CMS is ditching its new website
Following parent complaints, the district plans to restore the old cms.k12.nc.us site and search for a new platform
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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools backtracks and abandons wearecms.com; cites ‘shortcomings’
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is bringing back its old website on Thursday, following parent complaints that the new website, wearecms.com, wasn’t up to the job.
In a statement posted on the district’s website this week, CMS said:
CMS has refreshed and restored the cms.k12.nc.us website address and the SharePoint platform. This decision was based on district-wide feedback about the shortcomings of wearecms.com.
The Ledger reported in November that parents had been complaining about the site’s redesign because it was tough to find information about the district and about individual schools. Google searches for information would lead to links that redirected users to a generic home page, not to the information they wanted. On Facebook, some parents had complained: “The site looks as if it was designed by high school technology students” and “It just seems that it wasn’t user tested, AT ALL,” the Ledger reported.
As of early November, CMS had paid Los Angeles-based tech company Edlio $170,000 and was in the process of making the first of two additional $135,000 payments over the two-year life of the contract. It was unclear this week what the financial consequences are of reverting to the old CMS website. The contract did not require school board approval, though it was signed by former school board chair Mary McCray.
The CMS statement this week added:
Moving forward, the district will look for a website platform that fully meets the needs of CMS students, staff and families. Until one is found, users will be redirected to the cms.k12.nc.us homepage, or directly to their school’s homepage. Website translation is still available, as well as significant improvements in the search function and the organization of the staff directory.
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The Charlotte Ledger is published by Tony Mecia, an award-winning former Charlotte Observer business reporter and editor. He lives in Charlotte with his wife and three children.