CMS Superintendent Search Stirs Controversy
CHARLOTTE, NC — It’s the most important thing the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board does. But hiring a superintendent is never easy.
The CMS board is in the midst of another superintendent controversy, just 10 months after Dr. Heath Morrison resigned under scandal.
“The Board did make a commitment to the community to conduct a search,” says school board member Eric Davis.
A search to replace Morrison. Ann Clark was given the job during a difficult time, with a contract running through July 2016. Now some in the community are saying the board is dragging its feet.
“Ultimately, it is up to the Board to lead the conversation around the superintendent search and the next steps,” says Clark.
“We haven’t moved forward with how we’re doing a search,” says school board member Tom Tate. “What kind of search we’re going to do. How wide it is.”
CMS board members Tom Tate and Eric Davis both say there are several factors at play, including student assignment concerns and next year’s budget.
“The Board is doing its job,” says Davis. “It’s thinking about what’s best for the district. It’s thinking about commitments we’ve made to the community. And we’re working on how to square all that.”
“It is our right to figure out who we want to be superintendent,” says Tate. “That’s one of the main responsibilities we have.”
The superintendent search and racial disparity within CMS are tied together. Many people complain that shutting down elementary schools in traditionally black neighborhoods has only increased that racial division and economic isolation. CMS says that is something they are going to tackle.
The superintendent oversees more than 145,000 students, with a budget of more than $1 billion. 42 percent of those students are black, 18 percent Hispanic: groups that underachieve compared to their white peers.
“There are things that have already been tried in our school system that have not worked,” says Brandi Williams of Hip Hop Caucus Charlotte. “So I would like for us to think about looking elsewhere to find some other options. Are there some other people who can bring some different ideas?”
“We’re looking at ways to address that issue while retaining the positive aspects of our district that the overwhelming number of our parents really like,” says Davis.
The CMS Board will continue to discuss the best options for conducting a superintendent search. The next full school board meeting is scheduled for October 27th.
