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CMS to ask voters to approve nearly $1 billion bond package

By Gina Esposito, wsoctv.com
By Gina Esposito, wsoctv.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has unveiled a plan to spend nearly $1 billion in taxpayer dollars.

[LINK: CMS Bond information]

Channel 9 reporter Gina Esposito got a look inside Collinswood Language Academy which would be the No. 1 priority for CMS. Officials said about $44 million would go to the school alone.

Principal Jennifer Pearsall said the 800 students at the K-8 magnet school are crammed into tiny spaces.

Under the bond package, a brand-new school fit for all grades would be built behind the Smith Family Center off Tyvola Road, and those plans are already in the works.

The $922 million bond request would help fund 29 projects in the school district.

Almost half of the bond money will go toward building 10 new schools, including six in southwest Mecklenburg County. The construction of two new high schools would cost $100 million.

Southeast Mecklenburg County is getting the least amount of money, with $175 million paying for two new elementary schools, three replacement schools, and renovations to East Mecklenburg and Garinger high schools.

In north Mecklenburg County, Old Statesville Elementary School is getting transformed into a facility for exceptional children, while West Charlotte High School will get a $110 million revamp.

There will be no tax increase related to the bond request. The money comes from projected revenue from Mecklenburg County that would be paid back over 20-30 years.

If voters approve the bond, the money will be issued over the next five years.

Leaders at Collinwood Language Academy hope it will be one of the first construction projects.

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