Layoffs of an undetermined number of teachers and administrators will be coming to Cleveland Metropolitan School District as it prepares to close 29 schools starting in the next school year, the district and teachers union announced in a joint statement Thursday.
CMSD CEO Warren Morgan and outgoing Cleveland Teachers Union President Shari Obrenski said "some layoff notifications" will be sent to teachers union members by April 14, along with "significant administrative reductions, including among CMSD central office staff."
"While CTU continues to believe that laying off teaching staff is not necessary at this time, both District leadership and the CTU are committed to working together to identify paths to minimize the number of CTU staff impacted and ensure that those who are impacted by layoffs receive the best possible care and support through this process," Obrenski and Morgan said in the statement. "Through the collaboration that has occurred so far, the number of teachers the District expects to lay off has already been reduced, and the parties are continuing to review further opportunities to reduce the impact before staff notifications are finalized."
The announcement comes little more than a week before the Cleveland Teachers Union sees a change in leadership, with incoming CTU President Errol Savage to be sworn in on April 9. Savage said Thursday that he and other union members were not prepared for the news and balked at the suggestion that any teachers should be laid off.
"I think everyone has been hit with a sucker punch on this," Savage said. "And I don't understand where this deficit or crisis is or how these layoffs are gonna help anyone, any child in the district."
The district's financial forecast, shared with the state in late February, showed it would be in the black through the end of the 2027-2028 fiscal year, but almost $50 million in the red by the end of the following fiscal year.
Morgan and Obrenski wrote in the statement that over the last few months, the district and union have "sat across the table to work through one of the most difficult challenges our district has faced" in recent memory.
"CMSD views its current financial and enrollment realities to require meaningful changes to how our district is structured and staffed," the statement reads. "The CTU and CMSD agree that reductions of teaching staff should be a last resort."
The district's consolidation plan calls for closing 29 schools and 18 physical buildings starting fall 2026. The district has said it hopes to save up to $30 million annually with the plan, mostly through staffing reductions. Officials have also argued academic offerings will be improved by consolidation.
Morgan said during a school board meeting this week that layoffs were "always" going to be part of the plan. However, officials have been tight-lipped for months about how many people could be impacted, noting families were still enrolling their students for next year.
"These are complicated times that require difficult choices and empathy. While CMSD does not have all the answers at this moment, this announcement is made in the spirit of transparency," the statement reads.
