Cleveland’s current school governance structure was created by Ohio House Bill 269 in 1997, and took effect September 9, 1998. The Board of Education is made up of nine voting members appointed by the Mayor of Cleveland from a slate of nominees selected by a local nominating panel, established under State law. At least four of the nine members must have significant expertise in either education, finance, or business management. Board members must be residents of the School District, and at least one of the nine members must reside in that part of the School District that is outside the City of Cleveland (Bratenahl, Linndale, Newburgh Heights, and parts of Brook Park and Garfield Heights).

State law also provides that the presidents of Cleveland State University and Cuyahoga Community College serve as nonvoting ex officio members of the Board.

The Board of Education functions as the governing body of the School District. Board responsibilities include: hiring the School District Chief Executive Officer (with the concurrence of the Mayor); setting School District policy; approving the School District budget; establishing goals and accountability standards; and promoting parent, family, and community involvement in the schools.

The Board of Education meetings are held on two Tuesdays each month at 6:30 p.m. The first meeting is a work session devoted primarily to information gathering and deliberation on issues for future Board business meetings. The second meeting of each month is a business meeting held at various schools throughout the school district and devoted primarily to the consideration of and voting on Board resolutions.

For the first semester of the academic year, work sessions are held at Arnold Pinkney East Professional Center, 1349 E. 79 Street. During the second semester of the academic year, the work sessions are moved to Garrett Morgan High School, 4600 Detroit Avenue. The business meetings are held at various schools throughout the district.

Parents and the community are encouraged to attend Board meetings. In addition to conducting the business of the School District at these meetings, the Board also provides for public participation (at Board business meetings) in order to hear community concerns and recognize the achievements of our students and staff and the contributions of our community partners. The Board also holds a number of Community Forums throughout the year on policy issues of interest to the community.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT BOARD BUSINESS MEETINGS

The registration to speak at the May 20 Board Business Meeting has now expired. The registration to speak at the June 25 Board Business Meeting will open on the morning of June 11.

The Board of Education invites the community to publicly address the Board at its monthly Board Business Meetings (usually held on the fourth Tuesday of the month), where the Board sets aside 40 minutes on the meeting agenda to hear from the community.

Individuals wishing to address the board must complete a Request to Speak form available on the District website. The link to the request to speak form will go live the morning following each Board Work Session and will remain open until noon the day of the next scheduled Board Business Meeting. This sequence will provide the public with a window to notify the board of an intent to speak. The link to the Request to Speak form will be available on this page during the period between the Work Session and the next scheduled Board Business Meeting.

Forms submitted after the 12:00 p.m. cut-off on the day of the Board Business Meeting will be held until the next Board Business Meeting.

The first 13 individuals who submit their Request to Speak form in a timely manner will be recognized at the Board Business Meeting and permitted to address the Board for up to three minutes on the issue indicated on their submitted form.  A separate form must be submitted for each speaker, and speakers may not yield any portion of their time to another person. Speakers at the Board Business Meeting may also present to the Board any other materials relevant to their issue. 

The Board will no longer accept paper Request to Speak forms at the Board Business Meeting.

For individuals who do not have adequate digital connectivity or have other barriers to the online form submission process, please call (216-838-0032) for assistance submitting your Request to Speak.

A video explaining the Board’s public participation process can be found at  https://www.clevelandmetroschools.org/board-of-education.

If you have any comments, questions or concerns about the School District, you may contact the Board Office at (216) 838-0000 or email the Office staff below. The Board members are here to serve our children and their families.