CMSD awarded $13.7 million after Ohio Department of Education’s funding failure

By Avery Williams | September 17, 2020 at 9:07 AM EDT - Updated September 17 at 9:07 AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - A decade-old mistake is costing the Ohio Department of Education $42 million.

Franklin County Judge Gina R. Russo decided a Sept. 10 ruling that issues Cleveland, Dayton and Toledo city school districts funding that she said they were wrongfully stripped of during the fiscal years of 2005-2007.

CMSD was awarded $13.7 million, according to a release.

The release said the school districts were underfunded due to a 2005 decision by the Ohio Department of Education that substituted unlawful funding methods for the methods legally established by the legislature.

“Our students who lost educational opportunities because of the Ohio Department of Education’s wrongdoing are likely long gone from our district. But the funding that flows from the court’s decision will provide an opportunity for students filling their seats today. We take comfort in knowing that our current children, parents, and teaching community will be the beneficiaries of the money awarded by the court.”

Eric Gordon, Chief Executive Officer of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District