CMS plans to increase student-teacher ratio in some grades because of budget concerns
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools plans to increase the number of students allotted per teacher in high schools next year due to budget concerns.
The district currently allocates about 26.5 students per teacher in grades 10 through 12. Beginning next school year, it will be 27.5 students per every one teacher, the district confirmed in a statement to The Charlotte Observer. That means about 40 existing teacher vacancies will be absorbed – and a number of teachers across CMS will need to transition to different roles within the district.
“The district has sufficient vacancies to absorb the adjustment,” a spokesperson for the district told the Observer earlier this month.
CMS said the change is due to budgetary constraints. The move equates to about $3.4 million in savings.
“This decision comes in response to a particularly tight budget year following the expiration of over $596 million in federal COVID relief funds,” a district spokesperson wrote in an email to The Observer.
CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill has said in recent weeks this will be a “tight” budget year, as the district expects budget shortfalls on the county, state and federal level. Still, she says, the district is committed to maintaining the student experience.
North Carolina currently funds teacher positions in grades 10 through 12 at a ratio of one teacher per 29 students. So,even with the change, CMS will allocate more teaching positions than the state formula funds.
Some educators have raised concerns, however.
“I recognize the strategic aim to reduce vacancies and allocate personnel to the schools most in need...Our primary objective is to ensure that every student benefits from certified educators. However, we also understand that administrators may feel pressured to achieve more with fewer resources, which can impact support services vital to cultivating positive school cultures,” Amanda Thompson, president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Association of Educators, told The Observer. “This situation creates a paradox. Schools are tasked with improving performance and fostering growth, yet the withdrawal of staff could hinder these efforts.”
Communication woes
Two CMS educators who were alerted that their roles at their current schools were being eliminated said messaging about the change from school administrators was inconsistent and, from the district, nonexistent.
Both requested anonymity for fear of retaliation.
One world languages teacher said her principal informed staff about the change in mid-February, though decisions about which roles would be eliminated at her school were not yet final. A veteran teacher at another school said his principal didn’t inform him his role would be eliminated until March 7. Both said they had not received any communication about the change from the district.
The Observer submitted a public records request to the district on March 4 for communications from CMS leadership to principals about the change, but CMS hasn’t yet released those records.
When the Observer asked CMS if the district sent communication to teachers directly, a spokesperson said school principals were responsible for making staffing adjustments.
“Principals receive their allotments and develop their staffing plan. Vacancies are posted and employees can voluntarily apply for posted vacancies of interest during the transfer period,” a CMS spokesperson said. “If it becomes necessary to reassign staff members from one school to another, the principal would inform the staff and would seek volunteers for reassignment.”
This story was originally published March 25, 2025 at 2:22 PM.
