Cleveland school board consolidates its schools

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District Board of Education unanimously approved the consolidation plan on December 9, which merges 39 underenrolled schools and closes 18 aging buildings.

The recent decision would reduce the district’s footprint from 88 to 59 sites, according to Signal Cleveland.

“This is a plan to ensure that all of our students—no matter where they go to school, where they live, their background, how they look—have expanded opportunities,” CMSD Board of Education’s CEO Warren Morgan said, claiming that the new consolidated campuses would offer better education, career opportunities and extracurricular activities.

The news source reported that students from the closing schools will receive guaranteed seats with choice-lottery perks, and special education families will receive tailored outreach, such as webinars and letters.

Many parents and educators opposed the recent decision, challenging the board members.

“Consider what you are doing for all of the kids, not just general education, because special ed—they are your children, too,” a mother of one of the Bolton Elementary School’s students said.

Union head Shari Obrenski suggested a more inclusive planning amid concerns about transportation and space.

“Change is going to be difficult,” Board Chair Sara Elaqad said about the pushback. “The feeling of uncertainty is quite uncomfortable.”

The news came after it was announced that the school buildings in Cleveland would be closed and converted into apartments, with the city’s mayor, Justin Bibb, saying that the consolidation presents “a unique opportunity” to reimagine surplus real estate.

“Over the next couple of weeks, you’ll see a plan be announced from my administration, in partnership with CMSD, outlining our vision for those old school sites to make sure they’re integrated into a broader community development strategy,” he said.

Bibb pushed for the school merger plan in a newly released TV ad, urging the CMSD to consolidate 39 schools. The commercial began airing right before the CMSD board’s Dec. 9 vote on the plan.

Bibb argued for the mergers and building closures because the city needs to save $150 million over the next few years and acknowledge that the student population has been declining.

“That means too many of our schools are half empty,” the mayor said, adding that “too many of our kids miss out on the basics, like algebra, computer tech, band, sports and college and career prep.”

The decline in the student population could be in part the result of more parents in Ohio homeschooling their children, as the Buckeye State is more favorable to that type of education.

“During the pandemic, homeschooling experienced dramatic growth followed by a slight decline immediately after traditional schools reopened,” the Institute for Education Policy at Johns Hopkins’ School of Education said. “However, in the 2023-2024 school year, homeschooling participation rebounded. These new data for 2024-2025 indicate that this upward trend has continued in the most recent round of reporting.”