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In a school system as vast as Charlotte's, figuring out which students go to what schools is high-level chess. Problem is, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools seems to be playing it like Yahtzee. Just roll the dice and hope.
The latest evidence came at the recent meeting about moving 110 elementary-school students who live in Dilworth. CMS had proposed to move those kids from Eastover Elementary, where 74 percent of students are above grade level and just 17 percent are poor, to First Ward Elementary, where 52 percent are below grade level and 82 percent are poor. So those Dilworth parents were already angry.
Then, CMS student placement director Scott McCully layered on the confusion. He said First Ward might end up taking students from a larger part of the Eastover zone. He added that the Selwyn, Sharon and Billingsville elementary schools might also be involved in the student swap. So instead of upsetting two elementary schools, CMS upset five. Well done!
The other thing is, all this was designed to correct overcrowding at Eastover. But according to CMS's own figures, the school is just 16 students over capacity. Maybe that's a squeeze, but it's not exactly a Tokyo subway.
All this comes on top of the Myers Park vs. East Meck high-school rumble - not between football teams, but between Cotswold parents and CMS. Cotswold rolled CMS, blocking an attempt to move students to the East Meck zone - even though Myers Park High is truly overcrowded.
School reassignment is an issue every year, and always will be as long as we keep opening new schools to handle a growing and shifting population. Top staffers at CMS should have learned this dance by now. Instead, every time it comes around, they grow another left foot.
The problem is one of competing visions. Some parents judge a school by its test scores. Some choose by how close it is to their homes. Some look for diversity. Some, while we're being honest here, look for a lack of diversity. Many parents think what's best for their kids is best for everyone. Other parents don't seem worried about what happens to other people's kids. And finally, there's that group - maybe the largest group - that doesn't get involved at all.
Peter Gorman has run CMS for three years now. I think he's a smart guy in a brutal job. But he applied for it, and he's well-paid, and it's up to him to correct CMS's vision problem.
What does CMS stand for? I'm not talking about a mission statement. I'm talking about how the school system puts its values into action. Based on that standard, I'm not sure what you can count on CMS to do - except maybe fold its cards when wealthy parents complain.
Gorman has a rare chance to take control. The November elections will bring a lot of new faces to the school board. Technically Gorman works for the board, but now's the time for him to take the lead.
He could start by articulating a clear set of guidelines for when CMS will move students from one school to another, and why, and how. If parents don't like the rules, they can act accordingly. But at least they'd be clear.
And maybe parents can answer some of these questions on their own. Here's one: How is it OK to have an elementary school where 82 percent of the kids are poor, just a couple of miles from one where just 17percent are poor?
If you can make that sound fair, somebody out there has a job in sales for you.
