A Lot of Mumbo Jumbo: One Parent Describes Candidates on Busing
CORNELIUS, N.C. – “I think that the dancing around the issue and ambiguity is inappropriate prior to an election,” says CMS parent and Cornelius Commissioner Dave Gilroy.
In two weeks, voters will decide who the next at-large board members will be for CMS. At a candidates forum at Town Hall in Cornelius about two weeks ago, Gilroy says the idea of busing came up. He says, “That’s when it became obvious to me that there was something brewing here on student assignment.”
Current CMS policy reads, “Students are assigned to a home school based on their residential address.”
Under busing, students from high performing school zones would be assigned to lower performing ones and vice versa–no matter how far from where they live–in an effort to cultivate socioeconomic and educational diversity.
Supporters say it could fix failing schools by bringing in affluent, influential and engaged parents.
Critics say it’s been proven ineffective, strains family schedules and destabilizes residential real estate markets.
Gilroy says only at-large candidate Jeremy Stephenson was clear at that forum: he does not support busing.
WCCB Charlotte asked the eight other candidates. Current board chair Mary McCray and current at-large member Ericka Ellis-Stewart didn’t reply to our messages. Neither did Janeen Bryant nor Amelia Stinson-Wesley.
Angela Ambroise says she’s “not necessarily against busing.” Larry Bumgarner is, and says “busing is extremely costly and places undo burdens on all the people involved.” Elyse Dashew says, “There are solutions (for failing schools), and busing is not one of them.” And Levester Flowers says, “we should not go back to the days of busing in any way, shape or form.”
Gilroy’s four girls all, so far, have attended CMS K through 12. He supports public education, but if busing became a reality says private and highly competitive charter schools are options. He says, “We don’t wanna be forced to make a decision like that.”
In the 70s, busing was enforced in CMS to desegregate schools. A parent sued the district in the late 90s. In 2000, a federal judge ordered the end of forced busing in CMS.
