Dr. David James and the Legacy of a Builder

  Written by: Matthew Deevers, PhD – Executive Director 

Akron Public Schools Superintendent Dr. David James will retire at the end of this school year. And while he will continue in his role through June 2021, I have already started thinking about his legacy.  

When I think of Dr. James, I think of a builder.

Of course, Dr. James has built buildings. He has led the district through the largest construction project in its history, transforming nearly all 47 schools into Community Learning Centers. But new facilities are simply the results of everything else he has built.

Dr. James has built relationships. Without trusted relationships between the schools and the community, such a massive construction project would be impossible. Anyone who has ever worked with Dr. James knows that he is sincere, honest, and trustworthy.

Dr. James has built safety nets for students and families through the Family Resource Center model that is expanding to more CLCs each year. In partnership with United Way Summit Medina, these centers connect students and families to essential resources and services they need, saving valuable time that families can now use to support their students’ learning.

Dr. James and his team built a vision for the future of Akron Public Schools students with the College & Career Academies of Akron. The Academy model provides all students with opportunities to pursue interests and passions related to high demand careers in Northeast Ohio. In less than six years, this vision has transformed learning experiences for all APS middle school and high school students.

Dr. James has built partnerships. Over 290 Akron area business partners and employees have committed to support the College & Career Academies of Akron. They are providing hundreds of hours of talks, mentoring, and leadership in schools across the district, along with field experiences and internship opportunities beyond the school walls.  

But he didn’t stop there. I am optimistic about the future because Dr. James built a few more things.

He built the capacity for his team to sustain this innovative work, the continued commitment of community leaders, businesses and other partners to support the schools, and the hope that, together, this community will keep building stronger foundations and greater opportunities for all students.