The Cleveland board of education voted Tuesday to end the extra days and extra minutes that roughly a quarter of the district's schools receive.
Twenty-one schools will move to the district’s traditional calendar, and 24 schools will lose the extra 30 minutes they receive each day. Between the two categories, 27 schools in total will be affected, the district said. The decision is expected to save CMSD $9.3 million annually, largely generated from cost savings from reduced salaries of teachers and other staff who work at the schools. The change to the calendars will take effect in the coming 2025-2026 school year.
The proposal comes as the district faces a significant budget deficit. CMSD CEO Warren Morgan has said previously the district needs to cut at least $150 million over the next three years to avoid financial monitoring by the state or even potentially a state takeover.
The proposal would affect a mix of schools, including the Cleveland School of Science and Medicine, one of the district's highest-performing schools, as well as specialty schools like the district’s boys and girls leadership academies. More than half of the buildings that received additional school time for students earned three out of five stars, which was higher on the state of Ohio's 2024 report card, Morgan said.
Students, staff and parents have turned out to recent board meetings, including Tuesday's, to ask the district not to cut the extra time. Xavier Avery, a student at Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School, previously helped organize a protest outside the district's main office in downtown Cleveland. He said the extra time his school receives helps improve student outcomes.
"Many students believe that the year-round calendar helped them retain past information from previous years due our summer being shorter," he said. "Research suggests that students with a traditional calendar may lose up to 20% of their reading gains and 27% of the math gains."
Avery said the extended calendar gives students more opportunities for internships and hands-on learning.
"The best time for our programs are during June, July, and August, when students can work towards their private pilot's license and captain's license," Avery said. "Aviation and maritime classes rely on good weather in order to provide students opportunities to fly or go out on the lake. In June, many students participate in the after-school programs to prepare themselves for the internships and careers that are available after high school. In August, all new freshmen participate in a six-week program where they are taught how to operate small watercrafts and swim."
The district commissioned a study in 2024 that suggested there was little academic benefit to go with the increased costs of operations for most of the extended-year school models. The study found that many of the extra days ended up being used for professional development for teachers. Morgan said many schools are using the extra 30 minutes in their extended days for extra time during lunch or for dismissal times as well as for longer class periods.
Stacey Steggert who researches education policy and is a parent of two students at Campus International's K-8 school said during public comment at Tuesday's board meeting that other research does suggest there are positive impacts from students receiving additional time in school and said CMSD's study did not accurately capture the benefits students receive in Cleveland.
Morgan said there are “other variables in our schools that make them great,” that do not relate to the extra days and minutes that schools receive. Morgan said unique opportunities will still exist for students at specialty schools without the extra minutes and time, including internships and after-school programs. Board Member Nigamanth Sridhar said he was initially skeptical of the plan to cut the additional time but ended up voting for it, calling for Morgan to ensure "that any negative impacts on students is mitigated to the largest extent possible."
Board Chair Sara Elaqad said the board recognizes that the decision will not be popular.
"We don't consider it just business. We don't take it lightly. And we have to consider every student in the district and the way that we implement perhaps new strategies that require a shift in order to have a longer term impact for all of our students who we are responsible to," she said.
During the meeting, some students and parents brought signs calling for the district not to cut extended time for schools. CMSD security staff told them they could not bring the signs into the meeting, Steggert said, including a visual aid she had created to assist her public comment.
District spokesperson Jon Benedict said the district asked those with the signs to protest outside, rather than potentially disrupt the meeting inside. However, the district had allowed signs protesting the calendar cuts inside its March 18 board meeting.
