Cleveland Metropolitan School District could close the Newton D. Baker School of Arts on Cleveland’s far west side at the end of the school year, the school's principal said in a letter to families last week.
Principal Lisa Williams-Locklear said in the March 21 letter that CMSD will recommend the board of education approve closure of the school by May due to "ongoing facilities challenges."
"CMSD is committed to providing students with a learning environment that is safe, warm and dry," she wrote.
Cleveland City Councilmember Charles Slife said the news of the district seeking to close the building, which is located in his ward, came as a surprise to him — though he does not necessarily oppose the decision.
"CMSD is making this decision based on the building's condition," Slife wrote in a Facebook post. "Specifically, leaks in the roof have required up to 40 barrels to catch rain/melting snow. This has also led to concerns regarding mildew and mold."
Slife said he’d had a conversation with CMSD CEO Warren Morgan and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb about the building. He called on the district to assist families if they are displaced, and said the building should be demolished if the district does close it.
Slife said he wants to see new school construction in the neighborhood. He wrote: “Ward 17, which supported the recent CMSD school levy and certainly turns out to vote, is ready for a new school building in the neighborhood."
CMSD teachers and parents have been circulating a petition asking the district to keep Newton D. Baker's students and staff together at a new site, whether it be a new building or merged with another kindergarten-through-eighth grade school.
"We are asking … to KEEP OUR NDB FAMILY TOGETHER AS ONE UNIT (students AND teachers/paraprofessionals)," the petition reads.
Chris Malinoski, a science teacher at Newton D. Baker involved with the petition, said the building is in poor condition, especially its foundation and roof, with leaks common when it rains or when snow melts.
"It's boiler operated, it's 70 years old, it's woefully underwired, non-air-conditioned," he said.
Still, he said he wished the district had communicated its intent to close the building sooner. He said he'd like to see it renovated, but hopes whatever happens the district keeps the staff and students together.
"If (CMSD CEO) Dr. Morgan and the executive leadership team could find a way to keep Newton D. Baker alive in one or even two other buildings, the Newton D. Baker families will follow anywhere on the West Side," he said.
CMSD CEO Warren Morgan, in a statement sent Monday, March 24, said the proposal to close Newton D. Baker is separate from the district's ongoing "Building Brighter Futures" facilities campaign, but is neededed regardless.
“Our top priority is ensuring that every scholar has access to a safe, warm, and dry learning environment,” Morgan said. “Despite ongoing maintenance efforts, the conditions at Newton D. Baker have reached a point where short-term fixes are no longer viable. We must take action in the best interest of our students and staff.”
