Local

CMS policy committee debates student reassignment process

By Angela Hong
By Angela Hong

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Members of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Policy Committee met Thursday morning to discuss the objectives for a student reassignment consultant and also the deadline for when they should be hired.

Student reassignment is a controversial plan that could affect every CMS student in order to diversify schools and make them more academically successful.

About three dozen parents packed the small room holding signs, saying they support neighborhood schools.

https://twitter.com/AngelaWSOC9/status/697826479372165121

"I think that that people are afraid what's going to happen to their children and to their home schools," parent Christiane Gibbons said.

There was heated debate throughout the meeting, but board member Ericka Ellis-Stewart says that's not a bad thing.

"I think that anytime you are talking about something, like student reassignment, there is going to be passion in the room," she said. "There are going to be points where we disagree and points where we do agree."

The committee says the goal is to put the request for proposals out this week in search of a student reassignment consultant and then to have them hired by mid-March.

https://twitter.com/AngelaWSOC9/status/697815531332767745

Before that, by the end of February, the board hopes to vote on the official goals for student reassignment.

At Thursday's meeting, committee members changed the language to clarify for parents and stakeholders.

"We did some wordsmithing to make sure that we had on paper what we truly meant and tried to get some explanation," Ellis-Stewart said. "That's so that in the absence of information, people don't make up misinformation."

Read our past coverage:

Ellis-Stewart said she knows there is much worry over what will happen to CMS students and their schools. She said they don't have all the answers yet.

"We have not developed a plan yet. We have not developed a proposal of a plan yet. We are talking about the goals to provide the framework for what we want to impact as a result of student reassignment."

So far, 13,000 people have filled out a CMS survey on student reassignment.

Read more of our top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

WSOC

Most Read