CMS delays controversial suburban schools report as shooting rocks the district

A controversial Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools report on changing school boundaries in four suburban towns has been postponed in the wake of the fatal shooting of a Butler High School student Monday.

In August, the CMS board approved a “Municipal Concerns Act of 2018” that called for the superintendent to report Oct. 30 on the prospect of changing boundaries to relieve crowding and assign students who live in Matthews, Mint Hill and Huntersville to schools within the town boundaries. But the district postponed after a student was shot to death Monday morning at Butler High in Matthews, with another student a suspect in his death.

The boundary report will now be delivered Nov. 7, Government Relations Coordinator Charles Jeter said Monday afternoon.

School board leaders say the act was their response to House Bill 514, which the General Assembly approved in May. It gave four suburban towns — Matthews, Mint Hill, Huntersville and Cornelius — authority to create municipal charter schools, which could supplement state and county money with town revenue and give residents preferred seating. The act also pushes those four towns to the bottom of the priority list for future CMS construction unless their boards pass a 15-year moratorium on town charter schools.

Boundary changes could affect thousands of students across the county — not only in the four suburbs but in adjacent zones, as any shifts create ripple affects. The report from Superintendent Clayton Wilcox will not bring any immediate changes. Instead, it will be a starting point for a new municipal education task force, with representatives from all seven municipalities in Mecklenburg, to discuss future strategies, board Chair Mary McCray has said.

The boundary report was the only significant business item on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 E. Fourth St. However, there will still be a forum for brief public comments on any topic, as well as a report from the superintendent.

That comes as debate rages about whether CMS is pursuing the best safety strategies, as well as whether district leaders erred in keeping Butler open in the aftermath of the killing. Butler will be closed Tuesday to allow students and employees to deal with grief.

Anyone who wants to speak can call 980-343-5139 by noon Tuesday or sign up on site by 5:45 p.m. The meeting is broadcast live online and on CMS-TV Cable 3.