Amid support, calls for diversity dominate CMS student assignment hearing

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools parents weighed in on the district's guiding principles for the controversial student assignment plan.

More than 30 speakers signed up to address the board Wednesday, which also included teachers, students and community members.

Board members unveiled a draft of the plan last week, which they hope will increase diversity and student success.

The public hearing was designed to give parents an opportunity to review the draft, and offer comments before the board vote April 26.

"I want the best education for my child and my neighbors, regardless of ZIP code," one parent said.

Several others raised similar concerns, and called on CMS to improve the quality of all neighborhood schools.

"As we move forward in our dialogue, and work around student assignment, we need to start thinking about Charlotte as a community and not a collection of individual neighborhoods," another parent said.

Several towns including Matthews and Mint Hill have threatened to leave the CMS district because of the student assignment plan.

A Matthews citizen task force met Monday to discuss the possible split. The mayor told Channel 9 the group wants to have a plan in place should they decide to leave, but lawmakers in Raleigh said it's not likely to happen because the plan would have to be approved by the General Assembly.

Supporters of the guidelines praised board members Wednesday for its attention diversity, and the reduction of highly concentrated poverty schools.

Kimberly Jackson, an eighth-grade student at Ranson Middle School, added diversifying more district schools could also educate students on how to interact with other cultures.

"Please don't see me as an African-American child," she said. "See me as a scholar at Ranson Middle School.

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