America celebrates School Board Recognition Month each January. This is a time when we pay tribute to community members who volunteer countless hours to support public education and advance the academic success of all students by serving on boards of education.
In the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, we have a talented board of stellar, civic-minded community members, committed to the District’s success. They each work diligently to ensure that all CMSD students are allowed to achieve their full potential.
One of the features of the CMSD board that makes me especially proud is the incredible diversity of the current membership. Rarely, if ever, in our history has the District’s board been comprised of such diverse educators. They each hail from vastly different life experiences that powerfully reflect the city and its historical roots.
Whether we measure diversity in terms of age, race, ethnicity, gender, or country of birth, the CMSD board is reflected in each of our District’s Core Values, especially Equity & Inclusion, and a relentless Student & Community Focus.
Since I joined the District last summer, Mayor Justin Bibb has appointed four new highly motivated members to the board. Each of them brings a wealth of talent and wisdom to a school board that was already recognized for excellence.
President Abraham Lincoln once said the best way to predict your future is to create it. I can attest that the notion of creating successful futures for students is what drives the CMSD board each day.
I am grateful and proud to work alongside the District’s board of education members. I want to publicly tell each of them how grateful I am for their strategic advice and guidance. Already, with six months here at CMSD, they have pushed my leadership in ways that I have grown and in ways that will continue to allow our District to reach new heights. These civic volunteers do this meaningful work simply because they care about the future of our city and the future of our city’s children. I invite you to enjoy a video created by the CMSD’s Communication Department celebrating our board!
Dr. Warren G. Morgan