Who is Shamaiye Haynes, 2023 candidate for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board?
Name: Shamaiye Haynes
Age as of Nov. 7, 2023: 52
Campaign website: www.shamaiye.com
Occupation: Nonprofit leader
Education: Associate of applied business
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought or held)*
No
Please list your highlights of civic involvement
Black Political Caucus of Charlotte, League of Women Voters, involved in numerous local campaigns.
What are your ideas for improving student performance if elected to the CMS board?
1. Decentralize our school system to make it feel smaller to the community and uplift our voice and vision for our schools.
2. Introduce policy to support the Community Schools Model. Built in equity regardless of neighborhood or community. It’s a whole child approach, and it builds on community strengths.
3. Advocate for standard disciplinary interventions such as restorative justice practices that shifts from punishment to reflective learning. It raises student awareness of how their actions caused the problematic situation, and community participation can begin the healing process.
4. Advance access to arts and enrichment in all Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Create a diverse arts and enrichment work group assigned to make recommendations to improve access to quality programs for all. We can survey teachers and school personnel to identify creative ways to increase access.
Will you support the $2.5 billion bond that will be on the November ballot for school projects? Why or why not?
Yes, the ramifications of not supporting a bond will have lasting negative consequences to our school system. We are a growing city, and we have continue to invest more to improve and build capital assets.
What’s your opinion on school book bans or decisions to limit the audience for particular titles. And how would you approach the problem if a parent brought a book to your attention?
I do not believe one parent or even several parents should have the right to pursue banning books for others. Our school system has established a process for which parents can work with the school system about books they do not believe are acceptable for their children. I would refer the parent to the appropriate staff person to walk them through the process.
How will you prioritize projects if the bond referendum is approved in November? And how would you approach deciding on major construction needs more broadly?
I have been a member of the Bond Oversight Committee for CMS since 2019. There are several factors in prioritizing specific projects. When voters pass a bond referendum, they are approving funding for very specific projects. The reason all projects are not started immediately is that the county allocates the funds at various intervals. A bond package is not fully funded for 7-10 years so the school system has to identify which projects they can start and finish as the funding becomes available from the county. This means the school system has to take into consideration both the allocation of funds and logistics to complete projects using those funds.
What are your ideas for CMS to foster good relationships with towns and different communities across Mecklenburg County?
There have been positive efforts to improve relationships with the towns over the years. I believe if we decentralize our school system to make it feel smaller to the community will ensure that every community’s voice is heard and needs can be met.
What separates you from you opponents and makes you the best choice on November’s ballot?
I have a long history of advocacy for strong public schools in Charlotte. The advocacy started when my two children attended a Title 1 school, and I uncovered so many systemic barriers that only someone who experienced the impacts of these barriers would understand. My son graduated from West Charlotte High School in 2021. When my daughter barely learned anything in her first-grade year, despite near perfect attendance, we were unable to access quality education in a traditional public school setting. This was in 2017, rather than abandon the idea that we can have quality schools in all communities, I doubled down on changing things for the better.
2016 - 2020: Founded the Thomasboro Foundation
2017 - present: Founded the Charlotte Community Think Tank (Think Tank) (formerly the Westside Education Think Tank)
2017 - 2019: Served on the Project LIFT Parent Advisory Board
2017 - 2018: Vice President, West Charlotte Parent Teacher Association
2018: - present: Joined the North Carolina Association of Educators
2018: Think Tank hosted community conversation - Is Education the New Civil Right?
2019: Marched in Raleigh with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Association of Educators
2019: - present: Appointed to the CMS Bond Oversight Committee
2019 - 2023: Served on the CMS Title 1 Advisory Committee
2019: - 2020: Vice President, West Charlotte Parent Teacher Association
2020: - 2021: Parent, Teacher & Community Committee Member & Parent Excellence Team- West Charlotte High School
2020: Think Tank identified the Community Schools Model as a solution to close the achievement gap
2021: present Think Tank partnered with Communities in Schools to secure funding for exploration of Community Schools Model
2022 - 2023: Guest Lecturer at University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Cato College of Education.
