CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Metropolitan School District is preparing to make budget cuts as COVID-19 relief funding expires at the end of this school year.
"Our five-year forecast was actually projected by the previous administration in 2021 that the 2024-25 school year would start showing a deficit," said Dr. Warren Morgan, CEO of CMSD. "Because of that deficit of $140 million plus, we have to submit a plan to the state."
Good Morning Cleveland anchor Tiffany Tarpley sat down with Morgan to talk about the tough financial decisions the school district must make.
"The budget that principals get, that pool is staying flat from last year to this year," said Morgan. "But at central office, we're making several cuts."
Those cuts will impact after-school programs funded by pandemic relief dollars.
"These were temporary programs that were never going to be here forever that we had to make some cuts with," said Morgan.
Tarpley asked Morgan whether the district's budget cuts would affect teachers.
"We are really trying to protect the instructional core but I can't make that guarantee that absolutely no teachers will be cut," said Morgan.
CMSD is expected to release details of its deficit reduction plan on Tuesday. The plan needs to be submitted to the state by the end of February.
