22-05-2025
‘That's crazy': Struggling CMSD sent kids to Disney World, I-Team learns
CLEVELAND (WJW) – The FOX 8 I-Team has found the Cleveland Municipal School District sent kids on a trip to Disney World while spending money that could have been used for unique educational projects.
We investigated the story behind the all-expenses paid trip for kids and adults from the Garfield School.
Twelve students in sixth. seventh and eighth grade went, and so did six adults, including the school principal.
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Records show the cost of the trip totaled more than $28,000.
'This serves a handful of students and a few lucky adults who got to go on the district's or the public's money,' said Errol Savage, a member of the executive board of the teacher's union.
Money for the 'Disney Dreams' trip came from the Get More Opportunities Fund.
The application promised the trip would be 'rewarding well-behaved students' to 'encourage further growth, achievement and well-being.'
We found that trip was chosen for grant money over several other applications from teachers for educational projects or trips.
'I think that money could have been better spent. It could have been spent on educational field trips: Gettysburg, Williamsburg, Washington, D.C., the Henry Ford Museum.' Savage added.
The other proposals not chosen included money for technology to help kids with learning disabilities, a project to help kids create 3-D rollercoasters and a competition for kids at four schools to learn to think on their feet.
'That's crazy,' Polly Karr, a parent and school district watchdog, said.
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She reacted to the Disney trip while pointing out, at another school, the same grant money was denied when the chess club wanted to take a teacher to an out-of-state tournament.
'They're denying us from the Get More funds to take the teacher. We applied for a grant for that to take the teacher,' Karr said.
In the response to our records request, the school district said an 'equitable process' was used to pick the adults on the Disney trip: the principal, a secretary and teachers, including a union chair.
We tried contacting the principal, but we received no response. No one from the school district is talking on camera. A spokesman stressed only grant money was used. No general fund money, and the principal considered the trip to be something really special.
'You can't expect students to always make the right choices, but adults, they could have been guided better,' Savage said.
We also took note of the dates for the Disney trip, which were school days in March — not even spring break.
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