SOURCE: Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools
CHARLOTTE – The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education on Tuesday unanimously approved a proposed 2013-14 budget request of $365.9 million from Mecklenburg County. The budget request identifies greater choice for students and increased capacity for technology as two key areas of focus, reflecting input from students, parents and the public in general. The district also identifies stronger partnerships with business, the faith community and local organizations as a top priority. Read the full story

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

CORNELIUS – Several hundred parents and students filled the gymnasium at W.A. Hough High School Wednesday night, looking for information and reassurance about safety at the school after a series of security scares over the past week. Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools leaders did their best, but at times there seemed a huge gap in expectations and even in some audience members’ perceptions of the incidents. Read the full story

The atmosphere at W.A. Hough High School in Cornelius remained unsettled Tuesday, after recent bomb hoaxes and the arrest of two students. On Tuesday morning, rumors of another threat led to another lockdown at the school, though no danger was found. Read the full story

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

CHARLOTTE - The Charlotte Mecklenburg school board on Tuesday adopted a $293.9 million capital improvement plan, which includes four new schools, three replacement schools and multiple renovations and conversions. The plan still needs approval from the Mecklenburg County Commission, which holds the final say on financing and priorities.

CMS’s plan includes two major projects in north Mecklenburg: a $7 million addition that would convert Davidson Elementary into a K-8 school and a new $28.4 million school on the site of the aging Alexander Middle School in Huntersville. Read the full story

Authorities were back on the scene at W.A. Hough High School this afternoon after a second report of a suspicious package before 1pm. After students and staff were evacuated a second time, CMS officials decided to dismiss school early. Read the full story

Bailey Middle School language arts teacher Lysa Craig is one of six finalists for the 2012-13 Teacher of the Year in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. The teachers were selected by their schools and zones to compete for the award.

The finalists were announced late Friday. The CMS Teacher of the Year will be announced in May. The finalists are:

• Lysa Craig of Bailey Middle (Northeast Zone). Craig is a sixth-grade language arts teacher who been an educator for 31 years. She began her teaching career in Chester County Schools in South Carolina and holds a bachelor of arts in teaching from Marshall University and a master’s in teaching from National University. Craig has been named teacher of year at several CMS schools and is a member of the National Council of Teachers of English.
• Kevin Eudy of Renaissance School at Olympic (Southwest Zone). Eudy teaches civics and economics and U.S. History to 10th- and 11th-grade students. He began teaching in 2005 and has been working at Olympic High School since 2006. Eudy graduated from the University of Charlotte in 2009 with a master’s in teaching and from Clemson University in 2001 with a bachelor of arts in computer science. Eudy’s experience on teaching students about personal budgets and the economy has been one of his most successful memories as a teacher.
• Ashley Brooke Fulton of University Park Creative Arts Academy (Central Elementary Zone). Fulton is a K-5 theater teacher who began her teaching career in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools at University Park Creative Arts Academy. She also worked at Ranson IB Middle from 2005-2007. Fulton earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from Auburn University in 2001 and master of fine arts degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2004. Fulton has served as a writer on a North Carolina Department of Public Instruction team about new assessment standards for K-12 theater arts.
• James Ford of Garinger High (Central Secondary Zone). Ford is a ninth-grade world history teacher who has been teaching since 2009. He began his career in Guilford County Schools and joined Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in 2010. In 2003, Ford earned a bachelor of science in mass communication from Illinois State University and a master’s in teaching from Rockford College in 2009. Ford is a co-leader of Garinger’s peer mentoring group and the annual cultural fair. He is currently working on his doctorate in educational leadership at Wingate University.
• Bobby Miles of Ranson IB Middle (Project L.I.F.T. Zone). Miles teaches sixth-grade science and has been working at Ranson IB Middle since 2007. In 2011, he also worked for TEACH Charlotte as a lead facilitator for secondary science teachers. Miles graduated from Winston-Salem State University in 2007 with a degree in biology. He also earned a master’s in executive leadership from Gardner-Webb University in 2012. Miles was named Teacher of the Year at Ranson Middle for the 2010-11 school year.
• Doug Smith of McKee Road Elementary (East Zone). Smith is an elementary physical education teacher who has been working in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools since 1998. He earned a degree in physical education from Appalachian State University in 1997 and a graduate degree in physical education from West Virginia University in 1998. Smith’s passion for teaching students about health and fitness inspired him to create a blog called “30 Sports” to help students learn more about different ways to stay active.

What’s the best way to keep schoolkids safe, in the age of firearms? Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools is looking at new security measures, aimed in part at keeping weapons out of schools. But the National Rifle Association says a new study it commissioned supports its push for the opposite approach – put more guns in schools by giving them to teachers and staff. Read the full story

To the editor:

On Wednesday, April 10, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools presented its proposal to turn Davidson Elementary into a K-8 school. Though only a few studies exist, focusing on Philadelphia, Chicago and New York, researchers have identified several positives to the K-8 plan: Read the full story