Three new members will join the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Board of Education this month, filling vacancies left when three members resigned over the summer.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb appointed the new members: Caroline Peak, Jerry Billups and Rev. Ivory Jones III.
“Their fresh perspectives, dedication to education and commitment to our community will help us build on our progress and shape CMSD’s future,” Bibb wrote in a press release.
CMSD’s Board of Education is the only Ohio school board with members appointed by the mayor rather than elected. The new members will be sworn in before the next CMSD board meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
Peak managed the Collinwood branch of the Cleveland Public Library for 12 years before retiring earlier this year.
Peak has also served on the Bond Accountability Commission, a nonprofit that monitors CMSD’s funding for construction projects. BAC members are appointed by the chair of CMSD’s board and the mayor. She will be up for reappointment in June 2025.
Update: Peak no longer serves on the Bond Accountability Commission.
Billups has worked in the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court for 15 years. Currently, he coordinates the court’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, which connects young people involved in the system with support to cut down on unnecessary incarceration.
Billups graduated from CMSD’s John Marshall High School. Three of his children currently attend CMSD schools, and one is a CMSD graduate. He will be up for reappointment in June 2027.
Jones has been a pastor in Cleveland for more than 30 years. He currently serves as the pastor of Grace Missionary Baptist Church in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood. Jones is also an executive board member and state officer for the National Baptist Convention. He attended schools in Cleveland and East Cleveland and is a Shaw High School graduate. He will be up for reappointment in June 2027.
