I-Team: Cleveland schools CEO dodges questions on travel costs

Yahoo

27-02-2025

CLEVELAND (WJW) — The FOX 8 I-Team caught up with the head of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, trying to get him to explain how your tax dollars are being spent on school employees traveling around the country.
But district CEO Warren Morgan dodged most of our questions.
School taxes in Cleveland just went up. Voters approved a levy in November.
But according to public records obtained by the I-Team, the district spent nearly a $1 million on travel in just one year.
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The I-Team has tried for months to talk to Morgan. We've tried arranging something through district spokespersons, yet the CEO has never sat down with us. In fact, last year, we had an interview arranged and at the last minute, the district canceled.
So we went to a school board meeting Tuesday and we tried to speak to the CEO before the meeting started.
'We'd like to get a word with you. We've been trying for months,' I-Team Reporter Ed Gallek said.
Morgan did not stop and talk to us. Instead, he opened a door and walked into a room where all school board members were gathered prior to the start of the meeting.
One woman yelled and said we were interrupting a meeting. When the I-Team asked why board members were meeting in private without calling an executive session, the school board attorney said the members were eating prior to the meeting and not discussing official business.
We recently showed you that in one year Cleveland schools spent more than $855,000 sending employees on trips out of state. The district sent well over 100 people to one conference. Even secretaries have gone on trips.
We asked the CEO why he keeps avoiding us. But he said, 'We're not avoiding.'
The records also show the CEO took nine trips, even as the district put out a desperate call for more tax money.
During our encounter, Morgan said, 'Right now, we're about to start our Board meeting. I'll talk to you later.'
We responded with, 'What's later? Because you've never done it.'
We turned to Polly Karr, a mother and school district watchdog.
'I'd like them to stop traveling,' she said.
She wants smarter spending now, with higher taxes.
'I wouldn't mind paying it if it was going to the students, to the classroom,' Karr added. 'Cleveland students need more. I want to see the kids get stuff instead of the administrators.'
The I-Team also has been trying to ask about district travel going forward.
Cleveland schools sent 118 people last year to the Model Schools Conference. So, what about this year?
We asked the CEO, 'For the Model Conference, are you changing anything this year for the Model Conference?'
Morgan responded with, 'We can talk later. We have a board meeting.'
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Weeks ago, a district official promised tighter controls over travel. On Tuesday, Morgan referred to that but did not offer any specifics.
'Since we've put in our travel restrictions, all of our costs have actually decreased. But we're about to start a meeting,' he said.
Weeks ago, Lisa Farmer Cole, chief external affairs officer, answered questions about more than 100 people from Cleveland schools going to one conference. She said,
'So I think of that 118, about 16 were principals and assistant principals. And, about 100 teachers went. So, that is a conference that is chock-full of best practices. School districts from all over the country go to the Model Schools Conference because this is about model schools.'
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