Local

Inaugural CMS Equity Committee expected to meet for first time Tuesday

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools want to make sure all students have equal opportunities, no matter which school they attend, which is why they created the Equity Committee.

The committee is expected to meet for the first time Tuesday and is working to level the playing field for students.

The group will look at six areas such as student assignment, wellness, staff and family engagement.

In the past, CMS gave each school the same amount of money to meet basic needs. One example is in sports last fall. Channel 9 reported the district operates on nearly $3.7 million a year for all of its high school sports. Of that, each school gets a little more than $6,300 for the year.

But, some schools have very prolific booster clubs and other sponsorships that bring in a lot of extra money that can be the key factors between facility upgrades or equipment and not, creating a playing field that’s not exactly level.

So, the district authorized the Equity Committee last May in an effort to make things more fair. The committee is made of 40 community members, one CMS Board member and one CMS staff member.

At the first meeting Tuesday night, members will learn more about the partnership with CMS and set objectives. They will report to the Board of Education four times a year.

If they determine a school is lacking in one area, that school may get more money and they may pull funding from another school if it can support itself with other revenue streams.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com: