CLEVELAND — Monday, students and teachers returned to classrooms in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
CMSD has momentum with voters approving a levy and bond last year and improvements on the state report card, where the district earned an overall three out of five stars for the first time.
But tough decisions are looming as leaders plan for school closures and consolidations to avoid deficits. Leaders are trying to tackle an increase in operating expenses, funding cuts, and declining enrollment.
CMSD said its enrollment was about 70,000 students in 2004 and about 34,000 in 2024.
The district’s CEO, Dr. Warren Morgan, has been leading the district for more than two years.
Projections show the district could run out of cash by 2028. Leaders say it’s unavoidable. They need to cut $150 million over the next several years.
"We have to consolidate some schools, close schools, and make sure that there's high-quality programs in every neighborhood,” Morgan said.
I asked him, “What do you say to family members who are concerned about that neighborhood school potentially disappearing?"
Morgan said, “I will never lie and say, ‘Oh, it's going to be easy…. There won't be loss,’ because there will be, and with loss there's change. With loss, there is pain sometimes."
A few months ago, the district’s Board of Education voted to unify all schools under one academic calendar, saving about $27 million over three years.
There have also been staff reductions at its central office, among other steps.
Building Brighter Futures
Building Brighter Futures, part of the district’s long-term facilities plan, will recommend which schools to close or merge. It’s part of a strategy expected to save about $90 million over three years.
Last week, I shared part of my interview with Dr. Morgan.
"Is there a target number you guys are trying to get at as far as cuts?” I asked Morgan.
“You know, we're working towards that now,” Morgan said. “We've been doing a lot of work and modeling this summer.”
Several community meetings have taken place across the city to gather community input about future changes. More meetings are scheduled for September.
District Study
A district study shows that few schools have strong enrollment. According to the district, some high schools, particularly in the Northeast, Central East, and Southeast parts of the city, are operating at less than half capacity.
The district says a range of data, including building conditions and community input, will help guide decisions.
Residents still have questions
Dorothy Davis, who lives on the city’s east side, is worried about certain areas of the city being targeted when it comes to school closures.
“Oh yeah. They're going to do that,” Davis said.
She has a grandchild in a CMSD high school and others in private school.
“They did that because of the fact that the kids are not learning,” Davis said.
She’s not opposed to the cost-cutting plan, but is skeptical.
"I don't say don't close them,” Davis said. “But if you ain't going to put something that is feasible in its place… and I don't see nobody thinking of anything that is feasible.”
Davis is concerned about longer bus rides if students are sent to schools farther from home and about high student-to-teacher ratios.
“Everything is financially based, but you're going to leave the ones that are behind, left behind,” Davis said.
Richard Landers graduated from Collinwood High School many years ago. He’s concerned about consolidations, particularly at the high school level, stirring up turf wars and violence at schools.
“The kids’ education—yeah, we know it’s important,” Landers said. “But, what about their lives?”
I asked Morgan about some of the concerns I’d heard, starting with: “Are you approaching this with the goal of treating all geographic areas equally when these decisions are made?”
Morgan said, “Just from our initial data, this is not a one-area type of issue.”
He added, “I will say that the issues we’re seeing with building condition, enrollment and instructional quality — or lack thereof — is a problem across the entire city. So, there are schools… and programs across every neighborhood that could be impacted."
The CEO said rightsizing schools will create more opportunities to expand class offerings and programs, including band, foreign languages, athletics, and clubs like chess and robotics.
“Our Convocation was ‘Level Up’ this year,” Morgan said. “It’s a year for us to build on the progress we've made. As I mentioned, we had some very strong academic progress that I'm very proud of our system for.”
What about teacher layoffs?
The district said it’s expecting stable student numbers, so teacher needs should remain about the same.
“After Building Brighter Futures is implemented, do you feel like families and students will be better served at CMSD?” I asked Morgan.
He responded, “That's the goal. That's the goal with the programs. And then we have to put in the work."
While Morgan didn’t give a specific timeline on when recommendations will be compiled and presented to the district’s Board of Education, whatever is approved will go into effect in the 2026–2027 school year.
