MATTHEWS, N.C. — Local towns are discussing possibly leaving the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools system, but some lawmakers in Raleigh said that is unlikely to happen.
Parents pleaded with school board members Monday to leave neighborhood schools intact.
CMS leaders are currently discussing a controversial student assignment plan, and some parents are concerned the plan will send their children to schools far away from home.
CMS leaders tried to squash those concerns by releasing a draft of the plan's guiding principles, including keeping students in a school close to home.
Despite the proposal, the mayor of Matthews wants to split CMS into three districts. It's a move that would have to be approved by the state General Assembly.
"We've got a desire at the state level to consolidate school systems, not break them up," Rep. Charles Jeter, R-Mecklenburg, said.
Jeter toured Lake Norman schools Monday with other lawmakers and said CMS school board decisions have been driving parents to choose charter schools for their children for years. Despite that, he said a CMS split is worth a discussion but unlikely to gain traction.
"If things get better, I think we will see things stay status quo, but if things don't, I think you'll see a much stronger push to move to smaller school districts," Jeter said.
Rep. John Bradford, R-Mecklenburg, hopes CMS and local town leaders will be able to work out a compromise.
"When I grew up I went to my neighborhood school, and I don't think that is foreign to anyone," Bradford said. "It is again trying to find the right balance for parents, teachers and students alike."
A public hearing on the guiding principles will be on Wednesday, and an official vote on those principles will take place next week.
Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:
- Police shoot, kill man during standoff at west Charlotte convenience store
- HGTV's 'Love It Or List It' sued by North Carolina couple
- 3-year-old girl dies after falling from ATV in Union County
- Police searching for Charlotte teen missing since Saturday
- High school band director accused of sex assault to face judge
- Common allergy medications could damage brain, increase dementia risk study finds
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XTUE37ZYUZFVLLSD7JZ5S2L4WI.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7Q5BX2HUBJCAPGITKIWORE3SZE.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/4Y6YC6UVLBALDDAJ7PXHAG7MZ4.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/43XDZWWMVFDDRKEN7BFGA5XJQA.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/SNLWZBPQR5E3PDESM2GSZKRN3Y.jpeg)