CMS: Visa change isn't about money

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has stopped sponsoring visas for overseas teachers,  and that has some families at Waddell Language Academy worried.

At a recent budget forum,  a parent accused Superintendent Heath Morrison of undermining a standout magnet program to save money.  Waddell,  a K-8 school formerly known as Smith Language Academy,  provides instruction in Chinese,  Japanese,  German and French.  The school has relied on foreign teachers who are fluent in those languages.

Waddell students sing for German dignitaries

Morrison said the change isn't about money,  though he acknowledged work visas are expensive at about $15,000 per teacher.  Instead,  he said,  the district has decided to seek teachers who can be expected to stay longer.

"What we end up with is a lot of instability,"  he said.  "It's about trying to find long-term stability."

CMS put out the word to principals last spring that the district wouldn't sponsor new visas.  As the issue rippled out to parents,  there have been enough concerns that CMS recently held a community meeting and put out a Q&A; read it here.