Monday is the first day of a new school year for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
Thursday, I sat down one-on-one with CEO Dr. Warren Morgan. The district recently achieved an overall 3 out of 5 stars on the latest state report card — a first for CMSD.
"We were the only of the large urban districts here in the state to receive that designation. So we’re really proud of it. A lot that— one is the years of work that we've been doing to improve the system. So when we think about the Cleveland Plan and all the work, all of that's like really coming to a head," Dr. Morgan said. "But we've also been really intentional about really thinking about having a unified, high quality curriculum in every school. That's work we've been doing over the past year, and really working on the intentionality."
But this school year, district leaders face tough decisions about which schools to close or consolidate to help avoid operating deficits.
CMSD is forecasting it could run out of cash by 2028 and is working on a plan to cut about $150 million over the next several years. Some savings have already been made by moving all schools to one academic calendar and reducing staff at its central office, among other steps.
Dr. Morgan has said rightsizing the district will be critical not only to saving money but also to improving educational opportunities for all students.
That’s where the district’s Building Brighter Futures initiative comes into play.
Leaders are continuing to gather information that will eventually lead to closure and consolidation recommendations.
Any changes will need to be voted on and approved by the district’s board of education. Several community meetings have taken place, and there are more to come.
A district report shows the city has many school buildings operating at half capacity — or even one-third.
“Are you looking at this to where you're trying to be equal among the geographic areas when these decisions come down?” I asked Dr. Morgan.
“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,” Dr. Morgan said. “So, there are schools… and programs across every neighborhood that could be impacted."
Dr. Morgan did not give a specific timeline for when closure recommendations will be made public.
However, whatever is decided will go into effect in the 2026–2027 school year.
Catch more of my conversation with Dr. Morgan on Monday on News 5 at 5.
