Major changes are coming to Cleveland Metropolitan School District after its board approved a consolidation plan Tuesday night cutting the total number of schools by a third.
Under the plan, the district will close 18 buildings and end five leases in tandem with merging many other schools. By the 2026-2027 school year, the district will operate 29 fewer schools.
The vote will kick off a flurry of activity as the plan is implemented: new bus routes, planning for more staff and students at some buildings, ensuring enough space for special education and preschool services in buildings that remain and more.
CMSD CEO Warren Morgan has pitched the plan called “Building Brighter Futures” as a way for the district to adjust to years of declining enrollment, save money and improve academic offerings.
"This is a history-making moment because we can be a part of the start, and it's not the finish, but the start of ensuring that there is more access for all of our kids within our system," he said.
Concerns about what's next
Parents, teachers and others have expressed worry in recent weeks about crowded buildings, the loss of valued small schools and their unique programs and how the moves will impact students receiving special education services.
Kimberly Richardson, a Bolton Elementary teacher, said Tuesday the plan will upend some students’ lives, particularly those with disabilities, who make up about 28% of the district’s total student population. Bolton, a small school on the city's East Side, will be closed and students and staff will be sent to Harvey Rice, about two miles away.
“If Bolton closes, many students, including mine, will be pushed into schools already stretched to capacity,” she said. “Let's be honest. Overcrowding doesn't just decrease academic quality, it strips away the space, the calm and the structure that neurologically diverse students require to learn.”
Morgan said the district will try to bring special education students with their current classmates to merged schools but could not guarantee that due to special facilities some need.
Cleveland Teachers Union President Shari Obrenski called that "completely unacceptable."
"We yet to see how the district intends to make sure that every single student who is supposed to have a seat at a receiving school will have that seat," she said.
Morgan said the district will communicate with parents this month on where students receiving special education services could be placed so they receive comparable services.
A group of school psychologists also spoke out during the meeting, worried about not enough room – particularly confidential, closed rooms – in merged buildings to do their jobs. Morgan said planning on that front is under way.
The argument for the plan
The district has said all students moving schools will experience equal or greater learning opportunities, with new schools offering the same or additional: extracurriculars, sports, electives and career pathways.
Former CMSD teacher Vincent Stokes II said he supported the plan despite past disagreements with the district.
"It makes sense to merge schools so students at JFK (High School) finally get the same opportunities as students at John Hay (High School)," he said, comparing one of the district's lowest performing high schools with its highest. "CMSD has run a semi-private school inside a public district for decades. The ‘haves,’ Campus International, Barr and John Hay, thrive. The ‘have nots,’ Bethune, Dickens, and Collinwood were left to survive on fumes."
Board Chair Sara Elaqad acknowledged the pain the decision will cause, but said the district must act, pointing to a disparity in resources across schools. District data shows a wide mix of building conditions, enrollment, offerings and test scores across buildings
“I don't want our families to have to make these high risk decisions about where they're going to send their kid," Elaqad said. "I want every option in the district to be a quality option, no matter where you live, no matter who you are.”
One of the big questions that remains is if and how many staff could be laid off. The district expects to save about $30 million annually due to the consolidation plan, Morgan has said, mostly through staffing. The district will plan staffing levels based on how many students enroll in early 2026.
Another open question is what will happen to the 18 closed buildings. The city has said it will work with the district on a plan to repurpose the buildings that are shuttered. Ohio law calls for shuttered schools to be offered up to charter schools.
