Cleveland schools CEO Warren Morgan is getting his first pay bump since taking the district’s top job in 2023.
The school board this week approved a 5% raise for Morgan, bringing his base salary to just over $299,000. His contract lays out annual raises, but he decided not to take one last year, citing the district’s financial troubles.
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) still faces a cash shortage in 2028, but with recent cuts, district officials anticipate they will be in better financial shape than they have been the last couple years. They whittled down the deficit from $96 million to $39 million over the last six or so months.
Cleveland Teachers Union President Shari Obrenski called the raise for Morgan “disappointing,” especially after voters passed a tax increase to help the district handle its budget deficit.
“The district promises to be fiscally responsible, and while we want everyone to be compensated fairly for their work, we do know that the CEO is quite fairly compensated for his work,” Obrenski said. “It would have seemed more appropriate for the CEO to get an increase that was on par with what was offered to staff, as opposed to going beyond that.”
When the Cleveland Teachers Union pushed for higher pay last year, they got raises at at 4% for the first year of their new contract — this past school year, 2% in the second year, and 3% in the third.
CMSD Board Chair Sara Elaqad said Morgan’s work earned him the raise, especially after he didn’t take one last year.
“He has a tremendous role, and he’s been successful in it in the face of an array of challenges and a multitude of projects beyond just the regular work of educating kids,” she said. He has inspired CMSD leaders and pushed the district toward better academic outcomes for students, she said.
Although Morgan joined the district as its deficit ballooned, his money management in the two years since has been strong, Elaqad said, noting that the district recently got upgrades to its credit ratings.
A nationwide study from the Council of Great City Schools put the average salary for superintendents in districts around CMSD’s size at roughly $307,000, a cost-of-living-adjusted figure based on data from the 2022-2023 school year.
Phony text from ‘Warren Morgan‘
Speaking of the head of CMSD, one of Signal Cleveland’s reporters received a questionable text message this week that was signed with the name “Warren Morgan.”
“I’m in a meeting, can’t take calls at the moment but i am excellent with texts,” the message read. “I need you on a quick task!”
It’s the kind of opening line that’s instantly recognizable as a ruse. In a statement provided by CMSD, the real Warren Morgan said the text didn’t come from him. (It came from a Wichita, Kansas, area code.)
“As much as I’d be eager to speak with any Signal reporter, this was definitely not me,” Morgan said. “This looks like a phishing scam.”
He shared advice from CMSD’s IT department: If you get a surprise text from him, or an offer that seems too good to be true, “best to be careful before responding.”
The district has not heard of any parents or staff receiving scam texts purporting to be from the CEO, a spokesperson said.
If you get a scam text message, the Federal Trade Commission says you should forward it to 7726 (SPAM). Doing so will flag the number for wireless companies and help them block messages in the future. You can also report scam messages at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.