CLEVELAND — There’s an overwhelming feeling of gratitude coming from board members now that Cleveland Metropolitan School District passed its school and levy bond.
But what’s next?
“We’re able to double down on our progress that we’ve been doing and live into the future of CMSD,” said the CEO of Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Dr. Warren Morgan.
At this time, Dr. Warren Morgan said he doesn’t expect any cuts.
“This year we’re in the black, next year, we’ll be in the black, the following year we’ll be in the black, so it’s looking positive,” said Morgan.
However, Morgan said there is still work that needs to be done despite passing the more than $52 million school and levy bond.
“We’ve done work overtime, and that work will continue looking at our operating model and the work that we have,” Morgan said.
During Wednesday’s board meeting, Chief Financial Officer Kevin Stockdale laid out the district’s updated five-year forecast, noting some changes board members should expect due to a decrease in state revenue the district has been receiving.
Stockdale said the first reason is due to increased property evaluation and income within the district, meaning the cost of education will be shifted from the state to local taxpayers.
Then, he said there will be a decrease in aid for economically disadvantaged students in the highest poverty districts.
“Funding is shifting from high, high poverty districts to really middle-income districts,” said Stockdale. “I think the key takeaway is that we have the same number of students in poverty and we’re receiving fewer dollars every year.”
Stockdale said another change that may impact funding is a decrease in overall enrollment, which the district is basing on the last three years of information.
“We are working on an enrollment study, but this is the information that we have post-pandemic,” Stockdale said.
Morgan said the district will use this time to work with the community to make strategic decisions and advocate with the state to make sure the district’s needs are considered.
“We still see that we have some work to do. It does give us a little bit more time,” Morgan said.
The plan is expected to be approved at their next board meeting on Nov. 19.
