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Akron board tests ‘Committee of the Whole’ format as members split on voting rules
Summary
At its Dec. 9 Committee of the Whole, the Akron Public School Board introduced a new COW meeting format intended for in-depth review; members debated whether routine votes should occur at COW or be reserved for the regular voting meeting. The board ultimately voted on several routine items after discussion.
President Autry opened the board’s first Committee of the Whole session on Dec. 9, saying the new format is intended to give the board more time to review agenda items in detail and that the second monthly meeting will be reserved for formal votes. She asked members to direct procedural questions to Superintendent Robinson.
Board members immediately split on whether the COW should remain a non‑voting, working session or allow for votes on routine items. Doctor Molnar said the intent had been to create a working, non‑voting meeting and moved to defer voting on several items to the regular meeting. Several members, including Mister Alexander and Reverend Harrison, said practical needs — such as making employment decisions in a timely way — require the flexibility to vote when an item has been fully vetted.
The dispute centered on transparency and consistency. Molnar argued that routine votes should normally be moved to the formal voting meeting to allow more time for deliberation; Vice President Jackson and others urged clarity about which items are appropriate for COW votes and proposed routing substantive budget or contract matters to committee review first.
The board first considered moving approval of prior meeting minutes to the regular meeting; that motion failed by roll call. The board then proceeded to vote on listed minutes and later on other items. The exchange led members to direct staff to clarify the COW language and procedures so the public and board members know when an item will be subject to a vote and which items will be referred for further committee review.
The meeting established this committee‑of‑the‑whole practice as a working model for more in‑depth review of personnel, business affairs and consent‑agenda items, with the board leaving itself the option to vote at COW if the item has been sufficiently vetted.
