Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, who selects the city's school board and holds ultimate authority over the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, has offered limited recent public comment on charter schools as the district shrinks its building footprint amid declining enrollment.
In a 2022 interview, Bibb said he opposed for-profit charter operators outright while expressing comfort with nonprofit networks such as Breakthrough Public Schools that contract with CMSD. Communications Director Sarah Johnson told Signal Cleveland this month that his position has not changed.
At a November 2025 meeting on school closures at Collinwood High School, Bibb characterized failing charters as reckless and argued the district's best strategy was to improve enough that families choose CMSD. His administration has since declined charter bids to take over some closed buildings. Under Ohio law, districts must offer unused buildings to charters after a year; CMSD has been transferring closed schools to the city before that deadline, which Bibb framed as part of a broader redevelopment plan.
Signal Cleveland reported asking the mayor's office about Future Ready Cleveland, a nonprofit founded by former Bibb adviser Holly Trifiro that has backed nonprofit charters. Trifiro said the Haslams helped her build education connections but gave no direct funding. The city did not directly answer those questions; a records request for emails about the City Fund, whose CEO met with Bibb and Trifiro in September 2025, remains unfulfilled.
Cleveland Teachers Union President Errol Savage credited Bibb with supporting the 2024 levy and the consolidation decision, saying the mayor now treats public schools as the city's foundation. Council Member Michael Polensek warned at the 2025 meeting that closures could send students to charters. School board member Sara Elaqad and a district spokesperson did not respond to comment requests.