Nearly $3 billion sales job for Charlotte schools starts now. County officials are up first
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board approved a nearly $3 billion bond proposal Tuesday night.
Now, board members must sell the district’s needs to county commissioners and the public. If placed on the 2023 ballot in November, it will be the largest such request in North Carolina history.
Board Chair Elyse Dashew told The Charlotte Observer the $2.997 billion bond’s selling point is what it will address for families: getting students out of outdated schools. She says during community engagement sessions they heard plenty of support for the comprehensive plan despite the costs.
“When you look at the list of projects, the needs are so clear,” Dashew said. “Families want their children to go to school in buildings that are healthy, safe, and conducive to learning.”
Those are the points CMS officials will raise to try and get it on the ballot.
“Through this plan we have an opportunity to increase capacity as we significantly improve conditions at some of our oldest schools,” Interim Superintendent Crystal Hill said.
And board member Summer Nunn pleaded with the community: “I want to say as we go through this process, please invest in our children.”
The plan includes 30 projects, with most involving new school buildings on existing properties. It also includes three new middle schools and a west regional athletic complex. The list was whittled down from an initial list of 125 total projects with a price tag of more than $5 billion to 40 projects with a price tag of $2.88 billion. The proposal the board approved reflects prices adjusted for inflation through 2028, CMS officials say.
Multiple high schools are on the proposed list of 30 projects. At these schools — Garinger, South Mecklenburg, North Mecklenburg and East Mecklenburg — there would be continued work or replacement schools, where new facilities are built on current sites. Several elementary schools are on the list for replacement schools: Beverly Woods, Huntersville, Matthews, Steele Creek and Cornelius as well as Albemarle Road Middle School. Allenbrook Elementary, Villa Heights Elementary and the Berryhill School will get off-site replacements. Wilson STEM Academy, Coulwood STEM Academy and Cochrane Collegiate Academy also would get on-site replacements.
School officials will present the plan to county commissioners as a bond request Saturday at a joint meeting of the school board and Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners.
CMS magnet program changes approved
Board members approved a plan that lays out details of magnet programs the bond will impact.
If the bond passes, magnet program changes include:
▪ More seats being created at University Park Elementary, First Ward Creative Arts Academy and Northwest School of the Arts. There could be future boundary shifts for families at University Park and First Ward.
▪ Facility shifts that will see Chantilly Montessori relocate to the Billingsville Elementary campus; Park Road Montessori move to the Sedgefield Elementary campus; and J.T. Williams Montessori move to the Marie G. Davis School campus that serves K-8. The shifts will open up more seats for families who want to attend these schools, according to school officials.
▪ New program offerings at Garinger High, including exercise science and Spanish and French world language magnet programs. iMeck Academy also will move from Cochrane Collegiate Academy to Garinger High.
Throughout the next year, CMS officials will hold listening sessions and work sessions on magnet programs, focusing on access for all students.
More Charlotte executives in schools
CMS’ partnership with the business community is growing.
The Charlotte Executive Leadership Council added seven loaned executives to help the district address key challenges impacting students such as school safety and access to mental health services.
The new executives from Ally Financial, Bank of America, Central Piedmont Community College, Duke Energy, Rodgers Builders, and Wells Fargo will join four executives and two senior advisors already in place from when the partnership launched last summer. Both groups will continue to focus on tutoring, a CMS and Mecklenburg County Pre-K collaboration and other student needs, officials said.
Board members listened to a report Tuesday on the Executives in Residence program.
“We are grateful for the continued commitment of the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council and these executives who dedicate their time, talent, energy and passion to help our school district,” Dashew said.
The latest loaned executives include: Matt Agner, operations process manager for Rodgers Builders; Mary Eshet, a retired leader at Wells Fargo; Moses Fox, the executive director of campus affairs at Central Piedmont Community College; Katie Morgan, a retired banking executive for Bank of America; Jackie Salinas, a retired human resources leader at Duke Energy; Elizabeth Sterling, chief of staff of consumer and commercial bank at Ally Financial; and Peter Toomey, a retired leader at Duke Energy.
“Through connection and accountability, this strategic partnership work can benefit every student and family in the district,” Fox said, “as every student and every school has a unique set of needs.”
This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 7:46 PM.
