CLEVELAND — School is back in session for many kids across Ohio, including those enrolled in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, where the new academic year is beginning with a new leader.

Warren Morgan said he wanted the position to give back.

“If not for a lot of people pouring into me, if not for a lot of amazing, incredible opportunities, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” he said.

Morgan holds a doctorate in urban educational leadership and is now holding the position of CEO for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, responsible for about 100 schools with an estimated enrollment of more than 36,000 students, based on data from the previous school year.

Previously, Morgan served as the chief academic officer for Indianapolis Public Schools, and about a decade ago, served as a network leader for CMSD in the early years of the Cleveland Plan.

His former boss, the former CMSD CEO Eric Gordon, voiced his support for Morgan during a May press conference announcing his hiring.

“He has the talent to do this job,” Gordon said. “And I know what this job is.”

Last September, Gordon announced he was stepping down from the CEO position at the end of the 2022-23 school year, after serving in the role for about a dozen years.

Gordon passed the baton, physically and figuratively, to Morgan at the May 9 press conference.

“That baton is gonna be here in the office,” Morgan said, noting he’s still in the process of making himself at home, officially on the job about a month.

He’s taking time to hear from students and the community during “listening tours,” and said he hopes to incorporate that input into a plan for the district.

“I want to learn as much as possible, so that the decisions that we make are informed decisions and they’re strategic,” Morgan said.

He said he’s been shocked by the level of participation, so far.

“Not only from the community, but from the business perspective and from elected officials,” he said. “There’s just so many people invested in the school system. And that can feel overwhelming, but it’s also really exciting to know that you have that many allies and supporters. And our kids, more than anything, have that many allies and supporters.”

With topics like transportation, curriculum, mental health and safety frequently raised as concerns, Morgan said there’s a lot of work ahead. He also wants to increase academic progress following some drops after the pandemic.

“Post-secondary readiness indicators, the on-track rates, both freshman on-track rate, graduation rates,” he said. “These are all things I’m looking at.”

Morgan looks at the new school year as a fresh start. As a kid, he said he compared the excitement surrounding the first day of school to that of Christmas.

“Each one’s filled with so much optimism and so much hope for what the year has,” Morgan said. “But one thing I’ve learned is, as fast as the first day of school comes, the last day of school comes just as fast.”

Because of that, he wants to make progress toward goals for the district by the time that day comes.

“I’m really hard on myself and the work is really never done, so I’m always spinning,” he said.

With a passion and drive to make a difference, he said it can be difficult to not immediately jump in and try to fix every issue all at once, opting for long-term solutions.

“One of the things I tell people on the listening tours is, it’s a marathon and not a sprint. And I’m mainly telling them that for myself,” he said with a laugh.

He said he hopes he’s leading by example for the students.

“Had many humble beginnings and many trials and tribulations that I know a lot of our kids face,” Morgan said.

But Morgan was born to be in education.

“I used to make report cards for my siblings and for my cousins, and other kids in the community. Handing out these written report cards. And they were all so annoyed by it,” he said, laughing.

Now he’s living his dream with a vision for the future.

“Very high level, in every neighborhood, no matter where your kid lives, that they have a high-quality option for school,” Morgan said. “So that is, like, bottom-line goal.”

In addition to the listening tours, town hall events are also scheduled in September and October for the public to share comments and concerns with Morgan about Cleveland schools.