Public Forums on Student Assignment Continue in South and West Charlotte
“Neighborhood schools aren’t working in Charlotte, and the high concentration of poverty in those schools is not working for our community,” says Northwest Charlotte resident Tiffany Hughes.
Parents we talked to in West Charlotte say they are willing to do whatever it takes when it comes to their kids education.
“What we see project lift, we have minimal increase in the test scores and such. I don’t think it works we need to find a different way,” says Hughes.
Dozens packed inside Johnson C. Smith University Sunday afternoon to address their concerns with CMS School Board member Thelma Byers-Bailey and Superintendent Ann Clark.
“We are not trying to do this to people we are trying to do this for them, if we don’t know what they want we can’t formulate a plan that will do that,” says Thelma Byers-Bailey.
Some hoping student assignment is the answer.
They say it would allow students in lower performing schools a chance to go to other schools that are performing better.
“We do not need schools that have a high concentration of poverty, and make sure our kids attend schools that are more socio-econmically diverse,” says Hughes.
In South Charlotte a different story.
“You choose to be in a certain community, you want to be in, you start putting down routes get know people in area,” says Sayera Gasim of Southwest Charlotte.
Parents spoke out against busing, which they say they fear will happen if student assignment is approved.
“We’re concerned about the potential for rezoning that could effect our children in a way they have a commute,” says Qasim.
“People are excited about busing that’s a tool not a goal, those are how you do it, the goals are how you want to end up,” says Byers-Bailey.
The CMS Student Assignment surveyΒ will close on February 22. Β On February 23rd the school board is expected to vote on the goals for Student Assignment.
