With Cleveland Metropolitan School District seeking a new levy in November, Cleveland schools CEO Warren Morgan said in his state of the schools speech Tuesday that his administration is listening to the community and its staff.
Morgan highlighted several recent actions by the district on that front: redesigning plans for a new school building after nearby residents filed a lawsuit based on the old plan, relaunching a grant fund for students that the district was harshly criticized for removing and significant raises for teachers and staff at the district last spring.
Morgan's speech also made frequent reference to news from September that the district's overall score on the state report card is now three out of five stars, up from two and a half in 2023. He said that shows the district is meeting state standards for the first time "ever." The tables at the City Club of Cleveland, where the speech is traditionally given, each had copies of a letter from President Joe Biden congratulating the district on its success.
"I'm proud to report that CMSD received the highest rating of all urban districts in the state of Ohio, and we are the only urban district in our state meeting state standards," Morgan said. "We achieved significant gains in English language arts and math proficiency last year. Our gap-closing and progress efforts have been remarkable."
However, that positive news masks serious work still needed: the district still received one out of five stars on its early literacy and graduation rates, and more than half of its students were considered “chronically absent” by the state last year - missing 10% or more of the school year.
Morgan's speech takes place ahead of a vote on the November ballot for the district: a combined operating levy and renewal of a bond issue. Without it, the district will be almost entirely out of cash by the end of the the 2025-2026 school year, and $100 million in the hole at the end of the following year, school district five-year forecast records show.
"We will not be able to provide the student experience our scholars deserve, and the cuts we will be forced to make would be drastic and unimaginable," Morgan said, referencing a previous statement he's made about upward of 700 staff potentially being cut if the levy doesn't pass.
The challenges ahead
Morgan was candid that the district faces challenges as it works toward a broader goal: that every neighborhood "has a school that is meeting or exceeding state standards." That echoes statements Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb has made in the past about improving the state of education in the city and the broader Cleveland Plan, a set of reforms put into place more than a decade ago which calls for high-quality schools - both public and charter schools - across the city.
Those challenges include a lack of parity across the district's school buildings. Only three of 63 CMSD first-through-eighth grade schools offer Algebra 1 in eighth grade, Morgan said - a course often offered in that grade that prepares students for higher-level math. Only five of those schools offer foreign languages. And only five of those 63 schools - and only 10 of CMSD's 29 high schools - offer band as a course.
"Less than 50% of CMSD high schools offer cheerleading and football as a competitive sport, and 65% of high schools offer track and basketball," Morgan said. "Now, I acknowledge that not all students will want to participate in these activities, and I value the diversity of choice offerings within our school system. However, if we are not offering the basics: Algebra one, foreign language, the ability to learn an instrument or play a core sport, we are robbing our children of the student experience they deserve."
Equitable access and enrollment
During a question and answer portion of the State of the Schools, Elijah Brown, a sophomore at Ginn Academy, asked Morgan about another issue relating to equity across the district.
"My question for you today is we often hear as students that there is a favoritism between West Side schools rather than East Side schools. When it comes to programs and funding, as the CEO, would you say this is true? If so, what can be done about it?" Brown said.
Many schools on Cleveland's East Side - which is majority-Black and has the highest concentration of poverty in the city - were the first to get renovated under an extensive effort to rebuild schools roughly two decades ago, Morgan said. West Side schools have been renovated more recently and the total number lags behind the East Side, Morgan said. But he said new facilities aren't everything.
"There are a lot of programs being offered on our West Side schools, and when I think about our East Side schools, even our high schools, many programs either were once there and they're no longer, or the programs are not thriving," Morgan said.
That's partly the result of enrollment dropping significantly on the East Side over the years, Morgan said.
"We all must own, why is it that our East Side schools are lacking in enrollment or the programs that we have?" Morgan said in response. "What are the types of experiences that you and your families want us to provide on the east side and also on the west side too?"
The district is beginning a long-term planning process to consider the future of all CMSD facilities, Morgan said, and will seek community feedback on that front next year. Morgan did not say the district will be closing buildings, as Columbus City School District voted to do this summer, but, he did say that the district must look at its "buildings, programs and models" as it's analyzes how financially sustainable its operations are.
Expenses and front office spending
While CMSD typically spends more on administration than other comparable school district in Ohio, Morgan said the district is trying to cut down on its expenses at the top, citing central office staff layoffs put into earlier this year along with other cuts.
"We froze executive level salaries and put spending controls on administrative expenses," he said. "In fact, I cut my CEO budget by 40% this year, and my budget last year was 39% less than the CEO budget prior to me starting."
