The Cleveland Metropolitan School District's (CMSD) Board of Education has chosen two candidates for its next CEO, the district announced in a press release Thursday, both of whom have previously worked at the school district.
Finalist Ricard “Rocky” Torres worked as a school administrator at CMSD from 2014 to 2019 before his appointment as an assistant superintendent of student services for Seattle Public Schools. Meanwhile, fellow finalist Warren Morgan, chief academic officer for Indianapolis Public Schools, was a CMSD administrator from 2014 to 2016, described in the release as "Network Leader for the (Cleveland School) District’s Phase 2 Investment schools."
The district in the press release said eight community panels assembled by the Board of Education will interview the finalists next week, in tandem with the board and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb. The panels will include teachers, staff, parents, students, community partners and union leaders. Two of the interviews - one with students and one with parents and caregivers - will be livestreamed on Monday. You can find more information about both candidates, and links to those interviews, on the district's website.
About 320 community members were nominated to be on those panels, and 89 total were invited by the board to participate, chosen to "ensure diverse representation across the city," the release explains.
“From the start, the Board built the CEO job profile to reflect the values and skills that the Cleveland community desired in our next CEO,” Anne Bingham, chair of the Board of Education said in the release. “Our two finalists have exceeded our expectations, and we’re excited for the community to meet with them next week.”
The selection of the finalists is the final step in a process that kicked off late last year with the selection of Alma Advisory Group as a search firm, with a significant amount of community engagement happening in January to determine what parents, students and community members wanted in a new CEO. Stakeholders identified school safety and security, academic rigor and prioritizing the health and wellbeing of students as top priorities the next CEO should have.
The board has previously said it hopes to select the district’s next CEO, with Bibb’s approval, in early May.
It was noted in the press release that Torres is bilingual in English and Spanish, beginning his career as a bilingual special education teacher in New York City.
"He earned a Ph.D. in urban education from Cleveland State University and has mentored educators throughout his career, frequently sharing best practices at regional and national conferences on curriculum, equity, restorative practices, instruction, and community voice," the release reads.
The release shared that Morgan grew up on Chicago's south side and attended schools with demographics "similar to CMSD."
"Previously executive director of an education nonprofit in St. Louis, Dr. Morgan was a White House Fellow under U.S. Presidents Obama and Trump," the release said. "He earned an Ed.D. in Urban Educational Leadership from the University of Illinois-Chicago."
