Shelly Saltzman

 

Founder and Head of school at Citizens Leadership Academy

 

by Destini Hawkins, crew 1

 

 

Shelly Saltzman can best be described as an inspirational person and queen of education. Shelly is a very intelligent and successful business person. After meeting Saltzman, it is obvious that she is very strong and never quits fighting for her cause. She won’t take “no” for an answer and she gets the job done. Mrs. Saltzman is the Founder and Head of School at Citizens Leadership Academy, a thriving Cleveland charter school. Citizens Leadership Academy offers an exceptional, free, and public education to its scholars. Mrs. Saltzman has really inspired me to keep going and do as much as you can through life. She is very successful and happy person, so that inspires me to want to make my dreams to come true too. As my principal, I see her as a working professional, but if you really sit down and talk with her you will really get good advice and some tips for how to succeed.

 

Saltzman had always loved teaching and helping people learn. “When I was young I wanted to be a journalist so I did it”, Saltzman said. After she did public Journalism she went back to school for teaching K-8. She had attended John Carol University and has “always wanted to help out and let people learn new things”. When she worked in Public Journalism she left for a short time to stay home and take care of her beloved children. Eventually, she went back to work and was a school principal for five years. She wanted to make an even greater impact in education so, started a new plan which was to open a new school and help out others.        

 

Saltzman wanted to help kids earn a private school quality education in a public school setting. She wanted children to have “high academic standards even though their at a charter school.” Even though it’s a charter school we to can be really smart and do big things. Saltzman says, “When I was younger I wanted to be a lab tech or journalist”. But I went with my heart and chose to help children and help them get out in the community. So in “2011” I started “Citizens Leadership Academy”.

 

Shelly has always wanted to open and run a high performing, free public school. She wanted the school to have high quality and get out in the community. So as she started to look into opening a school she examined several school models and examples. Progress was happening with her dream. Clevelanders in the Hough neighborhood and surrounding areas wanted their children to come to the school. The final plans for the school started in 2011 “I started 6th grade, and later opened more grades each year.” As her school demonstrated excellence, she pushed to expand to 8th grade, making CLA a full grades 6-8 middle school. “I made progress by how many students we have, we opened the school to 97-180 and now (we are at) 280 students” Saltzman proclaimed. She said “now my dream has really come true with my success with the school’s expansion and students succeeding at my school.”

 

Saltzman said that the best thing about my job is “I get to help people learn and thrive through life”. “Another advantage is I get to watch the school grow. Saltzman recalled, “I love seeing the students improve with their work”. Another thing she loves to see her teacher/staff help the children move on and learn new things. “The disadvantages of my job are the long hours I work each day.”  But even though she says she dislikes the long hours, “it’s still nice to be at the school and help children get a great education.”

 

“I hope that “C.L.A’s” model continues to develop to the community “. This is so that everyone can have an equitable and high quality education in this community. Saltzman says “I hope that the graduates from “C.L.A” will have great jobs”. Her plans for the future and success of the school include, “I want to have more professionals come into the school and work with “C.L.A.”