Have a peek at CMS south Charlotte draft maps
The school district is redrawing student assignment lines because of a new high school opening in the Ballantyne area in 2024 — a first glimpse of the possibilities
The following article appeared in the Nov. 19, 2022, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, a morning e-newsletter with smart, original, relevant local news that is run by two long-time Charlotte journalists. Sign up to stay in the loop about CMS school assignment and other interesting and important local topics (free and paid versions available — more info here):
Preliminary drafts of CMS south Charlotte school assignment maps are now online; district to decide on new boundaries by February
by Tony Mecia and Cristina Bolling
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has posted a series of draft maps that provide a window into the district’s thinking on shifting school assignment boundary lines in south Charlotte.
The maps will be of immense interest to parents in the Myers Park, Ardrey Kell, South Mecklenburg and Providence high school zones. Parents have been eagerly awaiting the details of proposals to redraw boundaries, which is necessitated by the planned opening of a new high school.
The Ledger learned of the maps late Friday. They are available as part of a presentation that district planning officials made to parent groups at several south Charlotte schools this week. During the meetings, CMS planning director Claire Schuch flipped through the maps quickly, to the frustration of many of the parents who attended. She said the district hoped to narrow the possibilities to “around three” in the next week or two.
The Ledger reached out to Schuch late Friday night via email to inquire about the release of the draft maps but didn’t immediately hear back.
➡️ You can view the presentation, with the maps, here.
The Ledger reported last week on the existence of four draft plans, named blue, orange, yellow and violet. This week’s presentations included five additional plans: red A and B; and brown A, B and C.
Elementary school zones that could be reassigned to new high school zones at least in part include Olde Providence, Sharon, Ballantyne, Hawk Ridge, Endhaven, McAlpine, Pineville, Polo Ridge, Rea Farms and Smithfield elementaries.
At issue is how the school system will populate a new 100-classroom high school designed for up to 2,500 students near the corner of Johnston and Community House roads in the Ballantyne area. It is expected to open in 2024.
There will be a series of public meetings where residents can offer feedback, in addition to a public hearing before the school board expected in January. A final vote is expected in February.
CMS opens new schools and shifts boundaries and feeder patterns all the time. But this school reassignment decision is especially notable because it will involve the county’s three largest high schools — Myers Park, Ardrey Kell and South Meck, which combined have more than 10,000 students — in addition to thousands more students at about two dozen elementary and middle schools. South Charlotte is known to be, shall we say, heavily interested and engaged in school assignment decisions, which can affect neighborhoods’ housing markets and property values.
Related Ledger articles:
“CMS officials are making the rounds to PTA groups this week about south Charlotte boundary changes; parents still awaiting maps” (🔒, Nov. 16)
“CMS eyes shake-up of south Charlotte school boundaries” (🔒, Nov. 11)
“Get to know Claire Schuch, CMS director of planning services” (🔒) (Nov. 11); also available on The Charlotte Ledger Podcast 🎧
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Contributing photographer/videographer: Kevin Young, The 5 and 2 Project