Plans for school closings and arrests at a public forum have hogged the spotlight, but there's a new step emerging in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board's student assignment review.
After the drama at Tuesday's meeting, the board formally introduced proposed revisions to the policies that guide the assignment lottery (to read them, click here, then click items V a, b and c). The changes incorporate the guiding principles this board passed during the summer and remove confusing historical references that piled up over the years. They also eliminate the lottery for non-magnet schools, which had tapered off to virtually nothing in practice anyway.
"You almost needed a guidebook to get through it," Superintendent Peter Gorman said of the existing policies. "It will be much simplified."
If you're just hearing about this, never fear: You haven't missed a chance to weigh in. The board plans to hold public hearings on the policies at its next two meetings before voting. That means this could be piled on what's bound to be a marathon meeting Nov. 9, when members have vowed to make decisions on the list of closings, consolidations and other proposed school changes for 2011-12.
Friday, October 15, 2010
CMS student assignment: There's more!
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6 comments:
Ann,
Where can one find "The List" of 70 schools that might be affected by proposed changes? I've only heard of a few schools on it some of which were quickly removed - like Ballantyne Elem.
Would just like to know if Schindler has left the room with or without my assigned schools on the list.
But wait, there's more! As an added bonus we'll divide our community even further by claiming race and class have nothing to do with any proposed changes.
Thank you Eric Davis for this insightful television response.
This must be all George Bush's fault
An Open Letter to CMS School Board Members,
I am a parent of a third grade student at Winding Springs Elementary. I chose WSE as my son’s school years before he would attend because I recognized a program that offered my child more opportunities to excel. It’s been a great three years and my son is looking forward to next year already. He hopes to be a part of the leadership program for fourth and fifth grade students and he wants to play sports. I have been looking forward to the day when my now three year old daughter attends WSE because I knew that she would also do very well at the school and have the unique experience that I have come to love. I have been active on the PTA and I assist my child’s teacher each year. As the book fair mom for the last three years, we have worked to provide the teachers with resources, and this year we plan to use our book fair proceeds to purchase SMART boards for our media center and technology classroom.
I am very disappointed to hear that our magnet is once again on the chopping block for CMS. What’s even more disturbing is that North Charlotte will be “magnet deprived” should WSE lose it’s magnet to Marie G. Davis. Besides the fact that kindergarteners would be in the same building as 14 year olds, it is nowhere near Winding Springs. With CMS cutting security officers in past years, I would be concerned about the safety of my child. The magnets at WSE and Marie G. Davis are also not a perfect match or natural transition for students. The idea of “transferring our magnet” to a school that is completely across town is disheartening, especially when many parents made the adjustment to the new busing arrangement for magnet schools. We drive our son to school each day and should the program move, we cannot make a 30 minute drive across town to take him to school. I feel like the options are dwindling and the schools that are being fought for do not appear to be anywhere near where we live.
It’s interesting to me that certain schools are targeted each year and every year, certain schools are immediately removed from the chopping block for reasons that are not very clear to the public. I support my school, I support my child’s education, and I support equal options for children. I don’t want to believe that CMS only protects and invests in certain schools but, I really don’t have much to support an alternative argument. The move to Marie G. Davis would also greatly reduce our ability to be involved at the school. Due to the distance, we would not be able to be active PTA members, a room parents, or even have lunch with our son. It’s just a shame.
Our middle school choices were already grim and now it seems that we need an exit strategy from CMS even sooner. The loss of WSE as a magnet will be a great disappointment to many families that have stayed with the school over the years. Despite progress results, many students are doing very well at Winding Springs. Parents make the choice to bring their children to school every day, dress them in uniforms, meet shuttle buses and invest many dollars to ensure that the children have what they need to be successful. It’s a shame but, if all signs point south in Charlotte, this just may be the beginnings of a dim future for CMS.
Shellisa Multrie, Winding Springs Parent
October 12, 2010
Thanks Shellisa, we all feel this same pain as "Pete" and this sorry excuse for a BOE continues to destroy educational opportunities all for the purpose of bringing down the top kids, and do not care if they leave the system, and getting their feather for closing the achievement gap and educating "urban" kids.
Could Barbers NAACP please make up its mind? In Wake County they demand no neighborhood schools and bus to the suburbs while in Mecklenburg they side with neighbornood schools and not close them. White enrollement in both counties has dwindled to 30% and falling so wheres the logic for the busing anyway? CMS supporters who demand to keep ALL inner city school open and operational without exception are 100% in the right here and should fight mercilessly to retain this status quo. Idiot Barber needs to take a hike.
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