On Wednesday, local foundations stepped up in a big way to help Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools boost student achievement. Under the umbrella of the Foundation for the Carolinas, a committee of community leaders and people from family and corporate foundations will explore the best ways for private funders to help CMS achieve goals "tied to student performance and equity."

This is significant. This past June, several major philanthropic groups in Boston joined in a similar effort and agreed to give $27 million to organizations that provide such services as early education, after-school programs and college assistance.

The Charlotte group, the CMS Investment Study Group, hasn't promised any resources yet for specific goals but clearly their announcement indicates they plan to. Said C.D Spangler Foundation representative Anna Spangler Nelson, co-chair of the study group: "The time is right for a more focused, better coordinated and stronger effort on behalf of our public schools. We are eager to help."

Added Richard "Stick" Williams, president of the Duke Energy Foundation and the other co-chair: "This study group will seek out the most effective way for philanthropic givers to invest in our schools to achieve our community's top educational goals."

The group of 13 will study existing, successful models for philanthropic involvement in public education, and get advice from CMS Superintendent Peter Gorman, his staff and educational experts nationwide.

This editorial board has long urged this the kind of community support. Cathy Bessant, the Foundation for the Carolinas' governing board chair and a senior Bank of America executive, was spot on when she said: "This effort is an extraordinary opportunity for the private sector to deepen its support for public education."

Such involvement is crucial today. This recession has meant deep slashes to education and CMS has felt it. The system laid off teachers, cut or eliminated programs, increased class sizes and slashed bus service to make up for budget cuts. Those cuts came even as the number of poor and other at-risk students increased. In this environment, a community-wide effort is critical to ensuring all children have access to what they need to reach their academic potential.

That does not absolve local and state governments of their obligation to invest appropriately in education. As a community, we must still hold politicians accountable for adequately funding schools.

In fact, this committee's work offers a fresh opportunity to develop a coordinated and cohesive community strategy for boosting student achievement by aligning all the partners and issues that have an impact on education. Involving city and county governments, and tackling issues of poverty, housing and social services are keys to an effective strategy.

The children of this community deserve the best educational opportunity. The CMS Investment Study Group can help enormously in achieving that goal.