Former Charlotte City Council member: I’m losing faith in CMS leadership
I am a proud graduate of Myers Park High School, class of 1992. My three children are enrolled in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Two attend the same elementary school I did as a child, Selwyn Elementary. Our third is in the magnet program at Barringer Academic Center. My wife, Bridget, and I are committed CMS parents and strong proponents of public education. Unfortunately, over the past six months I have lost faith in CMS leadership.
Just to be clear, I am not referring to teachers and principals. My qualm is with leadership.
Three high-profile failures by CMS leadership and the Board of Education have been reported recently in the Observer. CMS withheld information regarding the dismissal of the former superintendent, removed an award-winning teacher from the classroom at Selwyn Elementary (reassigning her to the central office) and continued to use a crisis alert system that did not work. In a typical year one, of these events would be pause for concern. CMS hit the trifecta.
It feels as though I am sitting down with a friend I have known for 40 years to provide much needed tough love. Here goes. CMS, please stop treating your parents likes captives and begin treating us like the consumers we are. With the proliferation of charter schools and private/parochial schools in Charlotte, many parents have a choice. They can easily opt their children out of public education. In fact, it has happened at our home elementary school, where we have about 50 fewer students enrolled this school year.
How do you fix the problem? CMS must be transparent with communications and interactions with CMS families. The public deserved to know why Clayton Wilcox was dismissed. Superintendent is a high profile/public position of trust. If the action was warranted, and appears it was, we deserve answers. In the future, don’t hide behind a separation agreement.
Our elementary school has been torn apart by the reassignment of a beloved teacher. Nearly two months into the saga her former class still has no permanent teacher. Imagine a six-year old trying to learn the foundations of literacy from multiple substitute teachers. The parents want answers and have been stonewalled. CMS has hidden behind “personnel,” as government entities often do. While personnel decisions may be private, process is not. I implore CMS to be more forthright with the process that led to the teacher’s removal and process to replace her moving forward. Morale is low at Selwyn. Teachers, parents and students are hurting. The Selwyn family is fighting to ensure this doesn’t happen at another school. CMS should implement better protocols to ensure fairness for teachers and students.
After the Butler school shooting, CMS purchased a crisis alert system. It does not work. According to the Observer, “Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools continued to buy technology from a company despite warnings from employees that the product did not work...” This is unconscionable. As soon as issues arose CMS should have pulled the plug and notified the public. Mistakes happen. Expensive mistakes happen, but don’t lie to the public, and what CMS did is tantamount to lying. I can tolerate a mistake, but you lose me when breakdowns are swept under the rug.
CMS can ill-afford to push more families out of the system. One only has to look at large urban systems throughout the country where people have fled to grow weary of the direction CMS is currently headed. Take it from a friend, structural change is needed.