WKSU Stories

Akron Schools Team with the City on a Summer Reading Program

Ideastream Public Media | By Tim Rudell,

Tim Rudell

Published May 23, 2016 at 7:20 PM EDT

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan during the election campaign

It’s summer-slide time in Akron. That’s the name of a program the City of Akron and Akron’s Schools are working on together to keep kids from losing ground in reading during the summer break.

Volunteers will be paired up with students to read with them two hours a week through the summer. The program will be offered at a half-dozen community centers around town. And, it will come with a lunch for the kids, too.

What will it cost taxpayers?

Mayor DanHorriganand Council President Marilyn Keith answered together at an afternoon news conference.

“Our community centers are open, and it’s all volunteer. So there’s not a dollar outlay.”

Marilyn Keith, President of Akron City Council, during an interview at WKSU's Akron Bureau

“And we’re in a community to do this. Because we are in a community of volunteers who do care about our youth.”

Summer Slide gets under way June 6^th and lasts through mid-August.