South suburban officials line up for Bailey

Matthews Mayor Pro Tem Paul Bailey,  one of three candidates seeking the District 6 school board seat,  rolled out a roster of endorsements Tuesday from four state legislators and 15 local officials from the southern suburbs.

Bailey

"Most of these people I have long-term relationships with and have worked with on Matthews town council,"  said Bailey,  who's serving his ninth term.  "I asked and everybody said yes.  It was a surprise to me,  but a pleasant surprise."

Bailey worked with political consultant Larry Shaheen to kick off his campaign with the lineup of support.  On his list:  State Sens. Jeff Tarte and Bob Rucho (both Republicans); N.C. Reps. Bill Brawley (R) and Tricia Cotham (D);  Bill James, a Republican serving his eighth term representing roughly the same district on the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners; Tim Morgan,  who was elected to the District 6 school board seat in 2009 and moved into an at-large seat in 2011; Matthews Mayor Jim Taylor and all five members of the Matthews town council; former Matthews Mayor Lee Myers; Mint Hill Mayor Ted Biggers and all four Mint Hill town commissioners.

The announcement jump-starts what has been a fairly low-key school board campaign so far.  I don't recall seeing a lineup like this in district school board races,  especially coming all at once in the early days of a campaign.

Bailey's two opponents,  first-time candidates Bolyn McClung and Doug Wrona,  are running very different types of campaigns.

Wrona

Wrona, a former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teacher and tutor,  is a self-described progressive Democrat running in a heavily Republican district  (party affiliation isn't on the Nov. 5 ballot,  but we all know it  plays a role).  He couldn't be reached for comment on Bailey's endorsements,  but he has said he won't raise or spend more than $1,000 on his campaign.

Bolyn McClung,  a Pineville Republican,  said Monday he has decided not to seek donations or endorsements,  though he'll be doing  "heavy advertising"  with his own money.  He said he wants to run on his own record,  which includes co-chairing the successful 2007 bond campaign,  serving on CMS advisory boards and regularly attending school board and committee meetings.

McClung

When told about the names on Bailey's endorsement list,  McClung replied:  "There's some people on that list that are really great supporters of CMS."

But after pondering the legislators who are backing Bailey,  McClung emailed an additional response:  "In these hard economic times,  I have decided against actively seeking financial support or personal recommendations for my campaign.  My record for public education is long and strong.  However,  if I were to ask for support,  it would not be from those in Raleigh who are responsible for cutting public education."

Note:  Please be patient waiting for your comments to post.  I've set it for moderation because I'm off today and don't want to open it to political name-calling.  But I'll have my tablet and post comments as quickly as I can.

Hattabaugh: Board members bullied teachers

A clash that started two weeks ago with a school board presentation on teacher effectiveness continues to roil Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leadership.  Interim Superintendent Hugh Hattabaugh, normally a mellow guy, sent a strongly worded memo to the board accusing two members of bullying faculty, "behavior so egregiously unfair that I cannot remain silent" (read it below).


During the Feb. 28 discussion of  "hard to staff schools," board member Richard McElrath peppered teachers with questions about that label.  Somali Davis-White, a teacher at Thomasboro Academy,  attended the meeting as part of a teacher study group that crafted the report.

Afterward,  McElrath and board member Joyce Waddell made unannounced visits to Thomasboro and other schools that are part of Project LIFT.  I talked to McElrath the afternoon of March 1 about some of his remarks at the meeting, and he told me he was visiting LIFT schools to ask principals and teachers about the philanthropic program and its support of segregated schools.  A few hours later,  Hattabaugh emailed board members about complaints he'd heard from the Thomasboro visit.

Hattabaugh's memo sparked a heated discussion of school board behavior last night,  one that's likely to continue at Friday's meeting on the superintendent search.  Today I got a copy of Hattabaugh's email to the board.


From: Hugh E. Hattabaugh
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2012 6:08 PM
To: Ericka Ellis-Stewart; Mary T. McCray; Eric C. Davis; Tom Tate; Richard McElrath; Joyce Waddell; Amelia Stinson-Wesley; Tim Morgan; Rhonda Lennon
Cc: George E. Battle
Subject: Action Required: Review of Board Policy Constituent Services

Dear Board members,

On Wednesday, two Board members visited Thomasboro Elementary.  They spoke with several teachers,  challenging the assertion put forth at Tuesday’s Board meeting that Thomasboro is a  “hard to staff”  school.  One Board member suggested that racism was a factor in that description of Thomasboro.  Both members asked questions but did not allow teachers to answer them,  talking over teachers and the principal as they tried to answer the questions they’d been asked.  The Board members spoke in a denigrating way about one of the teachers on a work team to her Thomasboro colleagues as they gathered for a meeting.  The work team’s discussion of the challenges facing the school was characterized as  “dirty laundry”  that should not be aired in public.  The Board members suggested to several teachers that they had been tricked or treated unfairly in matters of salary.  They spoke in a critical way about Project L.I.F.T. to several teachers and the principal.

All of these actions violate the Board’s own policy governing how Board members interact with staff and the public.  I have attached Policy BHE,  Constituent Services,  for your reference.  It states in part:  “Each Board member will avoid involvement in management activities or giving direction to staff  …  In making this commitment, Board members recognize that their involvement in management and administrative matters creates confusion among district employees,  leads to dysfunctional management systems,  undermines the authority of the Superintendent and the administration,  and weakens the Board…”

To this clear and unequivocal statement of why the two Board members’  actions on Wednesday were in violation of Board policy,  I would add the following:

What message has been sent to staff by these actions?  How can teachers avoid the conclusion that speaking up can lead to a visit from Board members who will bully and belittle them in front of their colleagues?  How will these actions affect teacher and staff morale?

What message does this send to the public about the Board’s role in governing CMS and its responsibility to work in the district’s best interests,  helping all students and schools?

What message does this send to potential superintendent candidates about Board governance and a clear division of duties between the superintendent and the Board?

What message does this send about transparency of district operations and equitable treatment of employees?

I recognize that my speaking out in this way puts me at some personal risk.  However,  the behavior reported to me by the staff at Thomasboro was so egregiously unfair to our teachers and staff that I cannot remain silent.  As the superintendent,  I ask that Board members please follow the policies that you have set.  We may disagree often about what the right choices are for CMS.  Such disagreement is expected and even healthy.  We are dealing with the future of children and all of us have great emotional investment in our work.  But we must remain civil and professional in our dealings with one another.  Open disrespect and abuse of the staff by Board members is wrong . It is damaging to CMS.  It can do very serious harm. Therefore I feel I would be remiss in my duty if I did not share with all of you my very serious concern about this matter.

Respectively,

Hugh E. Hattabaugh
Interim Superintendent
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Government Center
600 East 4th Street
Charlotte, NC 28202

The role of campaign cash

Wilhelmenia Rembert's $150 campaign donation to school board Chair Ericka Ellis-Stewart may have torpedoed Rembert's hopes of being appointed to the board.

Rembert,  an at-large board member from 1998-2003 and former board chair,  was by far the biggest name among the 12 applicants for the District 6 seat filled today.  Rumors had been buzzing for weeks that the board's Democratic majority wanted to add her to the roster.

Going into this afternoon's meeting,  word was that the eight members were split between Rembert and David Knoble.  But if Ellis-Stewart had recused herself from voting for Rembert,  Rembert likely would have fallen short.

There's no law or policy against appointing a campaign donor, and I don't recall that the question has come up in the four previous appointments I've covered.  But suburban Republicans Rhonda Lennon and Tim Morgan were arguing that appointing a donor would undermine public trust in the board.  Morgan had announced he would not vote to appoint Bolyn McClung, a Pineville Republican who donated to him,  Ellis-Stewart and former board Chair Eric Davis.

Before Tuesday's meeting, McClung gave Ellis-Stewart a letter withdrawing his application for the seat, saying he became convinced that voting for donors would taint the process (Bolyn, if you're reading, I'd love for you to post the statement).  Ellis-Stewart opened the meeting by reading McClung's letter and saying "while that is allowable,  I will say for me personally that does not represent that our votes can be bought."

"I would like to support Dr. Rembert,"  Ellis-Stewart told the school board,  but said she was swayed by the community service and focus on children demonstrated by the Rev. Amelia Stinson-Wesley, who got the votes of the five Democrats after negotiating that went to the wire.  The move blindsided south suburban Republicans who had been taking aim at Rembert's political record.  They were skeptical of the Democrats' assertion that the choice had nothing to do with the fact that Stinson-Wesley was the only other Democratic applicant.

Stinson-Wesley, a relative newcomer to Mecklenburg County, is neither a politician nor a party activist.  She's been more focused on overseas work on violence against women and children,  but says her "mommy friends" in Pineville urged her to apply for the vacant seat.  She said even she was surprised to get the nod.  Making her pitch to the board Tuesday,  she had acknowledged the skills and experience other applicants brought to the board and noted that she might not be the best qualified among them -- a remark that was generating some smirking commentary among opponents afterward.

Stinson-Wesley now steps into the public spotlight as CMS tackles such tough issues as a budget and a superintendent search.  She does it knowing some of her most prominent new constituents, including Morgan, are openly skeptical of her ability to represent them.

"It is what it is.  I am who I am," she said.

Her time spent working in war zones of southeast Asia may just prove to be her best preparation for this job.

CMS precinct map: Who won where?

Our new database reporter Gavin Off has created a map showing which school board candidates took first place in each precinct.  Click on any precinct to see how all 14 candidates fared there.

Gavin and I are working on a story for Sunday looking at what it all means;  I just figured I'd give the election junkies who read this blog a sneak preview.  Not surprisingly,  the four top finishers  --  Ericka Ellis-Stewart,  Mary McCray and Tim Morgan,  who won the three at-large seats,  and Elyse Dashew,  who ran a close fourth  --  claimed the top spot in most precincts.  Aaron Pomis,  who placed fifth,  took one precinct,  and Larry Bumgarner,  who placed sixth,  took three.

CMS board: Big change, little participation

The totals are in, and the overwhelming winner in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board election was "let someone else decide."

About 86 percent of Mecklenburg's registered voters opted out of a race that had 14 people vying for three board seats. To break that down: 609,941 people are registered, and 98,338, or 16.1 percent, voted Tuesday. It's likely that a significant number cast municipal ballots but skipped the school board race (230,451 board votes were tallied, but each voter could choose up to three candidates).

Ericka Ellis-Stewart, who won a decisive first place, got 35,000 votes -- less than 6 percent of all registered voters. Tim Morgan advanced from a district seat to a countywide one, allowing the board to choose his replacement for District 6, with just under 25,000 votes, representing the support of 4 percent of possible voters.

To make the will of the voters even more baffling, 10,400 voted for DeShauna McLamb, who said nothing and made no appearances after filing for office. More than 11,300 chose Lisa Hundley, a newcomer who announced in early October that she would be too ill with cancer to serve.

What all this means for students, parents and taxpayers remains to be seen, but it's bound to be significant. The current nine-person board has been led by a moderate tri-partisan coalition  (Democrats Joe White and Tom Tate, Republicans Rhonda Lennon and Tim Morgan, and unaffiliated Eric Davis and Trent Merchant). The new board will have five Democrats, as newcomers Ellis-Stewart and Mary McCray join district representatives Tom Tate, Richard McElrath and Joyce Waddell. If they vote as a block, they could push the board significantly to the left.

It's the nature of school board work and a divided community that decisions spark complaints. There are plenty of tough issues ahead. It'll be interesting to see how quickly people start to howl about the choices they let their neighbors make.

Tossed fliers, online comments and other campaign tidbits

Are Tim Morgan and his campaign manager subverting the voting system?  Do Ken Nelson's online comments support white supremacy and violence?  Is Elyse Dashew aligned with outside groups?  And where in the world is DeShauna McLamb?

 Now that the issue pieces and profiles are out of the way,  it's time to delve into some of the other questions floating around the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board race.

As commenters have noted and TV stations reported,  Morgan's campaign manager,  Larry Shaheen,  got caught tossing out campaign literature for Keith Hurley and Ken Nelson at an early voting station in mid-October.  Shaheen says he believed fellow Republicans Nelson and Hurley had put their material on Morgan's table,  which in his view made it fair game for the trash can.  In fact,  it was a Republican Party table,  which the others had a right to share.  Vice Chair Pat Murray saw the incident,  salvaged the material and took Shaheen to task.

Shaheen says he goofed and has apologized to the party and the candidates.  Morgan says he talked to Shaheen about the incident and has elected to keep him on board as manager.  I finally caught up to Mecklenburg Party GOP Chair Gideon Moore today to get his take. He says Shaheen was banned from staffing the GOP tables but is free to continue campaigning for the two candidates he represents (Morgan and Charlotte City Council candidate Curtis Watkins).

Shaheen "made a poor choice in the heat of the campaign. It happens,"  Moore said.  "I really don't consider it a big deal."  Moore added that he was a bit disappointed that Hurley,  who became a Republican too late to be in the running for an endorsement,  opted to go public with the conflict after Moore thought it had been resolved.
 
Some have also chided Morgan for seeking an at-large seat when he already holds a district seat.  There's nothing illegal or unusual about that;  George Dunlap tried it in 2003.  If he's elected,  the board will launch the application process after Morgan is sworn in for the at-large seat Dec. 13.  The eight members of the new board would vote on a new District 6 representative to serve until the 2013 election.

***

Commenters have also raised questions about the things Nelson posts in online forums as knelsud92.

I read through quite a few, and if you don't like Nelson's style and views, you won't like them much.

On illegal immigrants, one of his favorite topics:


No mas illegales, por favor 
Get out the country, bar the door! 
Start 'em marching to the border 
Then we can restore order.

On academic achievement gaps:

It's the school's fault that "fathers" abandon their children before birth and end up in prison or dead.  It's the school's fault that a culture values violence over peace.  No amount of money can fix a culture. Hence, we do not have an achievement gap, we have a culture gap.
  
On the departure of conservative blogger Jeff Taylor: "You've always been a voice of reason in this city full of moochers and looters."

And on a story about 11 Garinger students, including the valedictorian, getting diplomas, only to learn belatedly they hadn't met the graduation requirements:  "He thought he passed English, but when it was realized that Ebonics doesn't qualify as a substitute, he lost the credits."

Nelson says he's a guy who sees many issues in black-and-white terms, and who sometimes aims his online comments to get a laugh from supporters and a rise from opponents.  He notes that he grew up outside New York City,  which makes him  "by nature sarcastic and bombastic  --  that's just the way we are."

But Nelson vehemently denies that his comments show him to be racist or violent.  He argued for the right of a white supremacy group to rent a room and meet in Charlotte, he said, but he does not support white supremacy.  He said he would support  "a second American Revolution"  if the country "becomes like the Soviet Union,"  but says other commenters are wrong in saying he has urged shooting people over election results.  And he says that if his comments have appeared on the White Nationalist web site Stormfront,  it's because someone cut and pasted them from his comments on a Ron Paul site.

"I am certainly not a racist,"  Nelson says.

***
 
Some have also asked about links between Dashew's MeckFUTURE and philanthropies and advocacy groups.  Dashew and fellow CMS parent Doug Swaim formed the alliance of families from about 40 schools in January to lobby for money to avert drastic budget cuts.  The group,  which is currently inactive,  has no national alliances and no funding other than a collection members took up to pay for fliers, she says.

Dashew says she believes people are confusing MeckFUTURE with Mecklenburg ACTS, which is affiliated with Parents Across America, and/or MeckEd, which conducted a CMS budget information campaign using money that then-Superintendent Peter Gorman provided from a Spangler Foundation grant.  All three "Mecks" were part of a "55 for 5" coalition that lobbied county commissioners and state legislators to provide about $55 million to avoid cutting five high-priority items from this year's budget.

***

Finally, the case of the missing candidate remains a mystery.  Last winter and spring,  when the debate over school closings and fairness to minority neighborhoods was raging,  I got several emails from Prophetess DeShauna McLamb of Beyond Ministries promoting efforts to get people engaged with public education.  She announced her board candidacy in March,  filed in July  ...  and disappeared from the campaign.

Having failed to reach her by phone,  email and a visit to the address she listed when she filed,  I tried another address we found on a public-records search.  A man who answered the door this morning said McLamb lives there but wasn't in.  He gave me a new phone number that gets a voice mail for McLamb.  I've left a couple of messages, but so far, no response.

McLamb has never withdrawn from the race, so she'll be on Tuesday's ballot.

Campaign money and a new Broad prize

The last round of campaign finance reports before the Nov.  8 Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board election are in,  and Elyse Dashew continues to lead the 14-candidate crew.  As of Oct. 24,  she reported raising almost $35,000  (plus $3,000 in loans).  Following her in fund-raising are Tim Morgan, who has raised almost $19,000,  and Aaron Pomis with about $17,500.

Unless there's some heavy-duty giving in the last couple weeks of the campaign,  this is turning out to be a much lower-budget affair that most insiders predicted.  Going into the race, many expected it would take $50,000 or more to win.

***

The Broad Foundation, which recently awarded its 2011 prize for urban education to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, announced today it's creating a new award to recognize excellence among charter-school chains. At the September event where CMS was awarded $550,000 in scholarships for the Class of 2012,  philanthropist Eli Broad voiced frustration with the slow pace of progress among school districts and hinted that he planned to create a charter prize soon.

The Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools,  to be awarded next year,  will provide $250,000 for college-readiness efforts in a large charter management group that demonstrates gains and achievement among low-income and minority students.  The 20 groups on the eligibility list include KIPP,  or the Knowledge Is Power Program,  which has a school in Charlotte.

CMS election: Who cares?

Here's my latest theory about the school board election:  Most people don't care,  but those who do are putting a lot of energy into it.

I wish the first part weren't true,  but history shows about four out of five Mecklenburg voters won't bother to cast a ballot.  As I've noted before,  this year's roster of candidates is long and relatively little-known,  which makes it a lot of work to get informed.

What's impressive is how many people are doing that work,  and how engaged they are.  Last week's interactive debate got a live audience of 175,  with another 78 watching live online.

I'm also hearing from people like Christine Mast,  a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools parent who lives in Huntersville.  Even after reading and watching candidates' responses to various groups  (she was in the online audience last week),  she didn't think she was getting good enough answers.  So she sent them her own six-question survey and posted the answers on her CMS-related Facebook page (you have to scroll down to Oct. 17; Facebook is not the ideal forum for a long Q&A). 

Randy Forsythe,  an Irwin Elementary parent,  polled the candidates on their thoughts about the extended school day, to prepare for a PTA meeting.  I suspect Forsythe and Mast are just a sampling of the people who are peppering the candidates with questions about the issues they care about. 


I'm also impressed by how hard the candidates are working to answer the barrage of queries.  The eventual winners are just beginning a stretch of hard work and public criticism,  and everyone who's still campaigning seems determined to show they're up for it. 

Now we're in the final stretch of the campaign,  so we'll soon see what combination of position statements,  forums,  ads,  tweets,  yard signs,  poll workers and other campaign strategies it takes to propel three of 14 to the top.


And for those who are wondering,  the Observer's school board endorsements are slated for publication Sunday.  I'm not part of that process,  which is conducted by the editorial board.

Morgan talks teacher bonuses

Near the end of tonight's school board meeting,  expect to hear Tim Morgan float a plan to use savings from CMS outsourcing to provide teacher bonuses.

There won't be a vote or discussion.  A lot of things have to happen first.  In spring,  the Privitization Committee that Morgan helped create will report on whether members believe CMS can save money by letting private companies take over such things as busing,  cafeterias and building maintenance.  If that group identifies potential savings,  the board and superintendent would decide whether to pursue outsourcing.  Assuming they could approve a plan,  take bids and award a contract in time,  there might be some money to put to use in the 2012-13 budget.

So why bring it up now?  It's campaign season.

Morgan,  a district representative running for an at-large seat Nov. 8,  is the closest thing to an incumbent on the 14-person ballot.  A lot of the others have taken aim at unpopular decisions Morgan and his colleagues have made,  from closing schools to rolling out new tests to rate teachers.

"All they've said is,  'I wouldn't have voted the way the board voted,'  " Morgan said this week.  "Our teachers have gone three years without any sort of increase.  This is the only idea that would impact teachers in a positive way."

Morgan said he plans to suggest the bonuses,  which he'd like to see linked to teacher performance,  during the board members' individual reports at the end of the meeting.

Banker/candidate advances himself $50K

Elyse Dashew still leads the 14-person pack in raising money for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board race,  but Keith Hurley found an interesting way to make good on his September promise that he'd have at least $30,000 to report by now.

Hurley,  a BB&T mortgage banker making his first run for office,  has raised $6,825 from other people as of this week's campaign finance report.  But he's also lent himself $50,800,  bringing his total receipts to well over $57,000.  (You can look up all reports here;  the newest are labeled 35-day reports.)

Hurley says he doesn't actually expect to sink $50,000 of his own money into campaigning.  "I don't buy shirts unless they're two-for-one,"  he said.  But he said he expects donations to pick up and wanted to have the money available.

Dashew,  also making her first run,  has taken in almost $31,800 so far,  including $3,000 she loaned herself. She reports donations from an array of education,  civic and business leaders  (including $500 from retired banking titan Hugh McColl).  That puts her well ahead of Tim Morgan,  whose $15,550 lands him second-highest.  Morgan has also landed the backing of various leaders,  including $500 from his brother,  Charlotte Chamber of Commerce President Bob Morgan.

Also cracking the five-figure mark:  Aaron Pomis with $10,545  (including $2,500 in donated web design)  and Ericka Ellis-Stewart at just over $10,000.

Others are Mary McCray at $9,000,   including $1,100 from herself;  Lloyd Scher at $8,800,  including almost $2,300 in loans from himself;  Hans Plotseneder at $8,300,  including $6,550 in loans from himself;  Darrin Rankin at $5,150,  about $1,150 in loans from himself;  Ken Nelson at just over $2,900,  with $2,500 of that a loan;  and Jeff Wise at $855.

Lisa Hundley filed a report showing $3,150 raised,  but has now withdrawn her candidacy because she learned her cancer has returned.  Larry Bumgarner filed a statement at the outset saying he wouldn't raise or spene more than $1,000,  and DeShauna McLamb hasn't filed anything since her organizational reports in March.

The real question is how money and/or endorsements will translate to votes.  Dashew,  who is unaffiliated,  won't have either party touting her,  though she is garnering support from prominent Democrats and Republicans.  Endorsements seem to be spread around enough to make it a hot competition for those top three spots when the votes are tallied Nov.  8.

The next finance reports are due Oct. 31.

CMS race: Speed-dating, "unity" and a missing candidate

About 150 parents,  teachers and students showed up at the westside Stratford-Richardson YMCA  last night for a  "speed-dating"  forum with 13 of the 14 candidates for Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board.  Each candidate sat in a circle of a dozen or so people,  spent five minutes fielding their questions,  then moved to another circle when the whistle blew.  By the time the night was over,  everyone had spent some time with each candidate.  Participants and candidates said afterward it was a good experience.

The organizing groups  --  Coalition for Strengthening Community Education in Charlotte,  Communities In Schools,  Council for Children’s Rights,  Freedom School Partners,  Grandparents of America,  Latin American Coalition,  Leadership for Educational Equity,  Mecklenburg Ministries,  New Leaders for New Schools,  Teach For America-Charlotte and Time Out Youth  --  asked participants to offer final thoughts.

One urged the candidates to be wary of philanthropists offering money for school reform.  Another asked them to keep a watchful eye on the new preK-8 schools to see if they're working.

"Be truthful and do what you say you're going to do if you get elected,"  said one adult.

Loan Tran,  a junior at Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology,  had the final word,  directed at all the adults in the room:  "Voting is a privilege.  When you cast a ballot,  you're voting for students like me."

Meanwhile,  the campaign gets ever more intriguing.  There are now two Democratic "tickets" vying for the three seats in the nonpartisan Nov. 8 race.  On Saturday, in a meeting marred by false fliers telling people to stay home, the Mecklenburg party's executive committee endorsed three of the eight Democrats on the ballot,  urging party members to unite behind Aaron Pomis,  a charter school teacher;  Mary McCray,  a recently-retired CMS teacher; and Ericka Ellis-Stewart, an active CMS parent, to avoid spreading votes too thin.

On Monday, three of the Democrats who got left out unveiled their own "unity" ticket. Former County Commissioner Lloyd Scher,  newcomer and CMS parent Lisa Hundley,  and Darrin Rankin,  who has run for Charlotte City Council and recently resigned his seat on the Democratic executive committee,  are touting their budget savvy and party credentials.

Republicans might be enjoying the rift,  but they've got challenges of their own.  After two of their four original candidates dropped out,  the party is currently backing the ultimate odd couple.  Tim Morgan, who already represents District 6,  is running at large on a platform of continuing the work launched by the current board majority.  Newcomer Ken Nelson wants to scrap it and start fresh  --  abandoning the national superintendent search,  cutting ties to the national philanthropists who have provided guidance and grants,  and eliminating the CMS testing program.  (Keith Hurley,  who changed his registration from unaffiliated to Republican last month in hopes of getting party support,  so far hasn't landed an official endorsement.)

Among the campaign managers and supporters who hovered around last night's session,  there was buzz about what cross-party coalitions might emerge before voting begins.  Commenters on this blog have offered their own speculation  --  one suggested Morgan,  Pomis and unaffiliated Elyse Dashew as the likely choice of  "a rough alliance of voting parents and the business community."



And finally,  a campaign mystery:  While 13 people are spending this month dashing from one campaign event to another,  DeShauna McLamb seems to have fallen off the map.  She was the first to formally announce her candidacy in March,  and one of the first to file in July.  But since then,  she hasn't appeared at forums or responded to questionnaires.  She never created a campaign web site,  and the phone number listed with her filing gets a "not a valid number" recording.  I've emailed her,  gone to the address listed on her filing and left a note in her mailbox asking what's up:  No reply.  She hasn't pulled her name off the ballot,  though,  so at least on paper,  she's still in the running. 

Candidates on YouTube

Casting an informed vote in the Nov.  8  Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board election is a lot of work.  There are 14 candidates,  and few are household names.  Their views vary so widely it's hard to imagine anyone could be neutral about who claims the seats.

Video interviews done by the Swann Foundation and Mecklenburg ACTS offer a great chance to hear the candidates at length,  in their own words,  sorted by 10 topics.  And you can do it at the time and place of your choosing, with your favorite beverage at hand.  Biggest drawback?  There are literally hours of material.  I spent most of Friday morning and got through two questions.

My advice:  Pick a question you care about  --  topics include testing,  distribution of resources and prekindergarten  --  and use the answers to shorten your list to explore further.  The more controversial the question,  the better for sorting.  The superintendent search brought lots of thoughtful, articulate and mostly similar answers.  But listen to the answers about diversity, student assignment and educational equity,  and I pretty much guarantee that no matter where you stand,   you'll scratch some folks off your list.

That question is,  as candidate Larry Bumgarner points out in the video,  a loaded one that strongly reflects the views of the host groups.  But my take was that the candidates who held different views expressed them just as clearly as those more sympathetic to the interviewers.  I'm curious whether others agree  --  and whether anyone else has tips for making a choice.  For those who prefer reading,  MeckEd and the local real estate/construction PAC  have posted candidates' written answers to their questions.

The Swann videos are shared via YouTube,  which leads to some unexpected entertainment when each clip ends and the YouTube algorithm decides what you might like to see next.  There are links to archival video,  such as Darrin Rankin speaking as the lone Democrat at a Tea Party event during his City Council bid and  Ericka Ellis-Stewart being interviewed by former United Way Director Gloria Pace King.  Jeff Wise's video steers you to another Jeff Wise jumping out of an airplane for "extreme fear and adrenaline rushes,"  while Keith Hurley's sends you to another Keith Hurley taping some dude's monologue about "Cleveland sucks."  It gets more creative:  Mary McCray suggests Larry McCray's Soulshine.  Hans Plotseneder brings up a link to a Han Solo clip.  And Ken Nelson,  inexplicably,  ends with a link to someone doing a cover of Coldplay's "Trouble."

Choosing teams in CMS board race

The three departing at-large members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board have thrown their support to would-be replacements  --  and it's getting lively.

Kaye McGarry,  who has been the top votegetter for the last two elections,  held a news conference today to voice her support for candidates Keith Hurley and Ken Nelson.  She called the Nov.  8 election,  where 14 candidates are jousting for three seats,  an "opportunity and responsibility to reshape this board" and "move beyond the status quo mentality of the board leadership."

Hurley and Nelson talked about their opposition to standardized testing, taxing authority for the school board and the extra 45 minutes CMS added to the elementary school day this year.  Hurley also explained afterward why he switched from unaffiliated to Republican a couple of weeks ago:  He realized he was going to need more volunteers and support to win,  and he considers the GOP the stronger party in Mecklenburg.

Notably missing from McGarry's endorsements was the third Republican candidate:  District 6 representative Tim Morgan,  who's seeking an at-large seat.  Yes,  school board elections are nonpartisan,  but McGarry has never been shy about her party affiliation.  However,  she's generally on the opposite side of Morgan on votes,  and she said she couldn't in good conscience endorse him.

"He's already on the board.  He shouldn't be running,"  she said.

Morgan's campaign manager,  Lawrence Shaheen,  waited on the edges of McGarry's news conference to offer his take:  Morgan didn't want McGarry's endorsement,  because she has voted against most of the moves that have helped CMS make progress.

Morgan and Elyse Dashew have the support of the other two departing incumbents,  Trent Merchant and Joe White.  White also supports Ericka Ellis-Stewart.

White and Merchant both noted that they weren't holding press conferences to tout their preferrences.  Added White,  when told about McGarry's event:  "Whoever Kay endorsed I wouldn't vote for for all the tea in China."

Also today,  the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Association of Educators announced its endorsements:  Mary McCray,  Hans Plotseneder and Darrin Rankin.  McCray recently retired as a CMS teacher and president of CMAE.  Plotseneder teaches at West Meck High.  Rankin, is an insurance agent and CMS parent.

Meck ACTS "watching," not yet endorsing

Mecklenburg ACTS, a n advocacy group that often speaks up for the needs of Charlotte-Mecklenburg's high-poverty schools and students,  has emailed the people who signed a testing petition urging them to  "take an especially close look"  at school board candidates Mary McCray,  Jeff Wise and Ericka Ellis-Stewart.

ACTS,  which is affiliated with the national Parents Across America,  partnered with the local Swann Fellowship to interview candidates for the three at-large seats on the CMS board  (click on the Swann link to see the interviews).

The email went to people who signed an online petition opposing CMS'  use of standardized testing to shape teacher performance pay.

"It was clear from the interviews that this spring's testing fight had placed the issue front and center in the school board race.   ...  Only one candidate  –  Tim Morgan  –  voiced strong support for expanded testing. Others were opposed to it.  Some candidates expressed concerns about testing,  yet felt strongly that results of tests should be used to evaluate teachers.  Some hedged to the point that we’re not sure where they stand,"  says the email,  forwarded by ACTS member Carol Sawyer.

"Mecklenburg ACTS leadership is not endorsing any candidates at this time,"  the email says,  but offers these thoughs on the three to watch:

"We were particularly impressed with the depth of understanding Mary McCray showed regarding a range of issues   –   an understanding that reflects her many years as a teacher and as leader of a major teachers'  association.


We liked Jeff Wise's eloquent discussion of the goals of schooling and the way that standardized testing undermines these goals.  Mr. Wise,  however,  is relatively new to this process,  and did not have strong positions on a number of other key issues.  We will be watching to see how he develops as a candidate.


Ericka Ellis-Stewart had clearly spent time thinking about the practical problems of standardized testing,  although she was vaguer than we would have liked about how much testing she would support.  We were impressed with her thoughtful discussion of other issues."

The Nov. 8 election is less than two months away,  and I know I need to get organized on coverage.  Candidates,  groups and interested individuals,  please keep me posted on endorsements and opportunities to meet the candidates. One that I know of: MeckEd and WFAE will host an interactive debate on Oct. 19;  click the MeckEd link for details and a chance to participate.

GOP jostling and the Chamber "endorsement"

There may not be a school board primary,  but the GOP held a de facto selection process Thursday night to winnow four Republican candidates into a three-person slate.

Political newcomer Scott Babbidge eventually bowed out,  clearing the way for the party to endorse Tom Davis,  Tim Morgan and Ken Nelson for the three at-large seats on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board.  Parties aren't listed on the ballot,  and last time around, voters chose a Republican,  a Democrat and an independent.  But the GOP likes to have a slate to promote to voters.

This year's slate  is hardly united.

Morgan,  who now represents District 6,  says he's in it to ensure that the board's current reform plan continues,  even as CMS seeks a new superintendent.  The other Republicans are taking more of a "shake things up" tack.

In his withdrawal statement,  Babbidge took a shot at Morgan for "jeopardizing his current seat" ( actually, if Morgan loses the at-large race he keeps the seat)  and refusing to make way for three additional Republicans, "further solidifying that his motives are more about himself and his own political aspirations than serving our community."  He personally endorsed Davis,  Nelson and independent Keith Hurley.

Davis says the word went out in June, even before candidates began filing, that the Charlotte Chamber had announced endorsements for the board,  including Tim Morgan,  brother of Chamber President Bob Morgan. "It's not fair for the people that have got all the money in downtown Charlotte to say,  'These are the people we want on the board.' "

Davis's account is only partly correct,  says Natalie English,  the chamber's public policy executive.  As Davis reports,  chamber member Pat Riley did tell others on the chamber's June trip to Seattle that he thought Morgan and Elyse Dashew would represent the chamber's interests well.  Riley added that it would be good to have a "candidate of diversity" representing the county,  English said.

But that's not an official chamber endorsement,  she added.  The chamber hasn't had a PAC or made endorsements in years.  Individual members have thrown their weight behind candidates,  but they aren't unanimous, English said:  "If there were such a thing as a chamber slate, it would be more like five people."

No big bucks in CMS race

Despite all the buzz about the importance of this year's Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board race,  campaign finance reports indicate a big ho-hum from donors.

The 16 people seeking three at-large seats in November were supposed to file a mid-year report on donations and spending by July 29.  The reports on file with the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections show Elyse Dashew leading the pack with almost $12,000 raised (her biggest donations are from out-of-state family members).

Update 4 p.m.: Aaron Pomis's report shows him with almost $10,000. But as an alert caller suggested, those numbers were actually money that he raised and spent in his 2009 district campaign. Pomis says the Board of Elections instructed him to repeat those numbers; he's now trying to figure out if he got bad advice, and if so, correct his report.

Beyond that,  nobody reports more than $1,000 coming in,  and some haven't updated their reporting since the early months of the year.

Granted,  campaign energy tends to crank up about now.  But consider the contrast:  This time in 2009,  first-time candidate Eric Davis (now board chair) had filed a 57-page report detailing almost $28,000 in contributions.  He ended up raising and spending $58,000 to win the seat representing the compact District 5 in south/central Charlotte.

The current pack have to make their names and views known throughout this sprawling county.  With all three incumbents stepping aside,  there was talk early in the year that this would be a big-spending race, with newcomers having a real shot at leadership in public education.

So, what's up?  Is the lingering recession squelching big donations,  or will they just land later in the year?  Are candidates focusing more on social networking and public forums?  If the landscape of school-board campaigns has shifted,  who will win and lose?  Will CMS employees or any other interest group turn out in numbers large enough to tip what's usually a low-turnout off-year race?

I guess we'll find out this fall.

Keith Hurley is latest to join CMS board race

Keith Hurley, a mortgage lender and CMS dad who comes from a family of educators,  says he's joining the race for an at-large seat on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board.

Hurley,  an unaffiliated voter,  has never run for office.  He got a taste of activism last summer,  when he noticed the grass growing out of control at Beverly Woods Elementary,  where his three kids go to school.  He called public officials and the media,  but also organized parents to help spruce up the grounds.

Hurley

He writes frequent letters to the Observer forum,  most taking city and county officials to task for wasting money.  But when he talks about CMS, it's not budget-cutting but stability he focuses on.  Teachers,  parents and the rest of the community are weary of constant flux,  he says.  As the board begins a superintendent search,  he hopes members will "look internally,  hard,  for someone who's not going to run every four or five years."  He says departing Superintendent Peter Gorman did some things well,  but "I truly believe he checked out eight, 10, 12 months ago."

Hurley says he's "a firm believer in the neighborhood schools" with magnets as an alternative, thinks closing schools was a mistake and hasn't made his mind up about teacher performance pay. Although his background is in banking, his parents, brother and sister are teachers and he says he hopes to revive teacher morale.

Hurley,  45,  works for BB&T,  runs,  coaches youth sports and volunteers.  He jokes that a countywide campaign will be "the triathlon I've never done,"  but believes he can make it all work:  "I juggle things a lot." 

Filing starts Friday and runs through July 15. We're posting campaign web links in the rail to the right of this blog as we get them, and check blog archives for reports on other candidates who have announced so far.

For the next stretch of this summer, Eric Frazier will be taking over as your correspondent while I delve into some project reporting. I promise that's not a euphemism for "fired," "in rehab" or "Peter Gorman's taking me with him to News Corp." It's just a long-awaited chance to break off from the daily grind and go a little deeper. We'll see how long it takes me to start twitching when I don't have daily blogs or bylines.