Why I oppose the CMS Bonds
While having served on the Mecklenburg County Board of Commission for three years, I have gotten a better scope or understanding as to how government or tax revenues are spent, and the consequences of the spending.
While my colleague, Commissioner Rembert, and the Chamber of Charlotte will argue that the bonds are about building schools only, I contend that bonds are about how children are educated… Since the reorganization of the student assignment about four year ago, this community has been in an uproar surrounding education, especially where children are educated.
Because of how this community is divided, schools are affected. This process has caused new “state of the art†schools in the center city to become underutilized, while suburban schools are overcrowded. While Commissioner Rembert and the Chamber of Charlotte would state there aren’t any underutilized schools in CMS, I would beg to differ. There are at least 20 schools that fit in this category. While Commissioner Rembert and the Chamber would argue that center city children need smaller class space in an effort to adequately learn, I contend that CMS has put a cap on the intercity, state of the art schools, to allow what is before us today, and that is, overcrowded schools in the northern areas. As we all know, there has been a faction of people who are excited to segregate the CMS system. I am not. I think that if all children, were for the most part, together, not only will our children have the exposure of diversity, but each school will have the resources that this community require of CMS to educate all children.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP voted not to support the bonds, People United for Education are not supporting the bonds, the head of the teachers association is not supporting the bonds, members of the Black Political Caucus are not supporting the bonds, simply because, all children are not receiving an adequate, basic and sound education in CMS We in this community feel that if we are to support raising our taxes for the purpose of paying the bond debt, then, we should see the benefit of doing so, knowing that our children are receiving upscale resources in every school and every child would receive a sound and basic education.
Valerie C. Woodard