What kind of safety?

On Wednesday morning, just before he read about the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools plan to beef up safety, Bill Allen delivered books to two CMS elementary schools.  In both cases,  he walked in through unlocked doors,  with no one asking who he was.  Then he went to Charlotte Catholic to pick up his granddaughter,  where he had to be buzzed in.

"I was in shock that I was able to walk into both (CMS) schools,"  Allen said.

The CMS plan calls for installing buzz-in camera/intercom systems at all schools.  As some of you have noted,  that system didn't stop the Sandy Hook shooter.

But it might help school staff keep intoxicated or agitated family members from coming in to confront the principal,  or suspended students from dropping by to make mischief.  As county commissioners and the school board reviewed plans to spend $33.7 million on cameras, entry systems and fences,  I kept wondering why they weren't talking in terms of the challenges local schools face on a regular basis,  instead of just the remote but horrific threat of armed attack.

For instance:  Would 8-foot chain-link fences and outside security cameras deter vandalism and break-ins at school buildings and mobile classrooms?  How much might CMS save in reducing such losses?

Do officials anticipate that adding security cameras to elementary and middle schools will help with classroom thefts, car break-ins, fights and drug use?  (According to Chief Operating Officer Millard House,  the cameras are not monitored constantly,  but recordings can be useful in investigating incidents.)

A school shooter won't stop to use new visitor check-in systems that scan IDs and do instant background checks.  But several schools already have such systems.  What has CMS learned about their value in keeping people with dangerous records out of schools?  Have they discouraged visits from parents who might lack legal immigration status or have minor criminal records they're embarrassed about?

Officials talked about how a better network of cameras and radios could help law enforcement respond to violent incidents,  accessing real-time views of the school from police cars.  Even if there's never a shooter,  it's easy to imagine the value in coping with large fights or fears that neighborhood  violence is about spill into a school.

Improving school safety was a very high priority with more than 11,000 people who took CMS' online budget survey,  according to results presented Tuesday.  But spending millions on safety upgrades this year requires a trade-off in deferred construction projects that were promised to voters in 2007,  information that wasn't made clear in the discussion leading up to Tuesday's school board vote.

CMS administrators say they're still analyzing the safety plan,  with more details to come before county commissioners vote in March.  That means there's still a chance to deliver what Superintendent Heath Morrison and the board have promised:  A full,  transparent review of pros and cons before they make decisions.

CMS teacher pay: Hope, fear and confusion

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' long trek toward teacher performance pay took another twist Tuesday,  when CMS leaders backed away from submitting a plan to the state this week.

Superintendent Heath Morrison and the teacher task force that has been working on the proposal since late last year decided there was no way to meet the March 1 deadline set by House Bill 950,  despite an earlier announcement that CMS would seize the opportunity to take the lead on this issue with a teacher-crafted plan.  CMS asked for an extension and didn't get it  --  but to hear Tuesday's presentation, that's just as well.

The Pay for Excellence bill invited districts to develop performance-pay plans by March 1,  with bonuses or raises awarded for such factors as student growth on test scores and teachers taking on additional responsibilities. But lawmakers have allotted no money to help districts do that.  Essentially, that means there's no reward for making the deadline and no penalty for missing it.  So CMS decided to submit a proposal on its own timetable,  which remains undetermined.  Morrison said 2014-15 would be the earliest a new pay plan could debut.

As of Tuesday night,  neither Morrison nor the task force had seen a draft proposal from Battelle for Kids,  the nonprofit consultant that's been guiding the work. Rather than try to whip something out and risk repeating mistakes that have marred the district's past work,  they opted to carefully shape a plan that  includes teacher voices and vet it with the district's employees before taking anything to the state.  CMS emailed a summary of the work so far and a 9-minute video promoting the work to employees on Tuesday.

In 2010,  when then-Superintendent Peter Gorman launched the first performance-pay push,  he consulted teachers as well.  But he lost the confidence of many employees when he worked behind their backs to get legislative clearance for a pay plan that wouldn't require teacher approval.

Without getting specific,  board members Eric Davis and Tom Tate both acknowledged the harm those early efforts inflicted on morale.  "I deeply regret the anger,  frustration and trust that was lost,"  Davis said,  adding that he didn't regret starting a worthy effort. "We certainly screwed up before,"  Tate agreed.

Erlene Lyde,  a veteran teacher from Harding High who spoke to the board Tuesday,  talked about the fear she has heard from colleagues:  Fear that they'll get a pay cut.  Fear that CMS will launch one more pilot without money to sustain it.  Fear that "someone would try to force an already-designed plan down our throats."

The task force agreed that any change in pay should be opt-in for current teachers,  allowing them to stick with the current system if they don't want to take the risk.  Lyde and her co-presenters  --  Allison Moore from Dilworth Elementary and Michael Pillsbury and Steven Oreskovic from Randolph Middle  --  voiced strong hope that this will eventually be the plan that is shaped and embraced by teachers.

"I want to save our profession,"  Lyde said,  "and to save our profession we must do things differently than we have in the past."

So the question remains:  Who will submit plans by Friday,  and what will happen next?  State officials said they'd received none as of Tuesday.  The Gaston Gazette reports that Gaston County Schools has worked up a plan for bonuses up to $10,000 and is hoping the state will agree to pick up the tab.

Meanwhile Thom Tillis,  the House speaker from Mecklenburg County,  has launched a weeklong focus on education initiatives that include performance pay,  according to Carolina Journal Online.  He met with superintendents on Tuesday and will follow up with principals and teachers.

Grand Oak Elementary in Huntersville?

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board votes Tuesday on a name for the new elementary school opening in Huntersville in August.  Grand Oak, in honor of a stately tree on the grounds,  is the top choice of the naming committee,  led by Principal Raymond Giovanelli and made up of future parents and faculty.

Other suggestions are Franklin Lyttle Elementary,  in honor of a prominent African American farmer from the area,  and Stumptown,  the name that's been used during construction,  based on the road the school is on.  Read the committee's write-up here,  and click here to see the boundaries for the new school.

Board members could pick one of the three options or go with something entirely different,  though that's uncommon.

The $15.3 million school will relieve crowding at Torrence Creek Elementary,  which has almost 1,200 students.  Board member Rhonda Lennon,  who represents that district,  has been cheering for the new school every step of the way.  She's recovering from hip surgery this week and reports on Facebook that she'd like to attend Tuesday's meeting but may have to settle for checking in electronically.

Principal retirements: Why now?

About this time every year, a few veteran principals announce their retirement from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.  This time it's Lawrance Mayes at Marie G. Davis Military and Global Leadership Academy, Halina Robertson at Piney Grove Elementary and Dee Gardner at Piedmont IB Middle, all retiring March 1.

Each time,  I hear questions about the timing.  Why not wait until the end of the school year?  Are they being forced out?

I asked Gardner about the March exodus.  She said the fact that February is a short month confers a small benefit in calculation of benefits  (I've heard this explained before,  and it's too complex for me to attempt to convey.)  But that's not the biggest factor, Gardner said.

Gardner

At 68,  with 25 years working for CMS and 22 years before that as an educator in upstate New York,  Gardner had decided this would be her last year.  She said Dawn Robinson,  her zone superintendent,  convinced her this was the right time,  so a replacement can get the lay of the land in time for summer planning and next year's hiring.

That's consistent with what former Superintendent Peter Gorman heard when he started recruiting principals for Stragetic Staffing schools.  The first year,  he made the changes at the end of a school year.  Those principals told him that was too late to make a strong start,  and the next time around,  he put new leaders in place by March 1.

Changes in school leadership tend to rattle the families who care about those schools.  Some worry about the disruption as teachers and students are gearing up for final exams. But Gardner said that by the time second semester is under way,  a principal's hardest work is done.  "Everything is in place between now and the last day of school,"  she said.

Crowding and poverty at Albemarle Road

Cynthia Stone,  who attended last week's school board meeting,  asks a reasonable question in a letter sent to the Observer Forum:  Why hasn't she seen any coverage of crowding at Albemarle Road Elementary School?

At that meeting parents and teachers told the board about the challenges of squeezing more than 1,000 students into a school that has a high level of poverty and a large number of students learning to speak English. They talked about chaotic hallways and  faculty stretched too thin.  They told the board that hauling in more classroom trailers isn't the answer.

Complex issues raised by public speakers at night board meetings seldom make for good next-day articles.  They call for fact-checking,  context and an exploration of other views and possible solutions.

In an ideal world,  I'd have done that in the next couple of days.  In the real one, my week was consumed by a trip to cover President Obama in Asheville,  a day spent reporting a long-term story and a long weekend with my husband.  But that doesn't mean I've forgotten about Albemarle Road's challenges.

Alternatives to hauling in trailers pretty much boil down to redrawing boundaries, expanding the school or building a new school nearby.  That puts Albemarle Road squarely in the context of a bigger picture:  Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is overdue to review its long-term plan for building and renovating schools.  The last timetable I heard called for those talks to start next month,  possibly culminating in a November bond vote.

Last time I covered a bond campaign,  back in the the boom times of 2007,  the challenge was often cast as suburban crowding vs. urban renovation.  The plight of Albemarle Road suggests that population changes  may be shifting that lens.

Trying to predict enrollment trends and balance needs throughout the county is never easy.  This time around the task promises to be particularly complex.  A growing number of charter schools in and around Mecklenburg County will have to factor into projections.  And a Raleigh-driven proposal to turn school construction over to county commissioners could further shake up the scene if it gains statewide traction.

So keep me posted on the talk around the county, and I'll do my best to keep you posted on the plans that emerge.

Private-school report: Intriguing but flawed

Updated with corrected numbers.
Last week Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina released a study of private school tuition across the state,  making the case for public scholarships to help poor and working-class families attend private schools.

Spoiler alert: Some of the numbers in "An Affordable Option: Increasing Private School Access for Working Class Families" are wrong.  More about that to come.

First it's worth exploring the concept of  "opportunity scholarships"  (opponents would say it's dressing up the politically sensitive term "vouchers").  Last year the N.C. legislature approved spending public money to help students with disabilities attend private schools.  This year's crew is big on school choice and may well  look at expanding that opportunity to other students.

The hypothetical program outlined by PEFNC would make families earning up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level eligible for a state-funded scholarship of $4,824 a year,  or 90 percent of what the state spends for each student in public school. Families earning between 185 and 275 percent of the poverty level would be eligible for half the state's per-pupil average,  or a $2,861 scholarship.  According to this year's federal guidelines,  the poverty level is $23,550 for a family of four,  which would mean that family could earn almost $43,600 a year for the larger sum or $64,800 for the smaller one.

"Long term,  an Opportunity Scholarship Program saves taxpayers money because the cost of a scholarship is less than what the state spends per student,"  the report says.

But would that sum get a student into private schools?  To answer that question,  PEFNC tackled a daunting task:  Rounding up tuition figures from roughly 700 private schools listed in the state's directory.  That's even trickier than it sounds, because many schools vary tuition by grade level.  The group ended up with listings for 560 schools,  with charges broken out by every level from 3-year-old preschool to 12th grade.

PEFNC calculated the average tuition rate at $6,238 a year.  "But when excluding unique high-tuition schools which comprise fewer than 10 percent of all private schools in the state,  the average tuition is just $5,404  --  a figure that is more reflective of the majority of North Carolina's private schools,"  the report says.  A scholarship of about $4,800 a year could easily bring many private schools into the reach of working class families,  the group concludes.

The problem arises with the county-by-county breakdown that's included.  It shows that Mecklenburg County is among the state's most expensive,  with a median tuition of $7,750 for elementary school,  $8,352 for middle school and $4,905 for high school.

The relatively high costs rang true.  The high school drop did not.  When I asked PEFNC spokesman Stan Chambers for elaboration,  he sent me a school-by-school breakdown for Mecklenburg County,  with schools identified by numbers rather than names.  It was clear at a glance that the columns for grades 10-12 were garbled.  One school that charged more than $15,000 for lower grades was listed as charging $2,750 for grades 10-12.  Another listed as a preK-8 school had tuition listed for grades 10-12.

My first two attempts to tell Chambers he had a problem were rebuffed.  The divergence in high school tuition numbers,  for Mecklenburg and many other counties,  arose because some private schools don't offer high school,  he insisted.  He declined to provide names so I could check the numbers,  saying the study had guaranteed confidentiality.

"I can tell you that we contacted every private school in North Carolina, which is no small feat for any organization, let alone a small nonprofit,"  Chambers replied.  "As far as I know, no one has ever collected this type data on a large scale before. Presenting a report with flawed data cripples our credibility (which we have painstakingly built since 2005) and severely undermines our ability to advocate for every child to have access to a quality education."

It was only when I copied President Darrell Allison on an email challenging PEFNC to recheck just three of the Mecklenburg schools with the most unlikely numbers that I got a response.  Sure enough, a review uncovered that the columns for grades 10-12 were scrambled in a final run of the Excel spreadsheet,  when the alphabetical listing of schools was re-sorted by county.  Allison sent me a corrected version of the Mecklenburg data,  which shows high school tuition ranging from $3,200 to $21,810 a year,  with a median around $9,500.

Allison says it was an honest mistake.  I have no reason to doubt him.

He says the statewide averages were not affected.  That could be true,  if the high school cells were correct but assigned to the wrong schools.

But I'm willing to bet that all or most of the county medians for high schools are wrong.  Again, you can look at results like those for Orange County  (middle school $15,580,  high school $6,203) or Sampson County  (middle school $5,830,  high school $17,400)  and know they don't pass the smell test. 

Because of that,  I'd warn anyone to be wary of using this data.  That's a shame,  given the work it took to produce it.  If lawmakers explore offering public money for private tuition,  they'd be wise to get their own staff to research the details.

Update: Allison sent a corrected county chart this afternoon, and sure enough, the new high school numbers make sense.  The report will be revised and re-released "in the upcoming weeks," he said.

"Because the data for grades 10-12 was simply mis-sorted, the overall numbers were not affected. PEFNC remains confident that the statewide average and median reflected in the report remain accurate," he reports. 

Better plans for special-needs kids?

When you have  --  or teach  --  children with disabilities,  you enter a world with a language all its own.

Your educational existence revolves around the IEP,  or individualized education program.  Parents and educators often struggle to figure out the best mix of services and accommodations to help an individual student learn best.

A friend who's been through that drill forwarded a survey being done by Elizabeth Ireland,  a graduate student in public policy and law at Duke's Sanford School of Public Policy.  Ireland is working with Advocates for Children's Services,  a branch of Legal Aid,  to look at ways to make the state IEP form easier for parents and educators to use.

Reading through her survey makes me glad I don't have to use or edit this form.  But I'm not the expert;  many of you are.  So if you've got thoughts to share,  Ireland invites you to take the survey by Feb. 20.  She plans to share her results and recommendations with Advocates for Children's Services, Duke University and the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.