Two Black faith leaders who criticized CMS’ actions will run for school board seats
A pair of African American Faith Alliance pastors who have been critical of the district and its interim superintendent filed this week to run for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education seats.
Hamani Fisher, pastor of Life Center International, is a candidate for northern Mecklenburg County’s District 1. Monty Witherspoon, pastor of Steele Creek AME Zion, is a candidate for District 2, which stretches from uptown to the Gaston County line.
The filings come amid an ongoing rift between the district and local Black leaders, who say CMS needs a better plan for helping Black and brown students among other issues.
Tensions boiled over in early June when members of the African American Faith Alliance and Mecklenburg County Commissioner Vilma Leake alleged interim Superintendent Hugh Hattabaugh slammed papers down on a table and stormed out of a meeting.
Hattabaugh told The Charlotte Observer at the time the meeting had a “confrontational tone and was less-than-productive from the start.” He confirmed he left the meeting before others.
Fisher and Witherspoon spoke during the public comment portion of a school board meeting less than two weeks later, asking the board to work cooperatively with community partners and calling Hattabaugh’s behavior “disrespectful” to the alliance, a Charlotte-based group whose mission is to “engage, educate and empower African-American parents and community members” in public education.
“I have deep concern about the future of our children and our community due to lowered outcome based performance, lowering of standards, and the need for an emotionally and physically safe learning environment,” Fisher told the Observer. “We need to change the path we’re on, which will require a strong parent-student-teacher relationship and working with administrators, staff and community leaders to ensure post-high school success for every student.”
Candidates running for District 1
In District 1 Fisher joins Ro Lawsin, a first generation Filipino-American who grew up in Columbia, S.C and is focused on safety, accountability, teacher shortages and the district’s budget, according to his website. Melissa Easley, who has two students in CMS and spent 10 years teaching in the district, also filed for a District 1 seat. Rhonda Cheek has held the seat since 2009 when she was first elected.
Cheek announced in May she was not seeking reelection to the board.
Fisher, a native of Queens, N.Y., has three children who have grown up in the CMS system.
“As a resource and voice for families and children in Mecklenburg County since 2006, I have hands-on experience in setting strategic objectives, developing detailed plans, and collaborating with local government officials and community members to achieve objectives with transparency and fiscal responsibility,” Fisher told the Observer. “I want to apply this experience to help make CMS a top-notch school system we can all be proud of.”
Candidates running for District 2
Witherspoon is one of three candidates who have filed for District 2, including incumbent Thelma Byers-Bailey.
Witherspoon, a Charlotte native, says on his campaign website he’s running to help transform Mecklenburg County through policy work on the school board. Witherspoon says he will work to ensure all students in CMS graduate college- or career-ready with a “quality education in a safe learning environment regardless of their ZIP Code.”
Byers-Bailey, also a Charlotte native, is the board’s vice-chair and was elected in 2013. She has served as an after-school math tutor for fourth- and fifth-grade students as well as a mentor for an eighth-grader at Walter G. Byers School.
Juanrique Hall has also filed for the District 2 seat.
Who else filed for school board?
Filing opened noon Monday and closes noon Aug. 12. As of Thursday, 10 candidates have filed to run for BOE seats.
Clara Kennedy Witherspoon will face incumbent Carol Sawyer in District 4, which starts on the east side of I-77 and stretches to the county line in eastern Mecklenburg County.
Lisa Cline, a retired CMS educator, filed Wednesday for District 5, which includes the Myers Park area, Providence High and Matthews.
Trent Merchant, who previously served as an at-large representative on the school board from 2006 to 2011, filed Thursday to run for District 5. Margaret Marshall was elected to the school board in 2017 as the District 5 representative, but announced in May that she would not seek reelection.
Sean Strain, who was elected to the board in 2017 for District 6, filed Thursday.
This election year, the nine-member board’s six district seats are open. BOE members make $1,574.33 per month. The board chairperson makes $1,967.91 per month.
This story was originally published July 29, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
