CMS Review Plan Off To Rocky Start
When it wasn’t staying busy Tuesday night driving the final nails into the reduction-in-force coffins of nearly 540 teachers and upwards of 1,000 total personnel, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education took time to yap and nip at its own heels.
Several board members voiced skepticism and concern over a wide-ranging review of the district that’s being pushed as a launching pad for wholesale change, but many feared could deteriorate into a public relations ploy that does more to alienate rather than engage the public.
That started Tuesday night with what some board members criticized as business as usual: CMS staff rolling out presentations and cheerleading for pet programs. Staff reviewed many of the items and questions that they said were likely to be tackled as part of the district’s attempt to “reinvent itself,” including everything from student assignment, school boundaries and transportation eligibility to capital needs, pre-kindergarten services, magnet programs and diversity.
The presentation, as well as an aggressive schedule of work sessions and public forums planned over the next month, caught nearly all board members by complete surprise.
“What is this and what am I supposed to do with it?” asked a seemingly bewildered Joyce Waddell, referring to the bulging packets of information board members had found at the dais, prepped by staff and detailing reams of information on CMS policy and operations.
Other board members had similar reactions, with several complaining they had been caught off guard by the scope of the planned review and its lack of specific intent or focus.
“I’m concerned this about to become Vietnam for us, because we don’t have a clear sense of direction, a clear mission,” said board member Trent Merchant. “I still don’t understand what we’re going to be doing, other than looking at a bunch of things in a compressed timeline. If that’s what we’re going to be doing, we’ve bitten off more than we can chew.”
Board member Richard McElrath agreed with that sentiment. He said when the idea for a district review was first pitched, only about a week ago, it sounded like a good opportunity for board members to get out into the community and listen to parents and teachers.
After Tuesday night’s staff presentations and a first look at a proposed review timeline, which would require most policy change recommendations to be in place by August, he wasn’t so sure.
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