Cleveland Board of Education approves plan to consolidate Glenville and MLK high schools; postpone Collinwood closure

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Metropolitan School District is moving forward with plans to consolidate several schools and close others after a unanimous vote by the Board of Education on Tuesday. 

Under the plan approved by the board, Glenville and Martin Luther King Jr. high schools will be consolidated at an improved Glenville building. Also consolidated will be East Tech, New Tech East, Jane Addams Business Careers Center and Washington Park Environmental Studies at East Tech. 

RELATED: Cleveland school plan would merge Collinwood High School with Glenville; other mergers and closures planned

One school that will not be consolidated at the present time is Collinwood High School. At the request of CEO Eric Gordon, the board decided to postpone plans to consolidate Collinwood with Glenville and Martin Luther King Jr. for at least one year. Gordon also withdrew a recommendation to phase out and close New Tech West High School. 

The initial plan to close Collinwood was opposed by several community leaders, including Cleveland City Council members Michael Polensek and Jamar Doyle. Gordon asked the pair to work on a plan to recruit and retain students and help turn Collinwood into a manufacturing pathway for high paying, in-demand jobs.

"Our community is ready to work with you,” Doyle said.

RELATED: Cleveland Metropolitan School District postpones closure of Collinwood High School

According to a release by CMSD, the decision to withdraw the New Tech West recommendation took into account academic performance that is better than that of neighboring schools and the lack of options for relocating the program.

Here are other highlights from the approved CMSD future plan:

• Close four K-8 schools – Case, Iowa-Maple, Michael R. White and Willow.
• Consolidate two K-8 schools -- Clark and Walton – in a new building. The District also will build a new Marion C. Seltzer and renovate Joseph M. Gallagher.
• Build a new Lincoln-West Campus, home to the Lincoln-West School of Global Studies and Lincoln-West School of Science and Health. 
• Move Whitney M. Young High School’s gifted and talented program to a new John F. Kennedy Campus that will open next school year
• Phase out and close Design Lab Early College High School.

Gordon and school board members thanked the community for providing passionate feedback on difficult decisions.

"We have people who demonstrated they care," Gordon said. "I can listen to that all day long."