Teachers and parents raised concerns Tuesday night about the loss of small public schools in Cleveland, and services for students with disabilities, if the district's proposed consolidation plans are approved next week.
The plan calls for closing 18 buildings and 29 fewer schools starting in the 2026-2027 school year, in response to years of enrollment declines.
Several parents and teachers asked the district not to close Louisa May Alcott, a school with just 167 students in Cleveland's Edgewater neighborhood on the West Side. The district has proposed merging those students with those at Joseph M. Gallagher School.
Parent Katie Hunt worried about the stress the move will cause for special education students, who make up roughly 30% of the building's population.
"Our daughter has several disabilities, and Louisa May Alcott has been a place where she has truly been able to thrive," Hunt said. "The smaller class sizes and close-knit environment allow teachers and staff to provide her with individualized attention and support she needs to succeed, something that would be extremely difficult to replicate in a large school setting."
Cleveland Teachers Union President Shari Obrenski said the district has not adequately planned for what will happen to those students if their school is merged with another, referencing a recent letter that went out to parents.
"They received a form letter from the district informing them that their children may not be transferring to their consolidated school with the rest of their peers," Obrenski said. "Seriously? Hundreds of families were told that there is no room at the inn for their children. This is abhorrent, not to mention a slap in the face to each of the families who have steadfastly supported this district through a substantial increase in their property taxes, not to mention their time and trust with their most precious gift, their child."
Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Warren Morgan said the district is trying to carefully "map" where special education students can be placed. He said not all schools have individual small group resource rooms or single classrooms that are required in those students' education plans. But he said the district is committed to finding the right school for each student. The district also has open enrollment, so parents can choose where to send their students.
"It is a very individualized approach," Morgan said. "It is based on the student."
A group of parents and staff held up a sign during the meeting, asking for the district to save Euclid Park School, which has 274 students, according to district data. CMSD has proposed closing that school on Cleveland's Northeast Side and moving students and staff to East Clark School. Principal Jennifer Woody said parents love the familiarity with teachers and staff that a smaller school environment breeds. She also warned that the district stands to lose students if the school closes, with some parents choosing to send them to non-public options.
"It is proposed that each region have a small school option for families who value smaller learning communities," Woody suggested as a fix. "Please allow (Euclid Park) to be that school in their own community."
Campus International High School, which has an International Baccalaureate program, will be moved to the John Adams campus. Campus International Junior Marilia Tsirikos Karapanos asked how the IB program will be supported in the new, larger school environment.
She also questioned the fairness of moving incoming seniors to new schools who might be on track to be valedictorian or salutatorian or have other honors at their old school.
"John Hay students have had honors and AP classes provided to them in all years of high school, which adds to their cumulative (grade point average)," Karapanos said. "Campus International students only have recognized honors courses in the last two years of high school. With the merger, would class rank from all three schools of John Hay and campus combine? It wouldn't be fair to rank students this way."
Morgan said his team is still figuring out how to acknowledge all top graduating seniors' achievements at merged schools.
