CMSD board holds public hearing on proposed 2026–27 and 2027–28 calendars; Wilbur Wright teachers raise equity and enrollment concerns
Loading...
Summary
At a state-law-required public hearing, Cleveland Metropolitan School District officials presented draft 2026–27 and 2027–28 calendars and heard public comment from Wilbur Wright teachers who warned an 8:35 start could harm Muslim students’ ability to attend Friday prayers, a theater partnership and enrollment; the board will vote Feb. 24.
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District held a public hearing on draft calendars for the 2026–27 and 2027–28 school years and invited public feedback before a planned adoption vote on Feb. 24.
Doctor Morgan, the district’s chief executive officer, said the calendars are drafts first shared at a December Building Brighter Futures presentation and reiterated that nothing is final until the board votes. Morgan highlighted several design choices: moving the school year start back one week, adding professional-development time in the opening week, consolidating open houses and parent–teacher conferences to a single day to improve family attendance, and aligning spring break so Good Friday begins the break week.
During a public-comment segment limited to calendar discussion, two Wilbur Wright teachers — Kate Potter and Amy Cachuna — told the board the school’s proposed shift to an 8:35 a.m. start would create three harms. Potter said it would undermine an equity accommodation for Muslim students, many of them refugees, who currently leave at 2:05 p.m. on Fridays to attend nearby mosques with adult guidance without missing instructional time. She said an 8:35 start with a 3:05 dismissal “would force prayer during the school day or an early dismissal on Fridays resulting in instructional loss” and that the building lacks dignified space for prayer.
Potter also said the time change would jeopardize Wilbur Wright’s long-standing partnership with the Cleveland Playhouse and its spotlight theater program, which depends on the current dismissal schedule. She cited early survey results she described as a significant sample, saying about 32% of responding families indicated the proposed time change would affect their decision to keep their child at Wilbur Wright.
Cachuna said prior emergency schedule changes tied to the Newton D. Baker closure and school mergers led to family loss at the school and urged the board to avoid repeating disruptive changes.
Chair Ellicott asked Morgan what accommodations the district typically provides students who need to pray during the day. Morgan replied the district works with families to identify and provide accommodations and that recent state policy allows religious exceptions; she said many accommodations are handled individually and that she would follow up with the team and meet with students if needed. “I’ll see if I can get over there to meet with the students,” Morgan said.
The district encouraged further written feedback via its Let’s Talk portal and said it will keep the comment window open through the adoption vote at the Feb. 24 board business meeting.
No vote on the calendars took place at the hearing; the board will consider final adoption at the February meeting.
