Should CMS create an all-male school?

An all-male school to help African American boys excel, stronger offerings for gifted middle-school students and more STEM, language and Montessori magnets in the suburbs are likely to be among the suggestions we'll see this month when 22 task forces publish their advice for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

Superintendent Heath Morrison created the panels,  made up of employees, students and citizen volunteers,  in November,  when he unveiled  "The Way Forward."  Those groups recently wrapped up their study,  and Morrison said he expects to publish the reports and start discussing them with the school board in July.

My predictions come not from a crystal ball but from minutes filed on the task force web site.  Those minutes,  prepared in a standard format by CMS staff,  don't give much away,  so I'm sure there will be surprises when the full reports come out.

For Morrison and the board,  the next step will be sorting out the long list of recommendations:  What can be done quickly?  What needs to be part of a long-term strategy?  What's just not practical?  The next phase  could be a turning point in Morrison's leadership.  Lots of people stepped up to serve on task forces.  If they think their work ends up sitting on a shelf,  they could grow disillusioned.  If they see results,  enthusiasm could build.

Traditionally,  CMS advisory boards have also been a training ground for school board candidates.  Filing for the six district seats opens Friday;  we'll see how many task force members put their names in.

As Morrison marks the end of his first year,  I'm trying to get updates on the biggest efforts he has talked about or launched so far.  Morrison's staff is getting answers to several items I've asked about.  Let me know what you're thinking;  I may have left some out.