The Cleveland (Ohio) Metropolitan School District has proposed closing 23 buildings and operating 29 fewer schools under a restructuring plan that would address steep drops in enrollment and rising operating costs.
Cleveland.com reports that the plan would save the school system at least $30 million annually. Those savings would mostly come cutting administrative staff, including principals and assistant principals, no longer needed because of campus closures.
District CEO Warren Morgan said the changes are necessary to deal with a looming $150 million deficit. Changes would take effect before the 2026-27 school year.
Consolidation won’t just save money, Morgan says, but will also enable the district to offer a better education to more students.
The plan would significantly shrinks the district's physical footprint. The district will go from 61 preK–8 schools to 45, and from 27 high schools to 14. Amid the consolidation, 18 district-owned buildings will be closed, and five leased spaces used as schools will be phased out.
View Cleveland’s recommended school mergers and closures.
Some schools will not merge but will move to a better-maintained building that has capacity.
Morgan emphasized that nearly all of the changes are mergers, not straight closures. This means students won’t be scattered to different campuses, and their entire school community can move together to a new building.
District officials say 95% of affected students will move into schools with better building conditions.
Morgan acknowledged the deep disruption that school closings will cause, but he said the district cannot maintain a system with significantly more space than is needed..
Since 2000, Cleveland’s enrollment has dropped by more than 50%, from 70,000 students in 2000 to 34,000.
The school board is expected to vote on the consolidation plan Dec. 9.
