‘Can’t be a blood sport.’ Can CMS, county turn corner on failing schools dispute?
School and county leaders expressed hope and frustration Monday night after a joint meeting brought together two boards who, six months ago, bitterly squabbled over millions of dollars and underachieving students.
The hours-long session was “a step” toward Mecklenburg County’s board of commissioners and Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board members working together to remedy the city’s failing schools, the school board’s consultant AJ Crabill said.
As the Observer has previously reported, a staggeringly low number of CMS students scored high enough on recent exams to be considered college or career ready in key subjects like math and English. Academic troubles are particularly pronounced among Black and Hispanic students in public schools, CMS data show.
The school board last week approved updates to a broad plan, setting aggressive benchmarks by grade levels to address achievement gaps. While CMS leaders have yet to unveil specific steps to meet its goals, the district’s plan generally seeks to significantly increase the percentage of students who pass mandatory North Carolina K-12 exams each year — which less than half of students passed last academic year.
Crabill used the example of one of the goal’s the school board has set: the board wants 50% of Black and Hispanic third graders scoring a 4 or 5 on standardized tests in English Language Arts by 2024.
“When I showed up, 15.9% of Black and Hispanic students (scored a 4 or 5),” he said. “That is what is true right now. That is not anything that anybody should go home happy about. That is deplorable.”
Such outcomes among students of color has been the crux of the dispute between the two boards. Earlier this year, county commissioners put $56 million into conditional funding to spur CMS into action, and later release the money when school officials fought back and launched legal action.
“I wish we had gone further in terms of ...where we could have agreed to do some things or not do some things that I think would’ve helped the relationship,” BOCC chair George Dunlap said. “But we didn’t get there. But I’m encouraged that we might get there later.”
Still, it’s unclear how future funding discussions may go. On Monday night, the boards could not come to consensus on how to head off public squabbling — with some members worried there will be rehashing of past issues and negative comments made by elected officials on social media. Members acknowledged the summer dispute got ugly on social media.
“I do think we’ve made progress and but we’re not all the way there for sure,” CMS board chair Elyse Dashew said. “We have a long way to come back from. For at least most of us at this table, we really are motivated by what’s best for kids. We still have to do a little bit of letting go of past misconceptions, past history, past power struggles but we are motivated about what’s best for kids.”
Commissioner Vilma Leake said she became resentful because of the “attitude of the members of the school board about our children.”
“I’m fighting to save lives because I’m talking about poverty. I’m talking about jobs,” Leake said. “And the resentment was they didn’t like me talking about the blackness of the school district. And it hurt me to my heart to know that you had people sitting on the board only talking about money and never talking about the well-being of the children.
“The problem was always about begging for money instead of talking about resources as it relates to outcomes. I had to talk about it because the children that were failing looked like me. And I was begging for leadership.”
‘It can’t be a blood sport’
Part of the mediation process that ultimately ended with commissioners releasing the $56 million it had withheld requires the district to publish its school improvement plans on its primary website and attend two joint meetings a year with the county commissioners. It also requires the district to provide the county information “on the use of culturally responsive instruction.”
During Monday’s meeting, multiple members of each board voiced the need to have joint, quarterly meetings.
“It’s about how we come to the table together, what’s our attitude going to be,” commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell said. “Is it one of grandstanding or one of coming to really collaborate and learn from one another.”
Crabill began the meeting asking members of both boards what is one thing they have done that may have made it harder for the boards to collaborate and focus on children.
Answers ran the gamut with both county and school leaders admitting they needed to listen better, reserve judgment and work together.
County Commissioner Vice-Chairperson Elaine Powell said: “We should all be working together for our children. There isn’t a county commissioner or a county employee who doesn’t love children. It can’t be a blood sport. ... I’m committed to being less defensive. It is our job to serve the children.”
This story was originally published December 7, 2021 at 11:21 AM.
