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CHARLOTTE, NC – Teachers across the district say the resignation of CMS Superintendent Heath Morrison came as a shock.
“This just came out of the blue. None of the conversations I’ve had with him lately, has anything like this come up,” said Charles Smith, president of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Association of Educators.
Smith says Morrison was one of the driving forces in Raleigh in the fight for higher teacher pay, which grew his popularity across the district.
“I think he was a teacher’s superintendent. He hadn’t forgot what it was like to be in the classroom, because that’s where he started,” said Smith.
The resignation comes less than a day before voters decide on a quarter-cent sales tax referendum, which Morrison has been pushing for.
“I hope this doesn’t affect the vote tomorrow,” said Smith.
If voters approve, 80 percent of the tax revenue would go to CMS salaries–an estimated $28 million dollars.
“It just adds the layer of instability. You never wanna see that happen, particularly in this crucial a vote. Now they’re gonna say, what’s going on with CMS, should I hold back my vote?” said WCCB Charlotte’s Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis.
Teachers are waiting for the Board of Education’s special meeting Thursday to find out more details about where the district goes from here.
The Board of Education will have a special meeting at noon on Thursday. The board says Morrison will officially resign at that meeting.
“Teachers are going to continue to be in a pseudo-state of shock until we figure out what’s going on here and figure out where we can go from here,” said Smith.
