CMSD revises school‑based funding formula: separates personnel from non‑personnel, adds per‑student non‑personnel allocation

District officials described a set of planned changes to Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s school‑based budgeting (SPB) formula intended to increase equity in how dollars are distributed among campuses.

Erin Frew, school officer, told the board that the district will separate personnel and non‑personnel allocations so principals can make clearer tradeoffs between staffing and operating funds. “Personnel and non personnel are being separated so that school leaders and their community aren't having to make really difficult decisions about class sizes,” Frew said.

Under the proposed model, every student will generate $200 of non‑personnel funding; students with disabilities and English‑language learners will produce an additional $50 weight each, so a student who is both could generate $300. Frew said Title I funding remains in the school funding pool and pre‑K will continue to be funded outside SPB.

The district also plans to reduce the staffing baseline class‑size allocation (previously cited as a 34:1 ratio in funding modeling) to allow smaller classes where possible. Frew said model changes aim to reduce forced staff transfers; principals will retain autonomy over hiring, administrative teams, non‑personnel spending and may file an “over‑ask” appeal if they believe an allocation is insufficient.

Central office and talent teams will support staff who are displaced through the annual staffing process. Frew said baseline reductions and other modeling should reduce transfers; district modeling showed 47 schools were at baseline last year and had zero staffing flexibility out of roughly 96 schools reviewed.

Ending: Staff said school‑by‑school budget allocations and central‑office budgeting will be part of a multi‑month cycle that feeds a five‑year forecast and a May budget timeline; the board will consider formal adoption of budget items later in the process.