CMS tables talks of moving South Meck’s popular World Language program
A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools proposal that considers moving the World Language Academy from South Mecklenburg High School to the new E.E. Waddell Magnet School will be tabled for a year.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Superintendent Earnest Winston announced at Tuesday’s school board meeting that requests were made to delay voting on a number of recommendations that would shift some elementary and high school students to different schools.
Winston also announced that the Waddell Magnet School, originally slated to reopen in fall of 2022, will now reopen in fall 2023.
“What it will essentially do is give us some additional time to further engage with members of our community,” Winston told school board members.
Of all the scenarios — most aimed to relieve over-crowded schools — a plan to move the World Language Academy garnered the most attention and prompted outcry from parents. The academy has more than 700 students, which represents 22% of South Mecklenburg’s total enrollment.
School changes in south Charlotte
Dozens of students and parents spoke during a school board meeting in May and signed a petition to “Save South Meck High School.” The world language program has been at South Mecklenburg High for more than 10 years.
“It was very important to hit pause on the student reassignment and boundary decisions,” school board Member Rhonda Cheek told the Observer. “We are just coming out of the pandemic and able to re-engage in more public forums, and I think the most important thing we can do now is engage with the communities that are affected at all of these different schools and make sure that we’re hearing from all parties that are interested.
“It was extremely important to make the decision for the South Charlotte Relief High School and Waddell simultaneously as they may impact South Mecklenburg High School, and I wouldn’t want to do that twice in three years.”
Delaying the proposal, Winston said, now allows officials “the use of Waddell High and the boundary for South Charlotte Relief High School to be considered at the same time and in the context of our overall approach to student assignment and relief in south Charlotte.”
South Charlotte Relief High will open as scheduled in the fall of 2024.
Of the 1,197 survey responses the district received on the Waddell Magnet proposal, 81% said they would prefer the world language program remain at South Mecklenburg High.
K-8 students who currently attend the E.E. Waddell Language Academy are being relocated to the new South Academy of International Languages (SAIL) beginning this fall. The building will sit empty while officials make repairs and get it ready to become a magnet high school.
District officials presented a 55-page review at a school board meeting in May, which included a scope of scenarios and community feedback involving Southeast Elementary, Lincoln Heights Elementary, Olympic High and E.E. Waddell Magnet High. Originally, final recommendations for each were to be brought to the board for a vote no later than July 13.
Now, the vote on the Waddell Magnet School will take place no later than June 2022. Proposals involving the other schools will be narrowed down for a vote no later than a November school board meeting.
“We are facing a great opportunity to decide exactly what magnet school would be most effective at the E.E. Waddell site,” Cheek said. “We really need to get this right, and we need to look at what’s best for preparing our students for bright futures.”
This story was originally published June 10, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
