Later start times for high schools isn't a dead issue

Ann Clark

A group of parents and teachers has pushed for years to move back the start times for high schools. Based on what Deputy Superintendent Ann Clark said Wednesday, the issue may get a public hearing in the near future.

Most high schools start their days at 7:15 a.m., but there's been quite a bit of research that shows beginning school that early can have a negative effect on teenagers. A school bell task force has spent the past year studying whether it would be possible to move those back.

The task force was convened under former Superintendent Heath Morrison. When he suddenly resigned, some members of the task force told me they were concerned about where their work would go under Clark's leadership.

Clark said at a board workshop Wednesday that CMS staff was working to put together a report for the school board on what the school bell task force had recommended -- which would include later times for high schools and a shorter elementary school day.

She didn't say when that report would be.

Learn more about CMS bell schedules

The task force studying Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bell schedules meets Thursday to continue talks about when schools should start and dismiss and how long the elementary day should be.

It's a debate that has been going for three years now,  and a topic of high interest to many families.  Yet CMS still seems to be struggling with the notion of opening these meetings to the public.

When Superintendent Heath Morrison announced the creation of 22 task forces in late 2012,  he said the meetings would be private,  although the reports would be public and town hall meetings would be held to discuss the issues.  He relented after the Observer questioned the legality of closing those meetings.

At the time,  CMS also had a group of staff and parents studying bell schedules,  but it wasn't deemed an official task force.  In October 2013,  Morrison and Chief Communication Officer Katherine Block said CMS would revive and expand the informal group,  making it an official CMS task force with public meetings.

I hadn't thought much about it until Susan Plaza,  a parent who has been pushing to shorten the elementary day and end a controversial late schedule,  posted on this blog that a meeting was set for 2 p.m. Thursday at the Government Center.  Someone else followed up Monday,  asking where to find info about the task force meetings.  I checked the CMS site and came up dry.

After I sent a query to spokeswoman Tahira Stalberte,  CMS posted this list of  "meeting times."  Except that you may notice,  as I did belatedly,  that there are no actual times,  just dates and locations. When I emailed again, Chief of Staff Earnest Winston said all the meetings are at 2 p.m.

CMS has released the 2014-15 bell schedule without any major changes from this year. The task force and CMS staff are expected to present any recommended changes,  along with academic and financial implications,  with plenty of time to prepare for 2015-16.

Meanwhile,  I also got curious about meetings of the latest CMS compensation task force.  As most of the official task forces reported their results last summer,  Morrison announced the launch of a new compensation task force,  his second and the fourth for CMS in as many years.  Here's the link that includes some information about that group,  which has concluded its work,  Stalberte tells me.

The moral:  Sometimes public bodies need public pressure to do their business in public,  whether those bodies are small charter schools or big districts.  Thanks to all of you who are pushing for full access and participation.

118 pages of CMS reading

After a crazy stretch last week,  I just got a chance to track down the full reports from 22 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools task forces.

Well,  make that full reports from 21.  After a brief and confusing presentation from the compensation task force at last week's event at West Charlotte High,  I was told the report from months of work on a "strategic compensation" plan for teachers would be released as part of this report.  In fact,  there's a one-page timeline from that group that concludes in July 2013:  "Sent a memo from Dr. Heath Morrison to Compensation Task Force thanking them for their efforts."  So I guess we'll have to wait for a report from another compensation task force that started meeting in June. I've been assured those meetings will be public,  but I haven't yet found a schedule.

But the reports from the 21 other task forces are detailed,  with references,  costs and timetables.  I'm going to wade through them as I have time,  but I'm also hoping for a little crowd-sourcing.  If you've got an interest in one or more of the areas,  check out the reports and let me know what's interesting and what raises further questions.  It's 118 pages of reading,  so it's going to take awhile.  If you're a speed reader,  you can move on to 212 pages of supplemental reading from the  "closing the achievement gap"  group.

CMS task force reports coming

The folks who served on Superintendent Heath Morrison's 21 advisory task forces over the last few months will gather at West Charlotte High this afternoon to celebrate the end of their work and offer brief highlights of their recommendations.  The full reports will be posted on the CMS task force web site on Wednesday,  says Deputy Superintendent Ann Clark.

Clark

Today's get-together is mostly to thank the 300-plus citizens and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools employees who delved into such topics as early childhood,  technology,  gifted students,  magnets and choice,  public trust,  parent engagement and cultural competence.  After the release,  Clark said,  CMS will sort all the recommendations into action categories,  from those that can and should be put in place right away to those that require more money,  more study or changes in policy/legislation.  The suggestions will shape discussions as Morrison and the board revise the district's strategic plan in coming weeks.

Most of the task forces have wrapped up their work,  though some may continue to meet occasionally.  But one is just gearing up,  and it's a hot topic:  Compensation.  When Morrison launched his list of 22 task forces in November,  there was already a group of educators working on a  "strategic compensation"  plan for teachers  tied to a state request with a March 1 deadline.  That group didn't include outsiders and was never listed among the task forces whose meetings were open to the public.  Instead,  Clark said,  a new task force has been formed with a broader goal of looking at compensation for all 18,000-plus employees,  not just teachers.  Members of the previous panel have been invited to join.  Clark said the new group's roster and meetings will be posted in the next few days.  Anyone may attend,  including interested CMS employees who aren't on the panel,  she said.

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.