CMS Schizophrenia
The budget that Superintendent Peter Gorman says he will present to county commissioners will include a request for an additional $16 million over and above the $317 million in county dollars Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools received this year, while simultaneously including options for cutting $80 million in state and local money.
Gorman, who last year received a $250,000 grant to be used at his discretion for “personal development”, says he’s eliminating bonuses this year for CMS upper brass, including his own that could top out at $26,715. Meanwhile, the schools chief is pocketing a total pay package worth around $300K a year and crafting plans to layoff about 800 employees, to include about 600 teachers.
The school board nixed the idea of across-the-board pay cuts for all CMS employees as a way to prevent massive layoffs, opting instead to pursue legislative authority to furlough employees. Furlough, of course, being the politically correct euphemism for, well, time off without pay.
The board also put the brakes this week on any talk of closing schools as a way to save money, while learning that two of CMS’s administrative outposts will be closing. Gorman announced he is collapsing the number of learning communities from seven to five, eliminating 35 positions and saving about $3.6 million, after spending upwards of $10 million and adding layers of bureaucracy when the regional offices were launched three years ago.
CMS’s so-called Achievement Zone, which was originally rolled out to help struggling schools, will become so much dust in the wind. The remaining six learning community outposts will be reorganized into five.
Curtis Carroll, who previously headed the Achievement Zone, will take the helm of a new Central Secondary zone that serves middle and high schools, while Tyler Ream takes the reigns of the new Central Elementary zone. Joel Ritchie, who currently helms what will be the old Central learning community, will replace retiring Nancy Bartles in the East region. Scott Muri will stay camped in the Northeast region, while Monique Gardner-Witherspoon moves from the North learning community to the new Southwest region.
Who’s on first, what’s on second, up is down, less is more, and the song remains the same. It’s a tune anybody familiar with CMS knows by heart.
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