CMS Mothballs And Madness
Twelve schools are targeted to be mothballed and dozens more would be see massive upheaval under the latest set of proposals being considered by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, part of an ongoing, comprehensive review of the district – the so-called “Case For Continued Improvement.”
The proposed changes, which at times can read like a SimCity guidebook written on the fly, are almost certain to trigger howls of outrage, concern, and confusion. In all, 59 schools are recommended for changes (full list available here), ranging from wholesale shuttering and consolidation to specialized programming, non-traditional grade levels and schedules and student-assignment boundary shifts: one Pre-K site, 12 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, three high schools, and three special schools.
The Board of Education got its first look Tuesday afternoon at the changes being recommended by Superintendent Peter Gorman and CMS staff, and didn’t outright balk at any of them. If ultimately approved, many of the changes would be implemented for the 2011-12 school year. Final decisions aren’t expected until early November; plenty of community forums and hoopla are. There will be plenty to discuss.
Take, for example, the plans for Cochrane Middle: transforming the school (traditionally, grades 6 to 8 ) into a hybrid middle/high school with a mash-up of grades 6 to 12. The proposal is meant to relieve overcrowding at Garinger and would feed elementary school kids from Devonshire and Hickory Grove straight into the middle/high school at Cochrane.
CMS would provide the new hybrid-grade school with “targeted assistance for perception.” Translation: a full-on barrage of platinum-plated CMS PR spin (it would not surprise in the least if Gorman & Co. produce a Harvard-penned, Gates Foundation-endorsed study that explains exactly why mixing kids fresh out of elementary school with hormone-fueled teenagers is a wonderful idea).
Think that sounds like fun? How about turning Marie G. Davis into the district’s first K-12 institution; that’s on the table, too. So is closing Smith Elementary language magnet and shipping its students to Waddell High, which would see its students scattered to South Meck, West Meck and Harding.
A dozen schools are recommended for shuttering: Amay James Pre-K (relocate students to their Pre-K – 8 home schools); Chantilly and Highland Mills elementaries (consolidate their Montessori programs at Oakhurst, which would see its Paideia program eliminated and its home school students shift to Billingsville and Rama Road); Villa Heights Elementary (magnet program consolidates with Elizabeth Traditional); Smith K-8 (relocate to Waddell High); Bishop Spaugh Middle and J.T. Williams Middle (Pre-K – 8 programs created at feeder elementaries); Pawtucket Elementary (consolidate with Whitewater Academy); Davidson IB Middle (relocate to Alexander Middle); University Park Elementary (consolidate at First Ward Creative Arts year-round magnet); Wilson Middle (shift attendance boundary to Kennedy and Whitewater Middle); and Irwin Avenue Elementary (split attendance boundary among home schools)
In addition to the year-round magnet at First Ward Creative Arts, one is also slated for Myers Park Traditional. Winding Springs magnet morphs into a neighborhood school to help relieve overcrowding at Hornets Nest.
Schools that would shift from serving just elementary students to housing K-8 include Ashley Park, Berryhill, Druid Hills, Lincoln Heights, Reid Park, Thomasboro and Westerly Hills.
Schools that would see shifts in student-assignment boundaries to relieve overcrowding include Ballantyne Elementary, Highland Creek Elementary, Torrence Creek Elementary, Community House Middle and Mint Mill Middle.
A slew of neighborhood/home schools that students consistently choose to opt out of attending would receive help in the form of stronger PTA/PTO partnerships, amped-up community outreach and aggressive PR support through increased communications. The list: Elementary Schools – Billingsville, Cotswold, Huntingtowne Farms, Pinewood, Sedgefield and Shamrock Gardens; Middle Schools – Albemarle Road, McClintock, Randolph and Ranson; and High Schools – East Meck, Myers Park, North Meck and Northwest School of the Arts.
After more community forums, workshops and meetings, and feedback from school leadership teams, the school board is slated to receive a final set of proposed changes near the end of next month, with a vote on the recommendations set for Nov. 9. Most of the changes, if approved, would be implemented for the 2011-12 school year.
UPDATE: School Board members voted during an Oct. 4 workshop to scuttle plans for closing four popular magnet programs: Chantilly and Highland Mill Montessori and Myers Park and Elizabeth traditional. The board also removed boundary changes for Mint Hill middle and Ballantyne elementary from the slate of recommendations being considered.
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