Akron is among the last large Ohio cities without universal pre-K. Mayor Shammas Malik hopes to change that.
Malik asked Akron Public School board members Saturday to start reconsidering the future of early childhood education in the city. A pre-K program in the district was under consideration before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, he said.
“I want to bring this back on the plate,” Malik said. “I hope this is something that we can achieve as a community.”
The board held a retreat on Saturday that was open to the public and livestreamed on YouTube. Roughly six people attended in person and up to a dozen people watched it online.
During the eight-hour retreat, the board discussed policy changes, caught up on the roles and responsibilities of the board and superintendent and conducted team-building exercises led by an Ohio School Boards Association representative.
Universal pre-K is among APS Superintendent Michael Robinson’s primary goals, he said, but he wants to ensure it will not hurt the school district, which has seen decreased enrollment since 2003.