City Council Caucus Meeting [IN-PERSON ONLY]

Cleveland City Council

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Tuesday, July 30, 2024
1:00 p.m. — 3:00 p.m. EDT

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601 Lakeside Ave Cleveland, OH 44114 (Directions)

Cleveland City Hall, Room 220 (large conference room)

NOTE: This is an in-person-only meeting.

A City Council Caucus is an informal gathering of Cleveland City Council members. Council members use the meeting to discuss and gain clarity on issues and processes and to hold political discussions. They do not vote on legislation in this meeting.

Council caucus meetings are held in person and are NOT broadcast by TV20 or live-streamed to council’s YouTube channel.

Documenters: Two additional hours ($36) will be added to your paid assignment hours. Be sure to bring your photo ID.

Agendas: Often, council does not provide a detailed agenda for caucus meetings. Caucus meetings can be presentation-heavy or consist of discussion.

NOTE: At a past caucus meeting, Documenters noted a lack of available seating in this room (chairs were reserved for city hall staff and Cleveland school district staff). Seating availability can vary from meeting to meeting, but on that occasion, a Documenter was left with the options of standing or sitting on the floor. Please don’t hesitate to ask council or city hall staff for additional chairs if there is no seating available. This is a meeting open to the public, after all!

Find Documenters coverage of past City Council meetings here: https://cleveland.documenters.org/reporting/?agency=181

For more information visit to Cleveland City Council’s website: https://www.clevelandcitycouncil.org.

Check the source website for additional information

Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Cleveland - OH Documenters Team

Live reporting by Stesia Swain

Officials talk CMSD tax levy

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_

Good Afternoon! My name is Stésià and I will be live tweeting coverage of today’s Cleveland City Council Caucus Meeting set to begin at 1pm! #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

11:52 AM Jul 30, 2024 CDT

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 2/39

A City Council Caucus is an informal gathering of Cleveland City Council members. Council members use the meeting to discuss and gain clarity on issues and processes and to hold political discussions. They do not vote on legislation in this meeting.

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 3/39

There will be no live stream link for this meeting as Council caucus meetings are held in person and are NOT broadcast by TV20 or live-streamed to council’s YouTube channel.

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 4/39

The agenda is limited. However, I have been told that today’s meeting concerns the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD). #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 5/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Attached below is the agenda. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 6/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland The first speaker is CEO Warren Morgan. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 7/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland The first speaker is CEO Warren Morgan. Warren is shown below. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 8/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Morgan explains CMSD’s goals which are improvement, empowerment, and success. Each is explained below. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 9/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Morgan says that not only have teachers and other support staff received a raise that is the highest to come in past recent years, but Administration did not experience their own raise. Allowing the “line to be held” on incurring additional costs. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 10/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Morgan explains that CMSD was tied with one other district for the Fastest Growing Urban District in Ohio on the 2023 Ohio Report Card. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 11/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland CEO Morgan hones in on the improvements of attendance within CMSD. One being that there has been a 2% increase in attendance from the previous year to now. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 12/39

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 13/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland The rate of absentee students has decreased by 5%. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 14/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Morgan presents a graph. This graph shows that the growth for CMSD in English and Math proficiency has increased by 3% since 2023. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 15/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland The graph below shows the proficiency increases for most, but not all subgroups.
All students- 3%
Black- 2%
Hispanic- 2%
White- 3%
Special Education- No Increase
English Language Learners- 3%

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 16/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Below is the Five year forecast. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 17/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland As the conversation moves to the topic of the Tax Levy, I will share some background.
Below is where the following information will come from.

signalcleveland.org/cleveland-scho…

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 18/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland “The Cleveland Metropolitan School District is asking voters in November to back a new property tax, known as a levy. This is the second tax increase requested by the school district in four years.” #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 19/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Multiple members of Council share concern for this tax levy raising taxes for home owners. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 20/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland “If passed, the new tax would last 10 years and would cost the owner of a home valued at $100,000 about $300 per year. That’s in addition to the taxes homeowners are already paying from the 2020 levy.”

signalcleveland.org/cleveland-scho…

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 21/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland “The district has said it’s running out of money, due in part to the loss of one-time federal money and in part to rising costs. The projected deficit has already pushed CEO Warren Morgan to pull funding for some out-of-school programs”

signalcleveland.org/cleveland-scho…

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 22/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland CEO Warren Morgan has also cut more than 12% of positions in the central office. For now, the district has been able to balance its finances but still faces a $110 million shortfall in 2027.

signalcleveland.org/cleveland-scho…

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 23/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Council Member McCormack shares concern for the last levy promising that another would not be proposed for 10 years, however, it has only been four years and another levy is on the table.
#CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 24/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Council Member Starr expresses concern for the need of more funding while the school system is still not properly maintained. “A failing district, bad report cards, and regardless of what the test scores are said to report, the students still cannot read.”

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 25/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Couuncil Member Polensek expresses disdain for the way that the previous administration of CMSD has handled the district and the families of the district. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 26/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Polensek shares that many students leave the district to go to other schools just to have basic programs like cosmetology. Polensek says that this district is grossly mistreating black, brown, poor, special education, and otherwise disadvantaged students. #CLEDocumenters

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 27/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Polensek also says that by the way CMSD is running the system, it appears that they are intentionally trying to maintain poverty. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 28/39

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 29/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland A notable moment of Polensek's comments was the statement "If i had children today that were school age, I would not send them to a CMSD School. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 30/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Before discussing support or opposition in the proposed tax levy, Council Member Jones tells CEO Morgan that he is sorry that Morgan has inherited a school system with so many problems. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 31/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Jones speaks about students who have expressed the feeling of not being safe after school. One of these students being a young man who travels with a gun to school. The student told Jones that the police nor school teachers will protect him from other peers.

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 32/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Towards the end of the previous video, Jones also says that it appears that the CMSD System is “fixed” to failed. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 33/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Council member Howse expresses the feeling of brown and black students being neglected by the State of Ohio. Howse refers to the way the State has handled the issues and situations of these students and families as being proven as “unconstitutional” for 27 years.

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 34/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Another member of Council states that students and families have been negatively impacted by school closures and boys and girls clubs being taken away.
School closures was also a main point of discussion for Council Members Polensek and Jones. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 35/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Other members of Council share that although there has been an increase of very small numbers, it may not be merely enough to convince the public that anything has truly changed for the better within this school district. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 36/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland While it is not completely clear whether or not the full Council will support the levy, it will be further discussed by Council later on.
#CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 37/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland This meeting adjourns. #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 38/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland Have questions? Think we got something wrong? Send any inquiries on the meeting or these tweets to @cledocumenters. Or email us at cledocumenters@gmail.com

IG: @stevelilsister 🤍 @stesiaarie_ 39/39

@cledocumenters @signalcleveland As always, thank you for tuning in! Have a successful remainder of the week and see you next time! #CLEDocumenters @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

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Agency Information

Cleveland City Council

See meeting notes for details

www.clevelandcitycouncil.org

(216) 664-2840

@CleCityCouncil

Facebook page

See Documenters reporting

Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Cleveland in Ohio. There are 17 elected Cleveland City Council members representing the 17 wards of the City of Cleveland. Each ward has approximately 25,000 residents. Council Members are elected to serve a four-year term. Council members serve two roles in their duties: to draft and enact legislation for the city of Cleveland and act as ombudsmen for their constituents.

Find meetings streamed at: *online on TV20 at: http://www.tv20cleveland.com/watch-now/

*The meetings are also streamed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ClevelandCityCouncil/