CLEVELAND (WJW) The Cleveland Metropolitan School District kicked off the first in a series of eight public meetings, called community conversations, to address what the district calls a "perfect storm" created by the rising cost of education, reduced state and federal funding and a steep decline in enrollment.

“Over the past 20 years, we've lost over 50% of our enrollment and our data shows us that it's not because students are choosing to go elsewhere," CMSD CEO Dr. Warren Morgan said. "They're choosing charter or they're choosing private. It's birth rates and birth rates are impacting not only our city, it's impacting the state and also the nation and the world."

The CEO told the audience at Joseph M. Gallagher School on Wednesday night that the district must make tough decisions on w

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