The board of Akron Public Schools (APS) has named a director for the district’s new position of director of student and family services. Wanda Lash joins the district after previously working in Canton City Schools.
Three schools -- Findley, Forest Hill and Firestone community learning centers -- have new principals in place now for the coming school year, after the board approved the moves at last night’s meeting.
Firestone’s previous principal, Larry Johnson, now oversees all high school principals. Tina Loughry will replace him. She has been with Akron Public Schools for eight years and most recently has been an academy principal at the high school.
At the two elementary schools with principal vacancies, Theresa Essandoh, the dean of students, now becomes the principal at Findley. She has been with APS since 2017 and started as a special education teacher. Juanita Rogers will lead Forest Hill in North Akron. Her tenure with the district began two years ago.
The new principal at I PROMISE School comes to APS from the Maple Heights schools where she worked for the past 17 years. A University of Akron graduate, Tawanna Hamm most recently worked as an assistant principal in Maple Heights.