Charlotte-Mecklenburg revamping school lottery system

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The lottery for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for the fall is open, but there are some major changes in store for the system.

CMS is revamping it for the first phase of the district’s student reassignment plan. Not only will there be more options, but the selection process for the lottery is changing.

Going forward, students from low-performing schools and from low-income homes will get accepted first into magnet programs.

“I think it could be a significant game changer,” said Akeshia Craven-Howell, CMS assistant superintendent of the office of school options, innovation and design.

CMS hopes the new changes will ultimately pull students out of pockets of poverty.

“Students get exposed to interesting curriculum but also to students who may not look like themselves or come from the same backgrounds or have parents who do the same kind of things that their parents do, and that’s an incredibly important part of the learning process,” Craven-Howell said.

The lottery changes are the first step in the district’s controversial student reassignment plan.

There are about 19,000 students in magnet programs. This fall, another 3,600 spots will open for more students.

School leaders said the feedback they’re taking from students and parents about magnet programs will play into the decision they make for the following phase of student reassignment plan. CMS will decide in five months how school boundaries could change in 2018.

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