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You know who you are better than I do. You're the alumni of Charlotte's public high schools. You've been on my mind since I read earlier this week about Bob Silver, East Mecklenburg Class of 1973, who four years ago did a far-sighted and generous thing.
If there's ever a time when Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools needs far-sighted generosity, it's now. Students return Tuesday to schools shaken by layoffs. At many, class sizes will be noticeably larger. High schools have dropped courses, including Advanced Placement offerings. Janitorial and office help, cafeteria workers, librarians, teacher assistants and other staff have lost jobs.
But even with shrinking budgets from CMS and from the state – responsible for the bulk of N.C. public school funding – at East Meck science teachers this week received $32,000 worth of state-of-the-art science equipment – thanks to Bob Silver's generous 2005 gift. Each teacher gets $300 a year for supplies, also thanks to Silver's gift.
What he did was something sadly rare for Charlotte's public schools: He donated a lot of money to his alma mater. After having done well in finance in New York, Silver in 2005 gave $500,000 to help East Meck attract and retain star teachers, with the stipulation that it raise funds to match. It took the school about a year.
The $1 million is being paid out over a hoped-for eight years. So far, it's paid for anatomy kits, books, cameras, snacks for after-school projects and clothes for needy students. It paid for teachers to take Spanish lessons. And it's working. Until this year's layoffs, teacher turnover had plummeted.
Bob Silver is not the only CMS grad to make good. This community (and this country) are filled with well-known and successful CMS alumni. Among them:
County commissioners' chair Jennifer Roberts (East Meck, 1978).
Former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot (East Meck, 1959).
WBTV anchor Maureen O'Boyle (West Charlotte, 1981).
Charlotte City Council member and mayoral candidate Anthony Foxx (West Charlotte, 1989).
Chief Justice of the N.C. Supreme Court Sarah Parker (Garinger, 1960).
Former NFL star Dwight Clark (Garinger, 1975).
Former NBA stars Bobby Jones (South Mecklenburg, 1972) and Walter Davis (South Meck, 1976).
Graham Allison, founding dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government (Myers Park, 1958).
What Silver did was extraordinary. Wouldn't it be great if it weren't quite so out-of-the-ordinary? What if proud CMS graduates made that kind of giving – even if it isn't a half-mil at one shot – more common?
After all, plenty of local wealth routinely pours into the city's private schools. Charlotte Country Day holds, among other things, the Levine Center, Claudia Watkins Belk Hall, another Belk Hall, Gorelick Family Theater, Bruton Smith Athletic Center and Rea Hall. Charlotte Latin has Thies Auditorium, Belk Gymnasium and the Beck Student Activities Center. Among the buildings at Providence Day is the Dickson-Hemby Technology Center.
I hope the example of Bob Silver, as well as the public schools' difficulties this year, will inspire many of the accomplished CMS alumni to try, in whatever way they can, to help their own alma maters.
Friday I talked with Joan O'Brien, who runs the East Mecklenburg High School Foundation, set up to administer the $1 million raised by Silver and the school. They've written a manual to help other interested schools set up something similar.
She had hoped other CMS schools would call and begin something like what East Meck has done. So far, none has, O'Brien told me. She sounded disappointed.
“You don't,” she said, “have to have $500,000.”
So what about it, CMS alums? Your schools and their teachers need your help now more than ever. Bob Silver's example could launch something great for Charlotte.
Myers Park? West Meck and West Charlotte? Garinger? Joan O'Brien is waiting for you to call.
Mary Newsom is an associate editor at the Observer, mnewsom@charlotteobserver.com or P.O. Box 30308, Charlotte, NC 28230-0308. Read her blog, The Naked City, at www.marynewsom.blogspot.com.
