A newly created nonprofit is airing a TV advertisement backing the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s plan to consolidate 39 schools. The commercial has been airing in the days leading up to the CMSD board’s Dec. 9 vote on the plan.
Mayor Justin Bibb provides the narration, which features footage of him, CMSD CEO Warren Morgan and students. Bibb reiterates the arguments that he and school officials have made for the mergers and building closures: CMSD needs to find a way to save $150 million in the coming years, and the student population has been falling.
“That means too many of our schools are half empty,” the mayor says in the ad, “and too many of our kids miss out on the basics, like algebra, computer tech, band, sports and college and career prep.”
The ad was paid for by a new 501(c)4 advocacy nonprofit called It’s the Right Thing to Do. It’s one more piece of the mayor and CMSD’s effort to win public support for Building Brighter Futures, the plan to reshape the district by closing buildings and merging schools.
The ad includes some footage that previously appeared in ads for Bibb’s reelection campaign and the 2024 school levy effort.
A version of the ad was seen on WKYC, and WOIO posted it to its YouTube page. Watch it here:
Toward the end of the ad, the words “KEEPS CMSD FROM STATE CONTROL” flash across the screen. State oversight operates on a sliding scale that moves from the least severe, fiscal caution, to the most, fiscal emergency. Once a district is in fiscal emergency, the state forms a financial planning commission that can take over all or some of the school board’s powers.
‘This will be a campaign’
It’s the Right Thing to Do was created the day after the Nov. 4 election, just as CMSD announced its consolidation plan, a filing with the Secretary of State’s office shows. The nonprofit is registered to the Columbus office of McTigue and Colombo, a law firm that specializes in election law and political campaigns.
By forming a nonprofit, supporters of Building Brighter Futures would be able to raise money to pay for the ads. Nonprofits generally do not have to disclose their donors.
The mayor’s office referred questions about the donors and the amount spent on the ad to CMSD. A district spokesperson said CMSD was not involved in the ad — even though it features the Building Brighter Futures logo and footage of the district CEO talking with students.
Media campaigns can be expensive. The 2024 Cleveland school levy campaign spent about $443,000 on media, according to disclosures filed with the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. Those filings don’t specify whether the payments were for ads on TV, radio, the internet or other forms of media.
The mayor, who appoints the school board, hasn’t been the only person to lend his voice to the consolidation effort. Members of his administration — along with representatives from businesses and nonprofits — have given public comments supporting the plan at board meetings.
A group of pastors joined the mayor and Morgan shortly after the election to make the case for the mergers.
“This will be a campaign,” Bibb said at that event, “to make the case to the residents and the families of why this decision and investment is needed.”
This story was updated with more information on the footage in the ad.
