Needs and Wants

If you attended one of the twenty-eight graduation ceremonies that featured a speech from Dr. Warren Morgan, you would have heard all about how difficult this past school year was for him. I wept openly upon hearing of his plight and was happy to see that he and the ELT (executive leadership team) were able to mix work and play recently at First Tee- - Cleveland. Poor Karen Thompson is still answering emails from KCBLA Grandma because the custodian at KCBLA has still not done the work. Selena Florence is doing something in those Five Hour Friday meetings with her team. I can’t imagine anything more dreadful than a five hour meeting. I prefer e-mail meetings. But that’s problematic because her e-mails are public record. I’m sure Andrew Roman has been wrung out with legal department issues. And Kevin, whoo boy, that budget is some heavy work. Mr. Burtzlaff has his hands full dealing with all the emails being sent to him by the CMSD student activists. No idea what Trent and Lisa have been up to, but I’m sure it was… whatever.

Let’s not forget how hard all of this has been for interim Talent big wig, Lora Cover. She has returned to her inspiring videos on LinkedIn to share with her followers all that she learned during her “inspiring” time at CMSD. Having read through her evaluations of Matthew VanHoose I assume she must have had a difficult time working with someone directly under her who had a vastly different impression of his work than she did. Not to mention having to sit through all of those layoff meetings when each of the people she was cleaving from their pay and benefits knew she was being paid $37,000 a month.

Anyhoo, many laid off CMSD teachers and paraprofessionals are scrambling to find new employment. The teachers who survived the Cover Cuts are being told to pinch pennies for a more realistic CTU footing when the next contract negotiations begin. Cleveland residents are facing soaring costs for daily living expenses and more Cleveland homeowners are behind on their property taxes than ever before. Oh, and the teachers at the formerly extended day/extended school year schools are going to feel the paycheck pain of the unified calendar this August. I hope they can find some comfort in that at least the rich administrators got richer this year.

Direct payments from the state are just one of the ways schools get funded. That’s the part we focus on when we talk about the Ohio legislature not fully funding our public schools. We don’t talk as much about the $50+ million dollars that the legislatures distributes to the ESCs (educational service centers) each year.

The intent of those funds is to pool together money for several school districts to be able to take advantage of cost savings and resource sharing when it comes to curriculum and instructional support, professional development for educators, school improvement initiatives, special education, early childhood programs, cooperative purchasing, fiscal services, and the rapid implementation of statewide priorities. The ESCs help spread out the overhead costs and centralize expertise. They can help leverage other grants and, ultimately, enhance teaching, learning, and student performance. One of the most important ways the ESCs support the school districts is through balloon arches.

For each request of funds from the ESC of Northeast Ohio, the district CEO must send a letter saying how much money is being requested and what the funds will be used for. In the above letter, Dr. Morgan says that CMSD needed $1,250.00 to pay Jai Pops LLC because the funds were “needed to pay a senior leadership gathering.” Needed.

Ahem, from my old high school forensics days I shall go with: need as defined by Merriam-Webster 1) necessary duty 2a) a lack of something requisite 2b) a physiological or psychological requirement for the well being of an organism.

Dr. Morgan told Dr. Mengerink that CMSD needed funds for a senior leadership gathering. Now, when this letter crossed the desk of Dr. Mengerink, or Bob, he thought of his solemn duties and the mission of all ESCs and fulfilled that need.

I am sure that you are curious how the ESC subsidy funds were spent by CMSD. Well, let me show you.

Needed.

Needed.

I wish I had a dollar for every time someone connected to school district administration told me to look into the ESC funds. If I did, I still couldn’t buy a balloon arch, but I’d be pretty darn close. Way back in July of 2024, I was writing about the public records I had gotten about chairs and desks. But I had also requested spending for a holiday party Dr. Morgan threw for the ELT. I was told by CMSD legal that there were “no responsive documents” and like a sweet summer child, I believed them.

I wrote those words. But the tipsters kept insisting there was a grand party and the admin adjacent folks kept saying, “oh, they probably hid it in the ESC fund.” I did not know what that was. I asked about it but sometimes when people are well versed in their own world, they don’t spell things out enough for others to understand. Or I was too stupid to get it then. Several months ago a person gave me the ESC tidbit and explained it to me in a way that allowed me to start making requests. I still didn’t understand that I needed to make the requests from the ESC and not CMSD to get documents, but I learned.

This balloon purchase from Jai Pop was for that holiday party. I know that now because I got the public record and this part was included. This is what the ELT needed to celebrate the holidays in December 2023.

One could argue that the letter from Dr. Morgan to the ESC is a record that CMSD legal should have given me. This holiday party invoice says CMSD, not ESC, so it’s a record that CMSD probably had that they could have given me two years ago. Also interesting to note - when I make record requests from the ESC, which deals with multiple school districts and so many records, they are really quick getting me the records I seek.

I have a real treat for those of you who think I didn’t care about spending soon enough and thus my concerns are dismissed now. I always try to cast a wide net in my record requests and the ESC gave me so much. The idea that “they probably hid it in the ESC funds” came from someone who has been with the district for a very long arc. I have the yearly list of ESC expenditures for CMSD from 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and a partial list from 2026.

Gordon needed balloons, too, in 2018.

Why yes, I am curious about that Derek Richey payment and have requested the records.

I have made a lot of requests from these lists. I’ve already gotten some back and I am going through them. I think my next few blogs will be about how CMSD is using these funds. Also about what we could be using them for if our leaders were doing a better job balancing their wants with our needs. If you see something you find curious, the guy to ask is Andrew Pizzulo at andrew.pizzulo@escneo.org and just a regular email will do it. I’ve been asking in the following format: I would like a copy of the purchase order, invoice, letter detailing request from CMSD, and proof of payment for XXXXXXXX from the July 2023 fund report.

The next meeting for the Elect A School Board group is set for Saturday June 6, 2026 at the CPL MLK branch from 2 to 4pm. I think this is the meeting where Sarah Hodge puts us into action, so it you can make it, we’d love to have your help.

On July 13, 2026 the Bond Accountability Commissioners will be taking an on site tour of the John F Kennedy High School, including a look at the new stadium and capital improvements. The public is always welcome to attend Bond Accountability meetings. I usually email school board attorney, Kevin Burtzlaff kevin.burtzlaff@clevelandmetroschools.org to RSVP and it seems to work.

Now go on with your summer of restoration, rejuvenation, relaxation, and golf.

Share