I documented this CMSD Board Work Session meeting by watching the YouTube livestream. The livestream chat was active before the meeting started. Some of the participants were teachers, but it was mostly students sharing what grades they were in/what schools they went to and debating which schools were slated to close based on rumors. Just before the livestream started, there were 1,247 waiting for it to start, and that number hovered around 2,000 people while the meeting was happening. While the livestream was happening, many students shared their opinions in the live chat once the mergers were announced. [Editor’s note: Signal Cleveland K-12 Education Reporter Franziska Wild covered this meeting on location. Read all of her mergers and closings coverage here.]

The meeting began at 6:34 p.m.

The meeting kicked off with roll call and the Pledge of Allegiance. All nine board members were present: Sara Elaqad, Robert Briggs, Midori Lebrón, Diana Welch Howell, Nigamanth Sridhar, Charlene Jones, Caroline Peak, Jerry Billups and Pastor Ivory Jones III). CEO Warren Morgan was also present. 

The meeting followed the format of the recently implemented consent agenda. Agenda items 3.02 through 4.03 were unanimously adopted. [Editor’s note: The agenda also includes agenda items 5.01 through 7.05, which the board is set to consider as part of a consent agenda at its Nov. 19 meeting.]  

CMSD’s ‘goals and guardrails’

They then moved into the main agenda item of the meeting, providing progress updates on the Building Brighter Futures (BBF) initiative, specifically CMSD’s “Goals and Guardrails.”

Elaqad kicked off this portion of the meeting, and Morgan gave the entire presentation. 

Morgan noted that CMSD is seeing “significant academic progress” in some areas (“CMSD improved proficiency rates across ALL testing subjects,” the presentation reads). Many students are thriving, but CMSD is faced with declining enrollment (50% decrease between 2004-2024, which Morgan attributed to:

• Historically low birth rates (16% decrease in Cuyahoga County)
• Fewer school-aged kids (13% decline in the under-18 population in Cuyahoga County)
• 15% decline in county-wide public school enrollment
• 11% decline in CMSD enrollment

District does not have ‘the option to not act’

Morgan also cited serious funding cuts at the federal and state level and said the district is finding it challenging to offer quality education for everyone, such as safe/modernized school buildings, college/career readiness, extracurricular/enrichment programs, etc.

In January, the board adopted a resolution to begin a long-term plan to become more financially sustainable, Elaqad said. When Morgan came on as CEO, they had been in a state of fiscal caution. CMSD is no longer in that state but is in danger of it again.

The presentation reads: “Without significant cost reductions in the realm of $150 million over the next few years, the District could enter state-mandated Fiscal Precaution or even risk state takeover.”

Elaqad said the district does not have “the option to not act.” 

Their proposed changes will save an estimated $30 million every year, Morgan said. At the end of the presentation, several board members asked for more clarification at future meetings on how that would affect the forecasted budget and what they can expect in terms of what other cuts will be made to meet that $150 million cost reduction that is needed.

Morgan said public feedback as well as the data they’ve collected pointed them to mergers over closures. 

The next three board meetings will hear public comment. They will be increasing to 20 slots of public comment for business meetings and adding 20 slots of public comment to the next work session, which normally doesn’t have public comment.

Summary of changes

• Recommendations = mergers over closures 
• Changes would go into effect in fall of 2026

• 18 CMSD-owned buildings will no longer operate as schools, nor will five leased spaces
• 29 fewer CMSD schools will operate next school year
• 39 total mergers and moves
  • Pre K-8: Consolidating 61 schools in 62 buildings to 45 schools
  • High schools: Consolidating 27 schools in 23 locations to 14 schools 
  • Non-traditional options will stay the same

High School Campus Mergers 

• 14 high schools currently on co-located campuses to merge within their six respective campuses. All schools will remain in current buildings. 

(All images taken from presentation)

High School Mergers – Merging to a new location

• Five high school mergers require a change in location. Two CMSD-owned buildings and four leased spaces will not operate as schools during the ‘26-’27 school year.

Morgan said that merging these schools will preserve what’s working while expanding access to career pathways, college credit courses, electives, honors and International Baccalaureate diplomas/honors diplomas, and sports. The presentation outlined statistics from a few example schools. 

CMSD plans to merge Collinwood High School and Glenville High School and is planning to build a new high school. This building is in design and scheduled to open in 2031, Morgan said. This school will welcome students from both Glenville and Collinwood and provide a home for trades on the East Side. 

K-8 Mergers

• 16 K-8 to merge with a paired welcoming school in the welcoming school’s building
• 12 CMSD-owned buildings will not operate as schools during the ‘26-’27 school year

K-8 Moves 

• 4 K-8 speciality schools to move from their current location to a new building
• 4 CMSD-owned and 1 leased building will not operate as schools in the ‘26-’27 school year.

What happens next?

Changes are proposed to go into effect for the ‘26-’27 school year. Dec. 9 is the proposed date for the board vote on recommendations. Before then (Nov. 6 – Dec. 5) there will be:

• In-person staff meetings at every transitioning, welcoming and moving school
• Input from CTU school chapter chairs from every transitioning and moving school and other staffing groups shared with district leadership
• In-person family meetings at every transitioning, welcoming and moving school
• Student support at impacted schools 

Families will have to make a choice (CMSD is an open choice district) between the end of winter break (Jan. 5) and Feb. 27, Morgan said. 

Morgan emphasized the family choices need to happen in order for the district to determine enrollment numbers and therefore make staffing decisions. 

The board entered into executive session at 8:48 p.m. The livestream ended shortly after, so I could not determine how long the session was and when the meeting was officially adjourned. he clerk. Find those and all agenda items listed on the meeting details page.

These notes are by Documenter Annie Maglicic.

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcleveland.org  with “Correction Request” in the subject line.