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Reporting on the state of education in your community and across the country.

It's Back to School for CMSD Students

First day at Campus International's new building [Annie Wu / ideastream]

Thousands of Cleveland Metropolitan School District students started school today.  CMSD estimates an 89% attendance rate for the day.  It was 90% last year.

“This year is all about building on the momentum we have across the district,” says Cleveland Schools CEO Eric Gordon.

He says the district is implementing new curriculum to help more third graders pass the state’s reading requirement.  In the upper grades, the district has opened six new high schools and is tracking students’ school work to ensure they graduate.  And as part of its plan to provide services beyond the classroom, CMSD will begin offering free dinners in the fall. 

“So any family that qualifies for breakfast or lunch would also be qualified for dinner,” says Gordon.  It's an extention of the the pilot dinner program CMSD launched this past summer at three locations around the city.  “For adults in the summer, we were also able to provide dinner at $1.50 per meal so the adult could also eat.  So we did some piloting this summer. We’re now evaluating where we can expand it and hope to have those launched this fall.”

Studies show that children who are hungry had difficulty learning and lower test scores.  CMSD currently provides free breakfast and lunch to its students.

The dinners are among the new "wraparound" services the district provides to support its students and families.  Last year, CMSD opened two legal clinics offering free legal advice.  It's opening a third clinic this year.

CEO Eric Gordon says increased enrollment and a city levy means the district is in strong financial health.

“We’re not rich and we shouldn’t be out just extravagantly spending money, but we’re also not in the days where we’re at 44 kids in a classroom, laying off 1400 people.  Those days are behind us.  And so we can afford to make some smart investments around what the resources our kids need so that they can be successful in school.”​

Gordon spent the morning visiting schools and says he received positive messages from his team throughout the district.

Annie Wu is the deputy editor of digital content for Ideastream Public Media.