The economic downturn is having a negative effect on spending plans at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. That includes staff cuts, inclding the two psychologists at Davidson Elementary, and a delay in the planned renovation and expansion at Davidson IB Middle. But another project – construction of a new high school on Bailey Road in Cornelius, remains on track.

See below for more on that, plus news of Dr. Jo Karney‘s study tour of Poland this summer, work by juniors at Davidson Day to spruce up McEver field for youth baseball, and a calendar listing with upcoming golf tournaments for both Davidson Day and the Children’s Community School as well as a “Walk for Darfur” .

BUDGET IMPACTS CONSTRUCTION, STAFFING

The impact of Mecklenburg County’s financial woes has begun to trickle down into local schools, leading to construction delays and staffing changes.  At Davidson IB Middle, Principal Jo Karney sent an email to parents Friday explaining that planned renovations to the school will be delayed at least a year. (Details in DavidsonNews.net’s March 18 report, “Project delayed at least a year.”)

“County commissioners have postponed selling the bonds to pay for the projects because they said they do not want to incur any additional debt during the current economic crisis,” Dr. Karney explained. “One of the affected projects is the renovations slated to take place at our school. Voters approved the project in November 2007 as part of the $516 million school-bond referendum.”

Construction of a new high school on Bailey Road is well underway, and CMS officials say the project remains on schedule despite the economic downturn. The new high school will serve Davidson and Cornelius and is slated to open in the fall 2010.

Meanwhile, the Parent Teacher Association at Davidson Elementary School recently sent a letter to parents explaining that the school’s two longtime psychologists, Bill Coram and Gerry Smith, have had their positions eliminated, as part of the district restructuring due to budget cuts.  The PTA letter explains that the two will be able to apply for counseling positions at individual schools and through the five regional CMS “learning communities,” which will then allocate psychologists to individual schools based on need.

PTA members are asking parents to write letters of recommendation on behalf of Mr. Coram and Mr. Smith “detailing how positively their services have impacted our school community.”  Letters need to be sent to the Davidson School Leadership Team by Friday, April 17, to be included in a packet that will be sent to CMS leaders.

IB PRINCIPAL TO TOUR POLAND THIS SUMMER

Jo Karney, principal at Davidson IB Middle School, has won a Fullbright fellowship to join other educators in a study tour to Poland this summer.

Dr. Jo Karney

Dr. Karney was one of 16 people across the nation chosen after writing applications, including essays, expressing interest in the program. She will leave after the school year ends in June.

“We’ll study the history of the last 20 years and the evolution of education, politics, culture and women,” she said. The group also will meet with political and other leaders and visit the former Nazi death camp at Auschwitz.

Dr. Karney said she first became interested in Poland after meeting a co-worker at Blythe Elementary School in Huntersville, where she was principal before coming to Davidson IB. The co-worker was a native of Poland and told stories of her dad being a member of the Solidarity movement that helped bring about political change in the country.

(Special thanks to David Boraks for the reporting of this item.)

DDS STEPS UP TO THE OPENING DAY PLATE

Each year, families in the Town of Davidson gather to spruce up the McEver Baseball Fields prior to opening day.

Davidson Day juniors (from left) Aaron Ferrell, Lloyd Brown and Evan Cross worked on Davidson's baseball fields. (Photo by Elizabeth Harrington)

When wet weather canceled this year’s event, the junior class at Davidson Day School stepped up to the plate. Under the guidance of town volunteers and faculty, the 11th graders spent the afternoon of March 20 painting, mulching and cleaning the three fields. They earned the gratitude of the Davidson Youth Baseball Board, the Town of Davidson Parks and Recreation Department, and the 110 families who participated in the Opening Day event.

“After our annual Field Day rainout, we were struggling to complete our annual repairs and cleanup of our fields,” said Ralph Angiuoli, Jr., President of Davidson Youth Baseball. “Davidson Day students enabled us to complete much-needed landscaping and painting at the fields, which will help keep them looking great for all that use them and visit our community.”

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

• APRIL 6-10 – Spring Break for most area schools.
• THURSDAY, APRIL 16 – Beginner’s Day at Davidson Elementary School starts with registration at 9:30, followed by a program at 10 a.m.  Prior to attending the event, parents of new kindergartners should stop by the school to register their child. Registration is not automatic for families with siblings at DES or who live in Davidson.  To complete the registration, you will need a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate and three proofs of residency.  Find out more at the CMS website.
• THURSDAY, APRIL 16 – A group of 25 students and three teachers from France will begin a two week visit to Bailey Middle School.
• FRIDAY, APRIL 17 – Annual golf tournament for Children’s Community School will be held at Verdict Ridge Golf Club in Denver.  Check in and breakfast buffet begins at 8:30 a.m., followed by  a shotgun start.  Click here for more details.
• SATURDAY, APRIL 18 – Run Too Overcome 5K and Kids Fun Run at Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics, hosted by Davidson Elementary PTA Too for exceptional children.  Proceeds to benefit seven elementary schools, including DES.  Register for the race through queencitytiming.com. (More about the run in our March 28 news item.)
• SATURDAY, APRIL 18 – Davidson IB Middle will hold its second annual “Walk for Darfur” on the Davidson Village Green, 9 a.m. – noon.  The walk is designed to raise funds for victims of political strife in the Sudan region of Africa.  Students spend several weeks learning about the region prior to the walk.  The community can join by walking with students or making a donation.
• SATURDAY, APRIL 18 – Open house for the McKinney Academy., which offers preschool and kindergarten programs.  This will be the first of two open houses (with a second following on May 16) and will start at 10:30 a.m.
• MONDAY, APRIL 20 – The 2009 Annual Davidson Day School Golf Tournament will be held on at the River Run Golf Club in Davidson.  This will be the main fundraiser for the Patriots Club 2008-09 year.
• APRIL 20-21 – Donation drive at Cannon School, accepting gently-used items from 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.  Items will be collected by Goodwill’s newest retail store, which will open next month at 5511 Poplar Tent Road. The event is being organized by student Tyler Carson.
• THURSDAY, APRIL 23 – Cannon School will host an open house, starting at 7 p.m. in Taylor Hall, for families seeking to explore educational opportunities in grades 5-12. Visiting families will have an opportunity to tour the campus, speak one-on-one with representatives about the school’s academic, arts and athletics offerings, including a new football program, and learn more about the admission process.

Send calendar items and press releases about local school news to us at lauriedennis@bellsouth.net . Don’t forget to include a contact phone number, in case we have questions.