An overflow crowd was present for the CMS Board of Education meeting in the government center on January 24th, 2012 at 6:00 pm. Several boy scouts, their parents and other members of the community were present. The boy scouts represent Troop 116 at St. John’s Episcopal Lutheran on Carmel Road. The board meeting was held in room 267, while the rest of the crowd was watching the meeting on closed circuit television next door in room 266.
District 1 Representative Rhonda Lennon continued to praise Project LIFT. She stated that this project is an incubator that she supports whole-heartedly. Lennon is very excited and wants to get the show on the road.
Denise Watts is the new Zone Supervisor of Project LIFT. No money from CMS pays for her salary. This is funded entirely by Project LIFT. The new principal at Rocky River is Brandy Nelson. Nelson has worked in Winston-Salem and Wake County before coming to CMS. The interim principal at Northwest School of the Arts is now Mark Bosco. Bosco was at one point the principal at Independence High School. Chairwoman Ericka Ellis-Stewart did state that she and all of the board are sorry to hear of the loss of the Principal at Northwest School of the Arts. Dr. Barry Bowe will be deeply missed by all.
The lawyer for CMS, George Battle, had his contract renewed by the board. Dr. Battle now earns $168,000. This is an increase from what he was earning from CMS. At-Large Representative Tim Morgan stated that Battle has more than eased his fears about lack of experience. Morgan stated that Battle helps to repair outside relationships for the board. Morgan also stated that Battle is now taking on additional responsibilities. Battle will be paid closer to the market rate by getting this new salary. Battle is being paid less than school systems of this size are paying their attorneys. The vote was 8-1 with District 1 Representative Rhonda Lennon as the only one voting against the contract.
Dan Habrat and Ellen Dillard gave a presentation on talent effectiveness. Guy Chamberlain also assisted in answering questions. At-Large Representative Tim Morgan stated that he wants this project to go beyond just teachers. Morgan went on to state that all have a role to play in this idea. Morgan is anxious to compare CMS with the private sector and to compare cost structure. Morgan asked if CMS has the same costs as the private sector. Is CMS following the Theory of Action? Is CMS moving in the right direction? Morgan would like to see CMS add policy changes to be more efficient. How is CMS doing with the legislative agenda? What are the impediments? Are there local and state impediments? Morgan also asked about joint use of buildings and asked if all the money goes to auxiliary services. CMS has increased the number of buildings they lease to faith based agencies. How does CMS keep the ACLU from knocking at their door?
Mike Raible and Dennis LaCaria gave a presentation on Capital Needs Assessment. 45% of the CMS buildings are more than four decades old. When CMS builds a building they look at projections to make the building last a minimum of 90 years. Currently CMS has several models for schools. These are the three models: the 39 classroom elementary, the 57 classroom middle school and the 100 classroom high school. All future projects will be modeled after these three ideas. Over the next decade CMS is projecting an 11% in the number of students. CMS is projecting a 2013 Bond Referendum to build new schools based on this number. Since CMS closed 10 schools this has increased the CMS building utilizations and helps the case for future building bond referendums. Of all the other government entities, the city impacts CMS more when it comes to buildings. The neighborhood improvement program is changing how CMS builds schools. At-Large Representative Tim Morgan asked about the Mecklenburg County Rubric and how this will affect new projects versus existing projects. 50% of the projects that CMS is proposing are new projects. Dennis LaCaria answered that the relief for overcrowding at Myers Park High School would be a good example. Unfortunately, CMS does not know if the county will be counting this as an old or a new project. Morgan asked if CMS will be penalized for this and other projects to help overcrowding. CMS is unsure how the county will rule on these projects. Mike Raible stated that the new Pre- K – 8 schools give greater flexibility than some others. Morgan emphasized that the board as a whole needs to agree on which model they will use going forward. Morgan stated that the board needs to decide if they will continue with Pre-K – 8 schools. District 1 Representative Rhonda Lennon is concerned that the Mecklenburg County Board Of Commissioners did not take schools into consideration when constructing their rubric.
The board had a 3:30 pm budget meeting on this same day as the regular board meeting. During this budget workshop, Ann Clark along with several principals and students gave a great presentation of the Communities In Schools(CIS) program. It was especially nice to hear students praise this unusual program and it’s results. Corey Bennett works at Thomasboro Elementary for CIS and was present to help with this presentation. CIS has a goal of 90% graduation rate by 2014. CMS has hundreds of partners who help with this project. The basic goal is too make sure students are aware of and receive wrap around services to help increase graduation rates. CIS is proposing 11 new sites and will need $1 million to expand to these new sites. Much money is being spent on this program and I would like to see how effective this program has become. I would like to see better data on CIS in the future.
The CMS School Board will meet again on February 14th at 3:30 pm for a budget workshop in room 527 and again at 6:00 pm on the 14th in the chamber. Both meetings are in The Government Center at 600 East Fourth Street in Charlotte, North Carolina.