Living Here Guide 2009
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Sunday, Sep. 25, 2011

Parents faced with a range of school system choices

By Eric Frazier
BACK_TO_SCHOOL_13

Students at Waddell Language Academy get some fresh air while taking a break from classroom work. JOHN D. SIMMONS - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

  • Visit classes and programs your child is likely to be in, such as electives and programs for gifted or disabled students. In high school, check the Advanced Placement and career/technical offerings.

    Do administrators make you feel welcome? When you ask questions, do you get good answers?

    Use test scores cautiously. Very low pass rates on state exams may signal that the school lacks the skilled teachers and/or capable students required for strong academics. But generally, school averages do not predict how your child will do. Ask the principal to explain scores and ratings.

    N.C. law requires each school to have a leadership team, made up of parents and staff, and a three-year school improvement plan. Ask to see the plan. Parents on the leadership team can give an informed view of the school's strengths and weaknesses.

    Crowding

    Tour the building when it's full of students. Do drop-off and pick-up areas seem safe? How crowded are halls? Are computer and science labs, special classrooms and libraries adequate?

    Ask about class size and stability. What's the largest class in the grade your child will enter? If new students keep enrolling, how does the school handle it?

    Visit a mobile classroom. They're often nicer than they look from the outside.

    Ask about lunch schedules. Will it bother your child to eat early or late? Are cafeteria lines so long students have little time to eat?

    Magnets

    CMS and some surrounding districts have magnets - theme-based programs intended to promote students' interests, abilities and talents. Charter schools often have magnet-like themes.

    Children admitted to elementary magnets in CMS may have guaranteed seats in specific middle and high school magnet programs. These paths are different from nonmagnet feeder patterns.

    Check extracurricular activities. Magnets and charters may offer extras, but may also lack some activities.

    Consider transportation. Find out whether your child is eligible for busing and estimate how long the ride will be. Some magnets no longer offer pickup and drop-off within walking distance of homes; students instead have to go to another school to catch a magnet bus.

If you're a newcomer trying to making sense of Charlotte's sprawling and diverse countywide school system, you've got homework to do.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is a system with a little of everything. In the outlying suburbs to the north and south of uptown, you'll find high-achieving schools set in quiet, if tough-to-reach, neighborhoods. In many - but by no means all - of the closer-in neighborhoods you'll find schools struggling with high poverty levels and low test scores.

In transitional areas, you'll find some of both. It can be hard to sketch out a simple overall picture, so you'll have to look carefully to figure out which school is best for you.

CMS, as the system is known, contains mostly neighborhood schools. But it also boasts themed magnet schools where students can study performing arts, foreign languages, or receive lessons under the prestigious International Baccalaureate curriculum.

CMS' local critics are vocal about its flaws, but educational leaders are proud of the fact that the 135,000-student system has earned a reputation nationally as one of the better urban school districts.

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation this year named CMS a finalist for its $1 million 2010 Broad Prize, awarded annually to high-performing urban school systems.

Still, the 2010-11 school year was a tough one.

A $100 million budget shortfall led to teacher layoffs, program cuts and the closings of about a dozen schools. Peter Gorman, the superintendent who spent his five-year tenure reforming local schools, resigned in June.

Also, scores on state tests declined after four years of increases. Some observers blamed the budget cuts.

Still, the district enjoys substantial support, particularly from business leaders who see a strong, vibrant public school system as the foundation for economic development. Officials with the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, for instance, launched a $200,000 public relations campaign on behalf of CMS this year.

While most school-age children in Charlotte attend CMS, other options aren't hard to find.

Dozens of religious and nonreligious private schools operate in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties. Tuition can range from a couple thousand dollars a year to $20,000 or more.

A small number of charter schools - public schools with independent boards that report directly to the state - offer another choice for those wanting to opt out of traditional public schools.

And in neighboring counties such as Gaston, Union and Iredell, smaller school systems can supply campuses with a more rural, small-town feel.

So, if you're needing to go school-hunting, get busy. Plenty of options - and decisions - await.

Eric is an Observer staff writer. For more school news, read the paper's Your Schools blog at obsyourschools.blogspot.com.

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