Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Explained

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Location:4421 Stuart Andrew Blvd.
Charlotte, North Carolina 28217
Teachers:9000+
Budget:$1.612 billion
Schools:184 [1]
Superintendent:Crystal Hill
Accreditation:Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Students:148,299
Us Nces District Id:3702970
Ratio:15.31

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (abbreviated CMS) is a local education agency headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and is the public school system for Mecklenburg County. With over 147,000 students enrolled, it is the second-largest school district in North Carolina and the eighteenth-largest in the nation.[2] The system is best known nationally for its role as the respondent in the landmark 1971 Supreme Court decision Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

History

In 1974, the school assignment plan was updated to include 4 “other schools” these schools were the predecessors of magnet schools. In March 1992, a school assignment plan was developed that included magnet schools.[3] In 2016 the nine board members all voted to create a magnet school program in which different socioeconomic groups would be integrated.[4]

Governance

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, or school board, consists of 9 members—3 at-large and 6 from districts. Before 1995, the board had been elected entirely on an at-large basis, but this was changed after it was discovered nearly all of the board members lived in the eastern part of the county. Members serve staggered four-year terms; the at-large members are elected in the year before presidential elections and the district members are elected in the year after presidential elections. Although school board elections are nonpartisan, the district members are elected from the same districts as the county commissioners.[5]

List of superintendents

The following individuals have served as superintendents of CMS and its preceding agencies.[6]

Superintendent of Charlotte City Schools

Superintendent of Mecklenburg County Schools

Superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

High schools

CMS operates 21 high schools. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools also operates the 3 largest high schools in the state of North Carolina; Myers Park High School has 3,539, Ardrey Kell High School has 3,494, and South Mecklenburg High School has 3,259 students.

University City and North Charlotte

Mint Hill, Matthews, and East Charlotte

Pineville, Ballantyne, Providence, and South Charlotte

West Charlotte

Middle schools

Elementary schools

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Program is offered at many schools.

Achievements

Several CMS high schools have been recognized by Newsweek as being among the 100 best high schools in the United States, a statistic based on the number of advanced classes that are offered to students.[8]

During the 2006–2007 school year CMS students received $43.5 million in academic merit-based financial aid from universities and other organizations, and $12.1 million in athletic scholarships.[9]

Criticisms

Judge Howard Manning

In May 2005, Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard Manning Jr. issued a ruling in which he accused CMS of "academic genocide" against at-risk, low-income students in low-scoring high schools.[10] Since the debut of its new student assignment plan in 2002, and the end of its court-ordered busing program, CMS has seen an increase in concentrations of poverty, with schools that have student-poverty rates of at least 75 percent at twice the number they were before.[11] In the same year, Judge Manning also threatened to close 4 of the lowest performing high schools, Garinger, Waddell, West Charlotte and West Mecklenburg. Many teachers and parents felt he had gone too far, and, in the end, this never occurred as the 4 high schools presented turnaround plans and their principals were deemed capable of carrying them out. The high schools are now included in a special Achievement Zone.[12]

2005 and 2007 bond packages

56% of voters rejected a $427 million bond package in 2005 to improve facilities and build new schools for the first time in a decade. Dissenters cited spats between members of the school board and other well-publicized events that year hurting their confidence in the district's ability to spend money effectively.[13] A$516 million bond package was backed by 68% of voters in November 2007.[14]

Decentralization

Calls for decentralization mounted in 2005 as dissatisfaction with CMS grew, with some wanting CMS broken up into smaller school systems.[15] One notable incarnation of this movement was called DUMP (Don't Underestimate Mecklenburg Parents) CMS. This effort abated when the Board of Education requested and newly hired Superintendent Peter Gorman outlined a plan for decentralization, with the stated goal of putting resources and administration closer to parents and other members of the public. Regional offices known as "learning communities", each with an area superintendent, were implemented in the 2007–2008 school year.[16]

Handling of sexual assault allegations

Multiple students and their families have alleged reporting sexual assaults has led to dismissive responses and retributive action from CMS administrators.[17] [18] The allegations span from 2014 through 2021.

A widely covered allegation is in regards to a female student who was sexually harassed from seventh grade in 2014 onward, escalating to sexual assault in her freshman year in 2016. All of the alleged harassment and the assault occurred on various CMS campuses.[19] Mark Bosco, the principal at Myers Park High School where the alleged sexual assault took place, was suspended with pay and later reassigned to an administrative position within the school district; this move was widely reported and criticized by students and their families.[20] [21] [22] As of June 2022, a lawsuit is currently in progress regarding CMS' handling of sexual assault allegations.

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
  2. Web site: Archived copy . 12 September 2012 . 4 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030112/http://www2.cms.k12.nc.us/mediaroom/Documents/The%20Broad%20Prize--Charlotte%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf . dead .
  3. Web site: MAGNET SCHOOLS IN CMS . cms.k12.nc.us . 2022-10-26.
  4. Web site: Kahlenberg, Richard D.. The New Champions of School Integration. The Atlantic. 2017-04-06. 2019-10-25.
  5. http://www2.cms.k12.nc.us/boardEducation/ Board of Education
  6. Web site: History of CMS . . Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools . 16 July 2022.
  7. Web site: CMS names Earnest Winston permanent superintendent Charlotte Observer. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190802152721/https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/education/article233384362.html . 2 August 2019 .
  8. Lyttle, Steve. (2007, 3 June). 13 high schools on best-of list. The Charlotte Observer.
  9. Web site: Facts Facts on CMS. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070430152833/http://www2.cms.k12.nc.us/discover/pdf/fastfactssheet.pdf. 30 April 2007.
  10. Helms, Ann. (2005, 24 May). Judge accuses CMS of 'academic genocide'. The Charlotte Observer.
  11. Smolowitz, Peter and Helms, Ann. (2007, 22 July). Now, his next chapter. The Charlotte Observer.
  12. Helms, Ann. (2006, 19 August). Threat to close schools lifted. The Charlotte Observer.
  13. Smolowitz, Peter and Helms, Ann. (2006, 29 July). Board works on avoiding squabbles. The Charlotte Observer.
  14. Smolowitz, Peter and Helms, Ann. (2007, 7 November). Only 2 of 195 precincts oppose bonds for CMS. The Charlotte Observer.
  15. Helms, Ann and Smolowitz, Peter. (2005, 21 August). Poll finds support for shake-up. The Charlotte Observer.
  16. http://pages.cms.k12.nc.us/decentralization/ Decentralization
  17. Web site: Ablon . Matthew . 8 June 2022 . Former Myers Park student sues CMS over handling of sex assault allegations . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220627005949/https://www.khou.com/article/news/education/cms-myers-park-high-school-charlotte-schools-sex-assault-lawsuit/275-e186c7f6-a203-4bd3-9af4-1b65dc3bc311 . 27 June 2022 . 27 June 2022 . KHOU*11.
  18. Web site: Ochsner . Nick . 2 Nov 2021 . A CMS student reported being sexually assaulted. Then she was suspended. . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220421180743/https://www.wbtv.com/2021/11/01/cms-student-reported-being-sexually-assaulted-then-she-was-suspended/ . 21 Apr 2022 . 27 June 2022 . WBTV On Your Side.
  19. Web site: Della Costa . Anna Maria . 9 July 2021 . Federal Title IX investigation reveals issues with CMS response to sexual assault reports . 27 June 2022 . The Charlotte Observer.
  20. Web site: Lee . Hank . 13 Oct 2021 . Myers Park principal reassigned after claims of sex assault cover-ups . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220627011544/https://www.khou.com/article/news/education/myers-park-high-school-principal-reassigned-amid-claims-of-sex-assault-mishandling/275-1cfe7b52-95d6-433a-9c56-4b09e5875eb2 . 27 June 2022 . 27 June 2022 . KHOU*11.
  21. Web site: WSOCTV.com News Staff . 14 Oct 2021 . Suspended Myers Park HS principal to take on different role within CMS . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220617113432/https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/suspended-myers-park-hs-principal-will-return-cms-different-role/AUWBEC7TZRHJTLYDQ4R7X2OBUE/ . 17 June 2022 . 27 June 2022 . WSOC-TV 9.
  22. Web site: VICE News . 24 June 2022 . These Students Say Their School District Ignored Rape Allegations #shorts - YouTube . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220627011916/https://www.youtube.com/shorts/F5VSyyZJILo . 27 June 2022 . 27 June 2022 . YouTube.

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