Planning committee refers $200,000 city support for Akron After School contract with school district

The Planning and Economic Development Committee of Akron City Council voted to refer an ordinance that would authorize the mayor or his designee to enter into a contract with the Board of Education of the Akron Public School District to continue Akron After School programming and to request $200,000 in city funding, committee members said at the meeting.

Akron After School is an after-school and summer learning program run by Akron Public Schools that provides academic intervention and enrichment for elementary students. Presenters told the committee the program served about 2,500 students at 28 elementary schools in fiscal 2024 and showed measurable gains in reading and math outcomes for targeted students.

Desiree Bolden, manager of extended learning at Akron Public Schools, told the committee, "Akron After School isn't daycare. It is not aftercare. It is a proven investment in our city's future, focusing on academic acceleration and student well-being and community stability." Bolden said program evaluations show targeted students had substantial gains: a 35 percent increase in number and number operations, a 30 percent increase in algebraic thinking, and a 31 percent increase overall in English language arts compared with peers receiving other interventions.

Bolden also described attendance and absenteeism benefits. She said daily attendance among Akron After School participants was about 1.16 percentage points higher than district elementary averages, and chronic absenteeism was about six percentage points lower for program participants.

Program funding comes from multiple sources, presenters said. The primary federal grant historically used is the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program; district and other braided funds (including ESSER for summer expansion) have supplemented that funding. Bolden said the program lost roughly 600 students for fiscal 2025 because of shifts in grant funding and that a $100,000 reduction from a multi-year federal grant contributed to the decline. She said the program operates at about $640 per student per school year under current funding assumptions.

Committee discussion focused on finances and timing ahead of the city's budget season. Staff said the city had provided $185,000 annually to Akron After School since February 2008 and that the proposed ordinance would increase the city's commitment to $200,000 for the coming period, directing a portion toward summer programming where staff said the greatest gap exists. Bolden said the district and other partners provided additional summer funding in the prior year — a $600,000 three-year summer grant was used in part to serve about 1,300 summer students (730 of whom were Akron After School participants) — but that many of those supplemental sources have ended.

Councilwoman Linda Mobian, speaking in support, said the program has produced measurable improvements and urged the council to elevate the program in public communications. Committee members indicated they wanted more detailed budget analysis before final action and moved to refer the ordinance for further consideration during budget deliberations. The committee’s motion to refer the item passed by voice vote.

Next steps: the ordinance will be carried forward for further budget review and to the full council as part of the city’s upcoming budget process. The presenters committed to providing the committee with detailed site lists, summer-cost estimates, and a clearer breakdown of funding sources and gaps.