CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Metropolitan School District has asked families and community members to help pick its next CEO.
On Tuesday night, the district hosted the first of three public forums where the community was able to give their input on what they want to see in the district's next leader, what has been working and where things need to be improved.
"You're in a school, you get shot. You go outside the school, you get shot. You walk by the school, you get shot. When I went to school, it wasn't like that," said Angela Davis.
Davis' son graduated from East Tech High School and now her niece and nephew attend the school.
She said safety is top of mind, especially after a John Adams student was shot and killed at a bus stop outside the school last week.
"I'm just hoping that this new CEO that we get, he will put emphasis on more security, and not only more security but those security guards they need to be outside, they need to be walking our perimeters," Davis said.
The district said it will use the feedback to help create the job profile for the next CEO before starting the recruiting process.
"The people with the most at stake in this decision shouldn't just get their input, they should really have a say in this process," said Monica Santana Rosen, the CEO and founder of Alma Advisory Group, the consulting company hired to lead the search.
Rosen met with over 400 students Tuesday and shared what they had to say.
"Students were very clear that safety and security is important to them. They also shared that they're very committed to a school system that prepares them for life after high school," Rosen said.
Post-secondary preparation is something Davis said her son is struggling with after graduation.
"Even though my son is in college now, he’s still behind everyone else he’s in class with," Davis said.
She said the next CEO should also work on setting students up for success.
"Every parent that has a child in CMSD, they really need to get engaged and they need to have an open dialogue with each and every teacher," Davis said.
In September, current CEO Eric Gordon announced he would be resigning at the end of the school year.
There are two meetings left:
- Wednesday, January 18 - Max Hayes High School
- Thursday, January 19 - John F Kennedy High School
Each of the meetings will take place from 6-8 p.m. Refreshments, childcare, and interpreter services will be available. There is also a remote option for those who pre-register.
Additionally, CMSD will be hosting an online survey in multiple languages, which will open on January 12 and remain open through January 31. The district will also host focus groups and on-site interviews at the meetings from January 17-19, where residents "will be able to engage directly with representatives of the search team and share their hopes and expectations for district leadership."
Rosen said she will present the results from the meetings to the CMSD board of education on February 7th.