June 25: Board Business Meeting, Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD)
Covered by Documenters Tucker Handley (notes) and Emma Sedlak (live-tweets)
Fewer CMSD students marked chronically absent
Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) saw a dip this year in chronic absenteeism, which is when a student misses at least 10% of classroom days. CEO Warren Morgan told school board members at a recent meeting he expects that to drop even further when attendance numbers for the full school year are final. Black students and students with disabilities, however, showed more modest gains in attendance.
Like many other schools throughout the country, CMSD has struggled to regain its pre-pandemic student attendance. Prior to 2020, slightly more than a third of students were considered chronically absent. That number jumped to 55% during 2020-21 and peaked at 64% during the 2021-22 school year. Last year, 63% of students were chronically absent.
Morgan said he expects the number to drop to about 55% once the 2023-2024 school year numbers have been finalized. He also said that CMSD has implemented more training for school secretaries, positive attendance campaigns and a no-show task force to work with students who have never come to class.
The overall drop in chronic absences was driven by white students, who make up only a small percentage – 13.5 % – of district students. Black students and students with disabilities also saw a dip, but it was smaller, about 4%.
Gaps extend beyond attendance for CMSD’s Black students and students with disabilities
Out-of-school suspensions are another place where Black students and students with disabilities are overrepresented, Morgan said during the presentation. For example, 81% of students suspended were Black despite only being 63% of the student body. Students with disabilities made up 36% of suspensions, although they are only 26% of the student body.
Overall, suspensions were up 2% this school year compared to last school year. Suspensions were much higher before winter break and decreased during the second half of the school year. Morgan said CMSD added interventions in the middle of the school year that he thinks helped with the decrease.
Morgan said he thinks the gaps potentially indicate that discipline policies are not applied equitably across all demographic groups of CMSD students. He said they are looking at the suspension numbers monthly, aligning discipline rules across schools and creating a Principal’s Handbook to help create and sustain school culture.
Looking beyond high school
More students are thinking about college – or at least filling out the forms to apply for federal financial help – in 2024 than in recent years, according to Morgan’s presentation.
For example, the number of students who submitted the FAFSA college financial aid forms increased from 40% in 2022 to 48% in 2024. The number of students submitting at least one college application also increased from 54% in 2022 to 61% in 2024.
The aim is for every CMSD senior to complete a FAFSA, even if they aren’t planning on going to college, said Morgan. CMSD has partnered with College Now Greater Cleveland to host FAFSA workshops for students and their families, he said.
CMSD is also working toward having 90% of graduating students in college, employed or enlisted in the military within five years.
Read the notes from Documenter Tucker Handley
Read the tweet-thread from Documenter Emma Sedlak
Suggested Reading
Tell us about your FAFSA experience
We want to learn about your experience completing the financial aid form as well as any additional financial aid hurdles you’re experiencing ahead of the fall semester.