Magnet parents will weigh in soon on CMS assignment review

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is gearing up for another round of public talks about student assignment, starting with parents who have students in magnet schools.

The school board got an update Tuesday on plans for communication and engagement as CMS pushes toward changes in the menu of options and the lottery used to seat students in 2017.

The plan calls for June meetings with magnet parent advisory councils to be followed by a summer of “engagement sessions” around the county. CMS officials say they want to hear about what kind of programs would be popular with students and families, including those who are not currently involved with magnets.

CMS staff also plans to beef up its reporting to employees, families and the community, with online links to articles and research the board is using and a myth-buster page designed to dispel false rumors.

Superintendent Ann Clark said she’ll meet quarterly with Mecklenburg County’s seven mayors to keep them updated.

The review, which has been going on for more than a year, is designed to provide more academic options, increase economic diversity in schools and help CMS compete with charter and private schools.

The schedule calls for 2017-18 changes to be unveiled in October, with a vote in November. The second phase, focused on attendance zones for nonmagnet schools, will gear up in August and culminate with 2017 decisions that take effect in 2018-19.

The board has hired the Massachusetts-based Alves Educational Consultants Group to assist CMS through the end of 2016. The plan calls for the consultants to report during the second board meeting of each month, but the group did not appear Tuesday because of changes to the board’s meeting schedule.

This story was originally published June 21, 2016 at 9:48 PM with the headline "Magnet parents will weigh in soon on CMS assignment review."