Cleveland Municipal School District evaluates each school
as it begins transformation plan
by Chuck Hoven

(Plain Press, February 2010) Cleveland Municipal School District (CMSD) Chief Executive Officer Eugene Sanders and his administration unveiled a new plan called the Strategic Development Initiative at several community meetings in January.

The plan is a school based performance plan, with each school being evaluated on nine criteria in four separate categories. The Sanders administration expects implementation of the plan to cost roughly $70 million over the next three years. The Sanders administration expects the district to realize significant savings by getting rid of excess capacity through implementation of the plan.

Several factors have helped bring the district to a critical junction. The CMSD has lost well over 20,000 students in the past decade. In addition, state rules resulting from federal No Child Left Behind legislation call for non-performing schools to be radically transformed. Many of the schools in the Cleveland District have failed to measure up to criterion set by the State of Ohio for Continuous Improvement.

Under the plan, the district has classified all schools based on their academic performance, building condition, performance drivers (teacher and student attendance and number of safety incidents) and facility demand (building capacity and enrollment trends).

Each school was placed into one of the following categories: maintain growth, refocus, repurpose, close, or monitor closely.

The schools determined to be the best shape were placed in the Maintain Growth category. They would maintain their present staff and building be given additional resources as needed to continue to improve.

Schools on the next tier down are placed in the refocus category. Those schools will also maintain their staff and buildings. The schools will be provided with staff development resources, leadership training and assistance in revising the curriculum.

Schools whose scores fell in the repurpose tier would receive one or more of the following mandates for change: a replacement in school leadership; requirement that teachers reapply for their jobs; be considered for conversion to a charter school or be subject to a redesign of the academic program.

Schools in the monitor closely category will be given another year to improve performance before a determination of their fate.

Schools in the lowest tier are slated for closing.

The plan calls for geographically grouping schools in the district into three clusters— West, North East and South East. Each of the clusters will have a variety of options on the high school level. On the West Side, the Garrett Morgan School of Science, which was rated as a Maintain Growth school, will continue its current programs drawing from a citywide population. However, a New Tech Academy will be opened in the Garrett Morgan building to share space with the School of Science.

John Marshall and Rhodes were both categorized as refocus schools. They will maintain their staff. John Marshall will be teamed with Shuler, which will serve as a 9th grade academy for the neighborhood. Marshall High School will be broken into two or three additional academies. James Ford Rhodes will house a 21st century college readiness model school and an expanded Advanced Placement Program. The school will also feature 2 or three additional theme academies.

Lincoln West High School is categorized as a Repurpose school. As such, its staff and leadership may be reconstituted. Plans call for creation of a ninth grade academy in the school and several upper grade academies. It is not clear whether the district or a charter school will run the facility.

Plans will continue to build a new Max Hayes High School at W. 65th and Walworth Run. The school will continue to serve as a citywide trade school.

In order to relieve crowding in West Side high schools, the plan still calls for building a new West Side High School. While a site has not yet been determined, plans call for a 600 - 800 student school.

In all, 18 schools in the district are slated for closing. Ironically, East High, where the collapse of the gym led to the 2001 effort to pass Issue 14 to repair and rebuild the schools, is one of the schools recommended for closing.

In the West Cluster, which includes all of the West Side of Cleveland, two school buildings will be closing; Brooklawn Elementary School at 11801 Worthington Avenue in Dona Brady’s Ward 17 is one. Students at Brooklawn would be reassigned to nearby schools for the beginning of next school year.

The plan also recommends closing the Tremont School building and moving the Montessori School from that building to the new Thomas Jefferson facility.

The Strategic Development Initiative also recommends moving the Newcomers program for non-English speaking students (now housed at Lincoln West High School) to the new Thomas Jefferson School. The district hopes to use funds from the school closings to provide additional academic resources.

Meetings were scheduled at each school slated for closing. The Brooklawn meeting was held in January. The meeting on closing Tremont School will be held at the school on Monday, February 15th at 6 p.m.

Additional citywide meetings on the plan are scheduled in February including a 6 p.m. Wednesday February 3rd meeting at Garrett Morgan School, 4016 Woodbine. The Cleveland Board of Education is expected to vote on the plan at its February 23rd meeting.

To view how your child’s school, or how the school in your neighborhood was rated by the district, visit the CMSD website at www.cmsdnet.net and click on the CMSD Transformation Plan.

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