Outrageous CMS salaries show the need for a county audit | Opinion
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has no problem always asking for more money each year when it comes budget time. However, there are no measurable metrics that show the school system maintains any sense of outstanding ratings that warrant continued handouts. Now we learn there are 22 employees making over $200K a year whereas Wake County has only three. The big difference is that Wake has more students and better ratings while CMS is losing students for a number of reasons. Why hasn’t the Mecklenburg County Commission called for a forensic audit of CMS? I’d bet the house there is a LOT of waste there.
Floyd Prophet, Kannapolis
Tillis and Trump
What Senator Thom Tillis has done to promote bipartisanship, protect North Carolina’s Medicaid expansion, and call out incompetence, extremism and cruelty is appreciated. I’d respect him even more if he also calls out the Trump administration’s corruption and self-dealing, and the President’s disregard for the Constitution, the rule of law, democratic principles, the separation of governmental powers, and the representative body Tillis serves.
Tillis says Trump is acting like a CEO. He’s President of the United States, not a corporate executive. To earn a Profile in Courage, Tillis should acknowledge this vital distinction sooner than later.
Pat McCoy, Charlotte
Heed the lesson on tolls
Why would we spend $600 million to repeat a mistake we can already see every day? Before expanding toll lanes on I-77 south of Charlotte, we should examine the existing toll lanes to the north, toward Mooresville, where congestion was promised to improve but largely has not. Environmental and neighborhood concerns are real and deserve attention. But the bigger issue is whether toll lanes actually work. On the north side, they haven’t delivered meaningful relief. The reason is cost. During peak hours, tolls can exceed $30 for a single trip, pricing out many drivers.
The result is predictable. Toll lanes sit underused while the general lanes remain clogged.
Thomas Uhl, Mooresvillle
Pope Leo’s focus
Being the Holy Father doesn’t exempt you from foolishness. Where was Pope Leo when 40,000 Iranians were killed by their own government? He was silent. It’s worth remembering that the Pope was also absent during Adolf Hitler’s rise in World War II. The papacy should focus on ecclesiastical matters and let others handle politics. We’re engaged in conflict with a military, not civilians.
Mike Howard, Marvin
The value of a second language
In the United States, only 10% of the population speaks a language other than English proficiently. Furthermore, only 16.3% of people who speak another language proficiently acquired the language at school. This raises an important question: Should K-12 public schools be required to teach students a second language? Is the American public education system failing to prepare students for the diverse world they will face?
Learning a second language enhances cognitive development, fosters cultural awareness, and prepares students for future opportunities. Research shows that children who grow up bilingual demonstrate superior problem-solving skills, creativity, and critical thinking abilities, making early childhood the optimal time for secondary language acquisition. How can we justify denying students the lifelong advantages of bilingual education?
Stakeholders of public education must recognize the benefits of second language acquisition and work together to reduce the barriers schools face in working to provide this necessary cultural and cognitive education.
Mia Willems, Charlotte
Don’t be held hostage by energy
Aren’t you tired of being held hostage by the price of gasoline? A new US-branded EV costs $28K; or maybe a plug-in hybrid since the current administration is blocking a national charging station system.
I’m sure you’re tired of Duke Energy determining the rate you must pay for electricity. You can get 20 solar panels for $14K, or less since solar panel prices keep going down.
When the sun gives us energy for free, why are we paying fossil fuel companies to destroy the land, air and sea? Denying Climate Change will not make it go away.
Dean Kluesner, Charlotte