Chief Academic Officer

Position Type:

Administration and Professionals

Date Posted:

2026-11-03

Location: Administration or As Assigned

ABOUT CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) is Ohio's third-largest public school system, serving more than 35,000 students.

CMSD strives to ensure that every child receives a high-quality education, regardless of the provider. To that end, CMSD lets families choose which District schools their children attend, with options that include STEM, the arts, single-gender education, International Baccalaureate, Montessori, and early college.

Our schools have autonomy over human and financial resources in exchange for accountability for performance. The principal has primary responsibility and accountability for establishing their school as a high-quality, high-expectation academic center focusing on personalized instruction, professional support for teachers, and school-wide practices that lead to measurable results.

CMSD ensures that students have access to technology and training to prepare them for the future. The District provides a free laptop or tablet for every student and connects every family that needs internet access. Graduating seniors leave commencement with not only a diploma but also a laptop.

In our pursuit of a more fair, just, and good system of education, we strive to ensure that all of our learners, both scholars and educators, to be challenged with academically and intellectually complex tasks that are worthy of their efforts and provide them opportunities to demonstrate their best work.

BUILDING BRIGHTER FUTURES

The Cleveland Board of Education adopted the Building Brighter Futures (BBF) initiative on December 9, 2025. Building Brighter Futures is a strategic and data-driven plan shaped by more than a year of community engagement, information analysis, and thoughtful deliberation. The goal of this plan is to strengthen enrollment and ensure scholars attend a newer school building that offers more educational opportunities, including algebra in the eighth grade, more sports and extracurricular activities, and college credits and college and career pathways in high school. BBF is ensuring academic excellence so every CMSD scholar can thrive.

THE OPPORTUNITY:

• Location: Administration
• Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
• FLSA Status: Exempt
• Salary Band: 15
• **Salary and Benefits
• The salary range for this critical leadership position is $175,000.00 - $210,000.00, commensurate with experience. The role also includes a comprehensive benefits package

**Internal applicants are required to upload a resume to their application**

How to Apply

Alma Advisory Group is honored to support Cleveland Metropolitan School District in this search. Interested candidates may apply online at: https://apply.workable.com/almaadvisorygroup/j/E71D4DAA0F

Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) is seeking a Chief Academic Officer (CAO) to champion the district’s instructional vision and enable academic excellence for every scholar, in every school. The CAO will join CEO Warren Morgan’s cabinet after several years of pivotal work to build a centralized academic strategy anchored in high-quality core curricula and a unified assessment system. The next CAO will bring coherence to the work that matters most in classrooms and deliver on the Board Goals: increasing proficiency in reading, math, and college readiness.

CMSD is Ohio’s third-largest district, serving more than 34,000 students, and offering families a wide range of school choices, including STEM, the arts, single-gender education, International Baccalaureate, Montessori, and early college. With Building Brighter Futures, adopted by the Board in December 2025 and now in its first year of implementation for the 2026-27 school year, CMSD has made tough but necessary choices, in partnership with the community, to close a $150 million shortfall, consolidate schools, and move students into newer buildings with richer opportunities. Today, every CMSD high school offers college and career pathways, and every elementary school offers enrichment courses.

The next CAO will build on that progress, accelerating proficiency, graduation, and college and career readiness while expanding access to advanced coursework so that where a student attends school no longer determines how far they can go.

• How to Apply
• Alma Advisory Group is honored to support Cleveland Metropolitan School District in this search. Interested candidates may apply online at: https://apply.workable.com/almaadvisorygroup/j/E71D4DAA0F

About the Chief Academic Officer

The Chief Academic Officer is a key leader on the CEO’s cabinet , spearheading the district’s efforts to support, empower, and create exceptional schools through sound leadership and instructional practices. This leader provides leadership across the Office of Teaching & Learning, the Office of Student Services, and the Office of Schools. The role aligns these functions to support high-quality instruction and effective school operations across the district. This Division is committed to being student-focused, in order to provide intellectually rich experiences for children that ensure they graduate prepared for college, career, and life.

This role requires strong instructional and operational leadership, sound judgment, and the ability to manage complex systems in a large, unionized public sector environment. It also requires a working knowledge of Cleveland: its schools, people, relationships, and community and labor dynamics.

This leader ensures that the Academics Division remains grounded in the district’s Core Values : Equity & Inclusion, Student & Community Focused, Growth & Learning, Care & Well-Being, Excellence & Achievement.

How to Apply

Alma Advisory Group is honored to support Cleveland Metropolitan School District in this search. Interested candidates may apply online at: https://apply.workable.com/almaadvisorygroup/j/E71D4DAA0F

What You’ll Do (Key Responsibilities)

Instructional Stewardship

• •Lead the academic aspects of Building Brighter Futures implementation, including ensuring more students are enrolled and scheduled in advanced coursework in all schools so that students and families experience continuity of high-quality instruction and support.
• •Ensure coherence across all academic programming, including curriculum and instruction, career and college success, early childhood, and fine arts.
• •Enable the district to demonstrate growth in academic proficiency in alignment with our District's Goals and Guardrails by strengthening the district’s existing academic structures and driving continuous improvement.
• •Increase student enrollment and participation in the college and career pathways and programs offered in the district.
• •Ensure that the core curriculum instruction addresses the needs of diverse learners and is supplemented by enrichment and interventions as needed.
• •Serve as the primary academic advisor to the CEO and Cabinet and drive alignment between academics and school systems and organizational priorities.
• •Ensure all program areas are in compliance with governing federal, state, and local regulations.

Instructional Program Design and Effectiveness

• •Build on the academic systems, program design, and organizational structure to achieve the district’s student achievement priorities.
• •Leverage established data-driven structures to develop and refine proven strategies that will further advance student achievement and districtwide improvement.
• •Evaluate the effectiveness of academic processes and regularly track progress toward ambitious team goals that support student learning.
• •Ensure high-quality professional development opportunities are offered to schools, principals, and other staff and aligned to the district’s priorities and academic vision.
• •Ensure the effective oversight of schools through the Area Superintendent who manage, coach, and mentor school leader