Akron.com

APS moving forward on building purchase



The Akron Public Schools (APS) Board of Education moved forward with a plan to move its staff from two old buildings to the soon-to-be-vacant SummaCare building at 10 N. Main St.
The board voted at a special meeting Dec. 6 to deliver a purchase agreement to the building’s owner, Signet LLC, in the amount of $9.2 million.
Superintendent David James noted the current APS administration buildings at 70 N. Broadway St. and 65 Steiner Ave. are over 100 years old.
“For the last seven or eight days, our elevator has been out again,” he said, referring to the Sylvester Small Building on Broadway Street. “We have come to the point where we need to consider the purchase of the [Main Street] building.”
Treasurer Ryan Pendleton explained after the board passed the resolution to purchase the building that the district would have to make an application to Paolo DeMaria, the superintendent of public instruction.
“He authorizes that we are not using General Fund dollars,” Pendleton said. “We can’t use the same pot of money that we are using to educate kids.”
Instead, the money will come from Tax Increment Financing (TIF), which includes funds the city and county collect from properties, according to APS officials.
Pendleton added the money APS saves from consolidating the buildings will help to pay off the new building in seven to 10 years.
“This will allow us to put the $1.1 million in annual debt service back toward the education of students,” he said.
APS must deliver this plan to the state within 30 to 45 days. After that, APS can solicit lending rates from “dozens of banks,” Pendleton said.
The treasurer added after the school board’s vote, “tomorrow we start programming the new building.”
Another aspect of the plan is that the ownership of the parking lot surrounding the building will be transferred from the city to the district.
“We can’t ask the schools to make sacrifices without making some of our own,” said school board President Patrick Bravo.
The school board also had its regular meeting Dec. 11 at Kenmore-Garfield High School. The board wished farewell to outgoing member Debbie Walsh, who did not run for re-election in November.
“Debbie is one of the hardest working board members I have ever seen,” said board member Bruce Alexander.
Walsh served the final two years of an unexpired term.
“She jumped right in with all of us,” said board member Lisa Mansfield. “It was a steep learning curve, but she never missed a beat.”
Bravo praised Walsh for her work on the I PROMISE School and the College and Career Academies.
The board passed a resolution thanking Walsh for her service, and each member in attendance gave Walsh a two-liter bottle of Diet Pepsi.
Walsh said she will continue to serve Akron students on the steering committee of the College and Career Academies.
Kenmore-Garfield Principal Frank Kalain discussed the merger of the schools. He noted that Kenmore students now have the chance to be in marching band, while Garfield students now have more opportunities to perform in the theater.
Chef David Skelly and two of his students asked the school board again to reconsider the decision to end the culinary program at Kenmore-Garfield. Skelly asked that the program not be moved to East or Ellet high schools but to be continued at Kenmore-Garfield when it’s rebuilt.
In another matter, the board agreed to change control of the Akron School of Practical Nursing to Stark State College. The transition would start next month and would be completed by July 1, pending approval of the Ohio Board of Nursing, according to district officials
“This program has a legacy that we didn’t want to see lost,” Bravo said.
The next board meeting will be held Jan. 8 at 5:30 p.m. at the Sylvester Small Administration Building, located at 70 N. Broadway St. in Downtown Akron.