.

There are nearly 70 vacant tutoring positions in APS, most of which are school-day positions during class time, Robinson said. Varsity Tutors, he explained, would prioritize the hiring of APS teachers and tutors for after-school positions.

Most tutors with Varsity work virtually with their students, but he said APS teachers would be able to meet in person.

Public comment split on contract

Union members lined the boardroom walls and packed into the available seating holding signs and wearing blue AEA shirts. They protested the Varsity Tutors contract.

Signs read "Don't edit our educators" and "Shame on you."

Multiple people, including union members and an APS student, spoke against the contract, while some community members were in favor of it.

Redistricting: Akron school administrators to close 3 buildings, plan shift in attendance boundaries

Alana Treen, an East High School teacher, is concerned about the quality of education Varsity Tutors will provide, arguing that APS tutors and teachers are more qualified.

"All are more qualified to instruct our students," Treen said. "It's irresponsible to outsource teachers."

Another speaker cited five APS schools, including Helen Arnold, that made it off the state's low-performance list, echoing Treen's argument.

For Cynthia Blake, the contract would provide resources the school needs to help its students.

"It would be a great help to my granddaughter who has an outside tutor. My daughter is picking up extra shifts at a job to pay for it," Blake said.

What happened in those missing 40 seconds?

During the Monday meeting, a routine vote to approve the Jan. 8 meeting minutes went awry when Molenaur addressed what happened during the missing 40 seconds in the recorded livestream of that meeting.

The teachers union had questioned why those seconds were missing from the recording, something that is part of the AEA lawsuit against the school board.

Before the vote on whether to approve the minutes, Molenaur explained that the documentation of the Jan. 8 meeting was incorrect.

The meeting notes initially indicated Molenaur expressed her concerns about the contract vote before fellow board member Barbara Sykes objected and called a point of order.

Setting the record straight, Molenaur said there was no response to the call for a point of order.

Sykes said Monday that she called a point of order because she was concerned Molenaur might discuss information from the executive session.

The board voted 4-to-3 to reject the meeting minutes and voted again, this time unanimously, to approve the document with Molenaur's amendments.

The board was originally slated to discuss the livestream, according to an early version of the Monday meeting agenda. Molenaur said the agenda was edited to remove the livestream item about 45 minutes before the meeting began.

Redistricting on the horizon

As the timeline for redistricting, and open enrollment for those affected by its changes, is approaching, Robinson asked the board to reconsider the required three readings it takes to pass such a change.

He offered two recommendations: Bump the requirement down to two readings before passing it or hold a special meeting to more quickly reach all three readings.

The board took no action on this recommendation. The Jan. 22 meeting was the first such reading.

Redistricting will see some schools close, and those students will be assigned to other schools. This is an effort by APS to more efficiently use its buildings, as some schools are overcrowded while others are underutilized, according to a presentation to the board.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron teachers union moves to halt Varsity Tutors contract