The Cleveland Teachers Union's new president confirmed Friday that at least 270 teachers and other union members have received layoff notices as Cleveland Metropolitan School District plans to start school next fall with 29 fewer schools.
Errol Savage, the union president who was officially sworn in Friday, said the total included 150 teachers and 120 other educators in the union, which encompasses other staff including school counselors. He argued the teacher layoffs are unnecessary at this time, and that the district's financial forecast is solid for the next several years.
"I just think there's going to be an adverse effect on our students, when students lose the teacher that's working with them right in front of them 鈥� student achievements, it's going to go down," Savage said.
Jon Benedict, spokesperson for the district, declined to confirm how many staff have received layoff notices so far. He said the district will share more details about layoffs for teachers and other groups after the school board meeting Tuesday.
The union, under former President Shari Obrenski, issued a joint statement with the district last week making it clear they did not see eye to eye on the need for teacher cuts. The district has said it needs to cut staff as it consolidates schools, both to contain its budget and refocus resources on schools that remain. CMSD officials have said they hope to trim $30 million from the district's budget annually, much of which will come from staffing cuts.
The district's financial forecast, shared with the state in late February, showed it would be in the black through the end of the 2027-2028 fiscal year, but almost $50 million in the red by the end of the following fiscal year.
CMSD has come under fire recently for its spending on administrators and on contracts, including $270,000 for human resources consulting firm CoLeague, hired to work with the district as it finalizes layoffs. CoLeague is led by former CMSD Chief Talent Officer Lora Cover.
Benedict said Friday in an emailed statement that it was necessary to engage CoLeague following the departure of the district's chief talent officer in late 2025. "It was critical to have experienced leadership in place immediately rather than attempt to onboard a new permanent hire during this period," the statement said.
He added that CoLeague did not determine staffing levels, which were instead set internally by CMSD leadership.
Savage said in the case of Hannah Gibbons School in Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood, half the teaching staff has received layoff notices. He said educators could be "called back" to jobs if the district determines it needs more staff than it thought.
"I suspect many of them will (be called back) because I think the district made a mistake in laying them off in the first place," he said.
