Students arrived at Davidson IB Middle School Wednesday. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)
Options could include increasing or decreasing enrollment, or shutting schools. Staff says the list isn’t final.
By MARK PRICE
The Charlotte Observer
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leaders took the first step in what could become a massive reshuffling of students Tuesday when they released a list of 32 schools that are candidates for expansion, downsizing or even closing. Staff members note the list is a starting point and could grow or shrink in coming weeks.
The list includes schools across the county, from Ballantyne Elementary in the south to Mint Hill Middle in the east, Davidson IB Middle in the north and Harding University High in the west.
Schools that could see changesCMS schools that are potential candidates for expansion, downsizing or even closing: ElementaryAmay James Pre-kindergarten: 114 percent capacity. Ballantyne: 92 percent capacity. Billingsville: Proficiency 36.5 percent; capacity 91 percent. Elizabeth Traditional: 108 percent capacity. Highland Creek: 154 percent capacity. Hornets Nest: 147 percent capacity. Irwin Avenue: 78 percent capacity; $8,620 per pupil cost. Lincoln Heights: 53 percent capacity; 59.2 percent proficiency. Pawtuckett: 65 percent capacity; 45.2 percent proficiency. Torrence Creek: 169 percent capacity. Villa Heights: 133 percent capacity; $8,541 per pupil cost. Westerly Hills: 47 percent capacity; 56.5 percent proficiency. MiddleAlexander: 52 percent capacity. Cochrane: 65 percent capacity. Community House: 95 percent capacity. Davidson IB: 111 percent capacity; per pupil cost $8,565. McClintock: 68 percent capacity; 66.5 percent proficiency. Mint Hill: 102 percent capacity. Quail Hollow: 69 percent capacity; 68.4 percent proficiency. Sedgefield: 46 percent capacity; $9,292 cost per pupil; 60 percent proficiency. Smith Language: 154 percent capacity. Spaugh: 64 percent capacity; 43.7 percent proficiency. J.T. Williams: 72 percent capacity; 43.7 percent proficiency. Wilson: 78 percent capacity; 60.9 proficiency. High schoolsMarie G. Davis: 70 percent capacity; $12,051 per pupil cost. Harding University: 65 percent capacity; $8,105 per pupil cost. E.E. Waddell: 74 percent capacity; $8,282 per pupil cost. Garinger Small Schools: 112 percent capacity. Olympic Small Schools: 96 percent capacity. Hawthorne: $17,401 per pupil cost; 40.2 percent proficiency. Midwood: $11,813 per pupil cost; 55.8 percent proficiency. Morgan Special: $32,509 per pupil cost; 38.7 percent proficiency. – Charlotte Observer |
All 32 were cited for one or more problems with student populations that are too small or too large, low student proficiency or a high per-student cost of operation. Specific proposals for dealing with those problems are still being worked out.
Superintendent Peter Gorman said options could include raising or lowering enrollment, or closing a school altogether.
“If you choose to close it, where do you put those kids?” Mr. Gorman said. “If you’re closing a school because it’s low performing, do you move them to another low-performing school? That’s not the intent.”
Board members asked staff to come up with potential solutions by next Tuesday. The public will have a chance to comment in forums on those proposals after Sept. 28.
“We need to do a lot of homework before we throw it out for public discussion,” said board member Trent Merchant. “If we are just talking about problems, we will be in a situation where everybody gets in defensive mode.”
Board member Joyce Waddell added: “When you go to the public, you’ll see all the things we didn’t consider. We need to have something more concrete for them to look at.”
The list, presented Tuesday at a board workshop, was created by staff using a complex formula that was heavily weighted toward academic growth. Other factors: crowding, cost per student, and whether there is 2007 bond money to help solve the problem.
An example: Schools such as Ballantyne Elementary did well with low per-pupil costs, high proficiency and respectable student achievement. But Ballantyne is at 92 percent capacity and continuing to grow “through the roof” on a site that allows little room for expansion, officials said.
Mr. Gorman warned board members that releasing specific names of troubled schools will “make things uncomfortable.” He cautioned them to expect plenty of e-mails and phone calls from parents concerned about their neighborhood schools.
“Now, it’s ‘my kid’ and ‘my school’ involved, and that makes it harder,” Mr. Gorman said.
On Tuesday, he also sent an e-mail to employees, hoping to calm any who might be jumping to conclusions.
“Whenever lists are made, anxieties rise,” Mr. Gorman wrote in the e-mail. “That’s understandable. But I hope that our employees and our parents and the community at large will see this list for what it is: a starting point for board discussions that will… last well into the fall.”
Though the district has been dealing with millions in lost revenue the past year, the list is not directly related to budget cuts, officials said. Instead, it’s part of an ongoing effort to achieve greater efficiency, particularly in the case of schools that have too few students.
For example, Lincoln Heights and Westerly Hills elementaries are about half filled, while Highland Creek Elementary in the north suburbs is at 154 percent.
Next Tuesday, the district plans to release this year’s preliminary enrollment, and Gorman warned that the number is “substantially over projections.” An official count won’t be released until the final week of September. The district has expected to be up by about 1,200 students this year.
“I am a little surprised, because we were pretty cautious,” Mr. Gorman said. “…I know we’re not moving back to the times when we were growing by about 5,000 kids a year. But we’re definitely seeing that we’re starting to grow some.”
This story is reprinted with permission from The Charlotte Observer as part of DavidsonNews.net’s local news partnership with the Observer.
