A plan is in place to switch 21 schools with year-round or extended-year schedules to a shorter calendar, facing resistance from some teachers and parents.
Cleveland Metropolitan School District is currently embroiled in a heated discussion regarding a proposition to merge its five distinct school calendars into one traditional calendar for the majority of its 90-plus schools. Although the district asserts that this change could result in significant cost savings, it is facing opposition from teachers, parents, and members of the community.
During a recent board of education meeting, Dr. Warren Morgan, the CEO of CMSD, put forth a recommendation to shift 21 year-round or extended-year schools to a shorter traditional calendar starting from the upcoming school year. The exception to this proposal would be The School of One and the Downtown Education Center, a school that collaborates with the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center.
Additionally, the plan includes eliminating 30 extra instructional minutes at 24 schools.
Teachers, parents voice concerns
Educators in attendance at the meeting expressed concern about the impact on students and their own livelihoods.
“You will lose teachers over this,” warned Benjamin Chronister, an English teacher at the Cleveland High School for Digital Arts. He also detailed how the change could lead to a significant pay cut for some employees.
“By changing the calendar, I will be taking a nearly 18% pay cut, nearly one-fifth of my total pay,” he explained. “That ultimately works out to about $12,000 less per year, $1,000 less per month, $500 less per paycheck.”
Other teachers emphasized how extra instructional time is critical for student success.
“Any action to reduce instructional minutes is unacceptable, Cleveland kids need and deserve more.” said Elizabeth Pangrace, a seventh-grade teacher who is also a district parent.
District cites cost-saving measures
CMSD argues that maintaining five different calendars costs the district approximately $9 million per year. The consolidation effort is part of a broader strategy to address a projected $96 million deficit expected by fiscal year 2028. Additionally, the district is preparing for a potential loss of federal and state funding, including a $10.7 million reduction in state aid over the next two years.
“We are in a time when we are making tough decisions,” Morgan said. “We must define the baseline for what all kids need to get, and right now, when we have 71 of our schools — which is the majority of our schools — that are not a beneficiary of these either extra days or minutes. The majority aren’t even impacted from this thing that could cost us $27 million over three years.”
Morgan claims the district needs to cut more than $150 million spanning the next three years.
“If people have realistic solutions or alternatives, I am all ears,” the CEO told 3News in a Wednesday interview. “This is personal; it’s a matter of life or death for some of our kids. Every decision we make weighs heavy on me because of that.”
Despite widespread opposition at Tuesday’s public hearing on the proposed calendar change, two principals from year-round schools expressed support for the change, arguing that a unified calendar would allow students to fully participate in summer activities. The CMSD Board of Education is set to vote on the proposal on April 29.
