January
About 2,000 parents and activists attend the 1996 Cleveland Summit on Education.

February
The state’s $5.5 million experiment in school vouchers will begin in the fall, amid intense opposition from the CTU. In the new program, students can receive up to $2,250 to attend private non-sectarian or religious schools.

In an unprecedented move, State Supt. Goff voids the contracts of all 330 Cleveland school administrators, including principals, saying flexibility is needed to reorganize the district and transfer power from the central office to individual schools.

April
The district lays off 451 teachers, nearly three times the number anticipated by union officials.

June
The state Controlling Board approves a two-year, state-backed, $42 million private loan. The money will allow the schools to meet two more payrolls and pay vendors.

August
Federal Judge George White orders State Supt. Goff to place a 13.5-mill operating levy on the November ballot. School board members, in a split vote, oppose the levy.

September
Teachers agree to a three-year contract with major compromises—no raises for two years and a 3% hike in the third. Teachers will contribute to health insurance premiums, saving the district $12.6 million.

Eight "fast track schools," including Glenville High and Gracemount Elementary, are slated to become models for decentralization, with "school governance councils" making decisions.

October
With the district facing a $152 million debt, state Auditor James Petro declares it in a fiscal emergency, which places it under the control of a Financial Planning and Supervision Commission. The panel draws up a debt-reduction plan. Voter approval of a levy in November is crucial to the plan.

November
Following a campaign supported by Mayor White, voters unexpectedly approve the 13.5-mill operating levy, which will raise a projected $67 million annually. It is only the second levy to pass in 26 years – the first, a 9-mill levy, was approved in 1983.

December
The 20-member Advisory Committee on Governance, appointed by Mayor White and Supt. Boyd, recommends the district should be run by an appointed board handpicked by the mayor and serving at his discretion. The plan is the product of more than three months research and debate, including two public forums that drew 400 people. If approved, the mayor would appoint a superintendent and nine-member board. In 2002, voters would decide whether to keep an appointed board or to return to an elected one.

Teachers and the board oppose the plan, which is submitted to the legislature by state Sens. William G. Batchelder (R) and Michael Wise.

 

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Research: Barbara Good and staff

Sources: The Plain Dealer, proceedings of Cleveland School Board meetings, school district annual reports.

Photos: Cleveland Municipal School District, U.S. District Court, Cleveland City Council

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CATALYST: For Cleveland Schools is an independent publication created to document, analyze and support improvement efforts in Cleveland's public schools.