Cleveland Metropolitan School District is seeking to lay off at least 410 full-time staff, more than half of which will be teachers union members, the district’s CEO confirmed Monday.
The job cuts come as the district prepares to close 29 schools next fall through a major consolidation plan, in an attempt to cut costs and adjust its overall footprint after years of enrollment decline. CMSD CEO Warren Morgan acknowledged in a call with reporters Monday that he does not want to lay off staff. The layoffs proposed account for 6.7% of all CMSD’s 6,500 staffers, he said.
“I don’t know if people think I wake up being the CEO that wants to make tough decisions, that people yell at, that people sometimes are very angry about. That’s not personally how I like to live. That is not personally what gives me joy,” Morgan said. “That is very hard. It is very difficult decisions.”…