Throughout this election cycle, immigrants were repeatedly vilified and exploited for political gain across the country.
But Akron voters showed that we reject these notions.
Instead, we’ve continued to embrace our immigrant population by approving Issue 27, which will, in part, fund a new North high school — a building that is bursting at the seams both from old age and from the vibrant immigrant community expanding within its walls.
It’s true that Issue 27 also contained an operating levy that will benefit the entire school district. This should not be ignored or undervalued, as all kids in the district deserve a quality education.
But much of the messaging focused on a new North, the only neighborhood high school that wasn’t replaced with a new building through a 15-year effort that resulted in more than 30 new community learning centers.
At the time, the low enrollment at North didn’t justify a new school.
But things in Ward 2, especially the North Hill neighborhood, have been quickly changing as an influx of refugees find home in that part of town.