At the July 18 Joint Board of Review meeting, city and Akron Public Schools representatives reported recent changes to improve public access to Community Learning Centers (CLCs) and proposed forming the CLC Advisory Committee identified in the cooperative agreement.

The update highlighted procedural fixes and practical steps that have already reduced friction for community users: a digital reservation system, a single point of contact at each organization, cleaned usage data, and an aligned handbook and base-fee schedule approved by the Akron Public School Board last month.

Member Wardell (City representative) reported that a Facility Access Team convened by the Out of School Time Provider Network (now Youth Success Summit) assembled more than 70 out-of-school-time providers and worked with city and school staff to identify barriers to access. "They pulled together 70 or more out of school time providers ... to gather feedback and listen to the community about what issues exist about access to CLCs," Wardell said. The team identified access concerns including inconsistent fees, insurance requirements that vary by activity, and a reservation process that required multiple points of contact.

Wardell said the team implemented a digital reservation system, trained providers on its use, centralized contact points at the city and the schools, and cleaned data to better understand community versus institutional usage. She also reported that the Akron Public School Board approved a shared handbook and aligned base fees last month and that nonprofits will no longer be charged a base rate for using CLCs.

Insurance for community users remains a key concern. Wardell said staff have met with insurance carriers, including McGowan (the district carrier) and a Cincinnati-based group, to explore options ranging from district-covered insurance to tiered insurance approaches or a pooled fund for smaller nonprofits. She noted that the risk profile differs by activity: "If you're having a card game and there's no alcohol, it is much cheaper than if you are having a football game," Wardell said, and some carriers will not cover certain field sports.

Wardell reviewed the three bodies created in the cooperative agreement: the Joint Board of Review (this body), a Citizens Monitoring Committee to report on expenditures, and a nine-member Community Learning Center Advisory Committee charged with advising the city and school district on day-to-day CLC operations. She recommended that the joint body nominate members to the advisory committee and not interrupt the Facility Access Team’s ongoing work; she proposed integrating some Facility Access Team members into the advisory committee to preserve momentum.

Member Molinar urged broad public outreach to recruit a diverse advisory committee; the joint body agreed to bring nominees at the next meeting. No formal vote was taken to appoint members at the July 18 meeting.

Next steps recorded at the meeting: nominate and present advisory committee candidates at the next meeting, continue insurance and reservation work through the Facility Access Team, and coordinate a public meeting on access and value-engineering community outreach in September.