VoteNoBonds.com

Archive Posted on Thu, Jun. 03, 2004

ANN DOSS HELMS
Staff Writer

• White surprised his board with a suggestion that CMS abandon plans to shift some school construction money approved in previous bond votes.

For three months, CMS officials, staff and volunteers have reviewed construction plans, searching for changes that could free money to build more suburban classrooms. The plan is slated for a vote next week.

On Wednesday, White proposed ignoring that plan and just asking county commissioners for an additional $25 million to expand two high schools and build a new elementary school.

While he described his approach publicly as “win-win” for CMS and the county, he couldn’t explain later how the county would win.

Board members Kaye McGarry and Larry Gauvreau practically sputtered with anger. “I am appalled,” McGarry said.

Read more…
http://www.belleville.com/mld/charlotte/news/politics/8824331.htm

The support for the Bonds is the Center City Partners & the Chamber of Commerce. Not community or parental support. Large construction company and architecture firm support. The people that benefit the most from the millions spent, sort of right into their pocket.

Check out the executive committee for pushing the bonds on the community. Contruction executives.

The general community doesn’t trust this pork package. Throw something in for everyone so that they have to vote yes. It’s still not working…

Political, community leaders haven’t decided to back CMS referendum
By Herbert L. White
herb.white@thecharlottepost.com

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools $421 million bond referendum will likely need black support to pass.

Getting it is another matter.

Unease over equity for inner city schools and uncertainty over CMS leadership has some advocacy groups standing pat until more details are revealed.

“There are quite a few issues about the bonds and how that affects the African American community,” said Danielle Bess Obiorah, president of the Black Political Caucus. “There’s no truth that we’re going to come out against it.”

The BPC will host a town hall meeting on the referendum Sept. 11 at Little Rock AME Zion Church at 6 p.m. Obiorah said caucus members will listen to public input before deciding on a course of action.
…
But Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP President Kenneth White said black voters want assurances that the money will be spent equitably. The civil rights organization has held “some discussions” on the referendum, but no official decision has been made.

“We have some grave concerns about what these bonds mean to our community, and those are not addressed by the school bonds,” he said. “Our major concern is children in high-poverty schools have the same opportunity as children in the suburbs and low-poverty schools.”

There’s also the tenuous relationship between black voters, bond boosters and CMS. Previous campaigns relied on overwhelming black support to pass, only to have programs or money pledged to inner city schools shifted. CMS will have to do a better job of convincing voters the money would go where promised, Obiorah said.

“In part, the numbers are huge, but the bigger issue is the schools want the community to support it and African Americans to support the bond issue,” she said. “If we’re going to support something, the school system should be sensitive to the concerns of African Americans.”

Aside from the referendum’s size, voters are leery of the next school board’s makeup and who it’ll choose as a permanent superintendent. That uncertainty is a factor as well.

“It’s not really easy to sign on to this bond package because there’s so much unknown,” Obiorah said.

The Charlotte Post Article Volume 30, No. 50 Sep 02, 3005

I got my county tax bill this week. How about you?

GRADING THE SCHOOLS

HOWARD MANNING JR.

Guest Commentator

POOR ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES HURTS CMS

Published Dec. 9, 2004

Edited excerpts from a Nov. 10 memo by Superior Court Judge Howard Manning Jr. of Raleigh to lawyers representing plaintiffs and the state in the decade-old Leandro lawsuit over school funding adequacy:
…
The 2004 Public School Forum preliminary report shows that per pupil spending dollars from Mecklenburg County is $2,403 per pupil. At 23 students per classroom, the local funds per classroom would result in $55,269 in local money per classroom with 23 students. CMS ranks fourth in local spending per pupil.

I compared CMS with Wake County Schools high school performance record for 2003-2004. The 2004 Public School Forum preliminary report shows that the level of per pupil spending from Wake County local funds is at $1,849 per pupil. At 23 students per classroom, the local funds per class would result in $42,527 in local money per classroom with 23 students. Wake ranks 11th in local spending per pupil. Wake spends $12,742 less per classroom than Mecklenburg, yet its high school composite scores are head and shoulders above Mecklenburg.

Poor performance in multiple schools when an LEA has plenty of funds as compared to other LEAs that are performing well would, initially at least, tend to indicate a management problem in the LEA arising out of its allocation of the system’s human resources (principals, teachers and staff development) in those schools that are failing to achieve.

Read more…
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/12390850.htm