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.
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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.”