Dec. 10: Cleveland Metropolitan School District Board of Education
Covered by Documenters Marvetta Rutherford (notes) and Christina Easter (live tweets)
More math classes and extracurriculars
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) will have to thread a needle over the next few years as officials aim to whittle down a looming $96 million negative cash balance while upgrading buildings and offering more classes and extracurriculars.
Warren Morgan, the CEO of the district, said he would like to see more elementary schools offering Algebra I classes and introducing students to STEM concepts in lower grades. Right now, just five of CMSD’s 60-plus elementary schools have Algebra I, he said.
Morgan, who is well-versed in several instruments, also wants to create more band and choir programs throughout the district. There’s a need for more art, language and physical education classes, too, he said.
Closing schools won’t solve the district’s financial problems
School buildings need upgrades, too, Morgan said. The district is working on a facilities study to gauge the condition of its schools. Based on some early results from that study, Morgan said some schools need air conditioning and other improvements to make them safer and more accessible.
At the same time, CMSD officials project that the district will have a negative cash balance of $96 million by 2028. That shortfall would have hit sooner, but Cleveland voters approved a levy for the district in November. The levy will raise $49 million every year and help buy CMSD time. CMSD also reduced costs by cutting funding for some out-of-school programs and eliminating positions at the district’s central office.
Still, the district needs to find more ways to save money, Morgan said. He has heard some people suggest closing schools, but, he said, that alone wouldn’t save enough money to put the district back in the black.
The next year will be all about planning, Morgan said. He and other CMSD officials want to meet with community members to better understand what people want from the district. More information will come in January, he said.
New board members take their seats
The Dec. 10 Board of Education meeting, the last meeting of the year, also included three new board members: Caroline Peak, Rev. Ivory Jones III and Jerry Billups. They filled seats left open after three members resigned over the summer.
As far as giving students more opportunities, Peak suggested reaching out to churches, libraries and other institutions for help. Peak worked in the Cleveland Public Library system for more than 20 years.
“Cleveland is in abundance with our cultural arts appreciation and things of that nature,” she said. “Those kinds of other organizations that are out there, we look into afterschool programs or maybe opportunities for kids to have hands-on learning experiences.”
Read the notes from Documenter Marvetta Rutherford:
Read the live tweets from Documenter Christina Easter:
Good evening Cleveland and beyond! I will be live reporting the Cleveland Metropolitan School District Board Business Meeting starting at 6:30. #CLEDocumenters @signalcleveland @cledocumenters
— Coffee (@CoffeeDocuments) December 10, 2024
Watch now or later here https://t.co/1HFIVfyIih
Watch the full meeting on the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s YouTube.
