LIVE BLOG: CMS school assignment vote

Follow along with us as school board members discuss and vote on south Charlotte school boundaries

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Jun 06, 2023

Good evening! This is a Ledger LIVE BLOG of the CMS school board meeting of June 6, 2023 — with an expected vote on south Charlotte school assignment.

The Ledger has been covering this issue extensively over the last year, and a decision is expected at the meeting. Stick with The Ledger for continuing coverage of this issue and other important local news and insights. If you need to subscribe, to our free or paid version, you can do that here.

You’re welcome to share this with a friend.

And you can comment, too, by hitting the word bubble icon above (paying Ledger members only).

11:59 p.m. OK, we’re wrapping it up

Check out tomorrow’s Charlotte Ledger newsletter for the complete wrap-up — and other non-CMS news.

Thanks for reading.

11:57 p.m. South Charlotte board members who voted ‘no’ praised the plan in their comments; ‘I will support this plan’

So I reviewed the video, and it turns out I am not making things up. It appears to me that tonight’s two “no” votes — Summer Nunn and Lisa Cline — sounded mostly upbeat about the plan in their comments before the vote.

Lisa Cline said:

I will support this plan, and I ask you to support it, too. I want to thank each and every person on this board for extending yourselves, for welcoming the new board members and guiding us in this plan, and for taking the time to make the right decisions for each and every one of the children in CMS.

Summer Nunn said:

Overall, we have balanced the four guiding principles across the south county for the better.

She did express concerns about the inability of some groups to be heard after the final recommendation.

They both voted no. The vote was 7-2.

We’ll try to get some clarity on the reasons for the votes in the next few days.

11:21 p.m. Two “no” votes

It appears that the two “no” votes were Summer Nunn and Lisa Cline.

Nunn’s remarks sounded supportive, and she worked hard on this topic. I believe Cline said in her remarks she would support the plan — I’m going back and rewatching to see what she said exactly and will let you know.

But that’s it! It’s done.

🚨 🚨 11:11 p.m. CMS board approves final maps on 7-2 vote 🚨 🚨

11:10 p.m. Police throw out Polo Ridge parent

Police eject Polo Ridge parent Shailesh Shukla after shouting erupted in the audience as Jennifer De La Jara is speaking, The Ledger’s Cristina Bolling says.

De La Jara said she expected the final draft to “pull back” from earlier drafts, not do new things.

11:06 p.m. Staff behind the maps

Many board members heaping praise on the work of staff.

Dennis LaCaria, Claire Schuch and Walter Hall at the board meeting tonight:

10:58 p.m. Lisa Cline to support plan

Board member Lisa Cline, who represents part of south Charlotte, says she will support the plan.

She says parents should take their energy on this and channel it toward their children and their schools:

Show your children a positive honorable way to change. Parents must be positive role models, not negative ones.
Turn that energy … towards making this new boundary plan work for you, your children and all the children in CMS. … If you don’t get what you hoped for in the board plan, be gracious about it and move ahead. Turn that focus and energy toward making your children’s school a great one.

Here, once again, is the main plan that will be voted on https://go.boarddocs.com/nc/cmsnc/Board.nsf/files/CSCMGG5A9FA7/$file/Superintendent's Recommendation South County Relief FINAL DECK.pptx.pdf

I think this is going to pass overwhelmingly — perhaps unanimously?

10:55 p.m. Summer Nunn offers support

Board member Summer Nunn, who represents a large portion of south Charlotte, seems to be saying she supports the latest plan, as it balances the board’s priorities.

10:51 p.m. Proposed Carmel amendment fails 8-1

Jennifer De La Jara amendment, sending Sharon/AG/South Meck to Carmel/South Meck, fails 8-1.

Getting vibes the latest plan will pass overwhelmingly — looking like no changes for Polo Ridge and that they will remain at new high school.

10:46 p.m. More on Carmel proposal

On capacity issue, Jennifer De La Jara says Carmel Middle would experience “Short term pain for long term gain”

Dennis LaCaria says it would require adding four mobile classrooms at Carmel Middle and teachers would have to float, or use other teachers’ classrooms.

It would slightly add low SES to AG and reduce it from Carmel.

10:38 p.m. De La Jara suggests ‘compromise’ on Alexander Graham Middle

Board member Jennifer De La Jara says it’s not possible for Alexander Graham students to stay at Myers Park.

“We want to get those [Myers Park] numbers down,” she says.

Says there are old buildings on Myers Park campus that need to be torn down.

Her amendment would take students south of Fairview Road and send them to Carmel Middle. Would mean switching students from Alexander Graham to Carmel Middle, and then on together to South Meck.

Says it is a compromise. Would be utilization of 133% at Carmel, but students would stay together.

New proposal on the right.

10:33 p.m. No Endhaven adjustment

Nunn’s motion fails 5-4. This would have involved the Thornhill neighborhood.

Now Jennifer De La Jara is proposing an amendment involving Carmel Middle and Alexander Graham Middle.

10:29 p.m.: Summer Nunn proposes a change to boundaries involving Endhaven Elementary

It would increase enrollment at Quail Hollow Middle by 21 students and drop enrollment slightly at South Charlotte Middle.

It would reduce some home-to-school distance for Endhaven and reduce its splits from three to two. It would slightly reduce the low SES at Quail Hollow and slightly raise it at South Charlotte.

This is a small adjustment in an area heading to the new high school.

There are no maps presented.

10:21 p.m.: Board member Lenora Shipp: Student have overcome previous displacements

Board member Lenora Shipp says: “We know not everybody will be happy with this plan.”

Says she wants to make the “best decision in the interests of our students, our children. … We want to get it right. We want to do what is best for all students.”

She says when she was in CMS, she had a brother a year older than her, and they were split because of student assignment. She became a teacher, principal and now a board member.

“We have come a long ways,” she says.

Says her daughter went through student reassignment and now is a doctor with a medical degree.

She says change “hits hard. But it’s how we rise and overcome from the change that counts.”

Says this assignment plan “makes CMS stronger.”

10:15 p.m. On to student assignment

Now we are on to student assignment.

Superintendent Crystal Hill thanks staff “who have spent countless hours” on this project. She thanks parents who have turned out: “I do 100% appreciate your advocacy for your children, and I know your children mean the world to you, and thank you for taking the opportunity to engage.”

Board member Lenora Shipp is making a motion to approve the superintendent’s recommendation.

10:06 p.m. Routine items between end of public comments and start of student assignment

We are almost to the end of public comments. Here’s what’s next:

Those items A-J should go pretty quickly — they are routine, usually. Then it’s on to the main event.

I’m guessing they will take another short break.

10:01 p.m. Getting to the end of speakers; Dad fears lack of ‘lifelong friends’

Looks to me as though there are only 5 speakers left. Then it’s to other parts of the meeting.

A Polo Ridge dad said at an end-of-school gathering at a community swim club recently, he realized that “our kids won’t have lifelong friends” because the school is being split up.

Says: “I know my wife is going to get on me — There’s a lot we wanted to cover.” There’s a two-minute speaking limit.

9:51 p.m. Ballantyne Elementary parent sticks up for plan

Harriet Hoonjan, a Ballantyne Elementary parent, says she supports the latest assignment plan.

Says Ballantyne Elementary helps balance socioeconomic status at Ardrey Kell.

Tonight, among Polo Ridge speakers, there has been an undercurrent of Polo Ridge vs. Ballantyne Elementary. A previous draft had Ballantyne Elementary going to the new high school. The most recent one keeps Ballantyne Elementary at Ardrey Kell and shifts Polo Ridge to the new high school.

Some Polo Ridge parents have suggested that Ballantyne Elementary, not Polo Ridge, should be sent to the new high school. Some have implied that Ballantyne Elementary is a bunch of wealthy people because the area includes Ballantyne Country Club, though parents there say that’s an inaccurate perception because the area includes areas of low socioeconomic status.

Hoonjan invites people in the audience to visit Ballantyne Elementary: “I assure you what your perception of Ballantyne Elementary is is not the reality of Ballantyne Elementary.”

9:42 p.m. Observer is hosting talk with 2 south Charlotte school board members tomorrow

Can’t get enough of student assignment talk?

The Charlotte Observer says it is hosting an online meeting tomorrow at 12:00 with board members Lisa Cline and Summer Nunn:

The south Charlotte boundaries vote is one of the most anticipated of 2023. Join The Charlotte Observer’s Anna Maria Della Costa and CMS board members Summer Nunn and Lisa Cline at noon on Wednesday for livestreamed conversation about the south Charlotte boundaries vote.

It looks as though it will be on Facebook Live. Details here.

9:31 p.m. Reader comment: Thanks for letting me watch baseball

A nice note in the comments from new Ledger subscriber Joey:

Had to subscribe tonight just because the school board meeting blog has allowed me to avoid watching the chaos and put a baseball game on instead while still being able to keep up.

9:28 p.m. Praise for people speaking to board in second language

Trish Saemann, who lives in Kingston Forest in south Charlotte, starts by saying she is impressed by all the immigrants who are here from Polo Ridge advocating for their children:

I’m just taken by how many people here do not have an American accent. You’re standing up for your children, and this is your second and maybe your third language? You have my respect. I just wanted to say that out loud.

She says the switch from Ardrey Kell would disrupt friendships for students and “this level of instability for them is simply unacceptable.”

We have about 30 speakers left.

9:18 p.m. A tale of 2 school assignment zones

Two of the areas that have the biggest objections to the latest assignment plan are taking very different approaches.

Polo Ridge is loading up the public comments with speakers — at least 3/4 of the 75 speakers are urging the board to keep Polo Ridge at Ardrey Kell. Some are pretty fiery.
The Sharon —> Alexander Graham area, on the other hand, has gone minimalist. There have been only a handful. One speaker said they were respecting the board’s time by not loading up the public comments with speakers.

9:06 p.m. Comments from Ledger members

We’ll use this break time to get to a couple of comments from Ledger members. If you have a comment and you are a paying Ledger member, you can drop it here:

9:02 p.m. Board taking break for 10 minutes

We are on an intermission for about 10 minutes. Elyse Dashew says speakers are about halfway done.

It is Polo Ridge night here in the public comments portion of the school board meeting.

Some of the main complaints are:

The plan sends students to two new schools, to the new middle school then to new high school, and it’s hard to start at new schools because of sports and PTAs
Ardery Kell is closer than the new high school is
The plan was sprung on them at the last minute as a surprise, with no apparent rationale.

8:54 p.m. Polo Ridge dad: I don’t have proof this was corruption

Miguel Palazuelos, a Polo Ridge parent, says that in the Latin America country he came from, there is corruption, where decisions are made to favor certain groups.

Regarding the school assignment plan, “I am not here to say it is corruption because I don’t have proof. But it does not smell good.”

Says “there was a complete lack of transparency and communication.”

8:46 p.m. Time check: we’re about 1/3 through public comments in about 45 minutes

We are 25 speakers in, on a total of 75 or so speakers.

A little quick math would show that public comments will end around 10:15 p.m. There are then a few other non-assignment school board items.

We might not hear a discussion from the board until 10:45 p.m. or later. Just a guess.

8:44 p.m. New plan is ‘a bombshell dropped on our head,’ Polo Ridge dad says

A Polo Ridge parent says he had a speech prepared but doesn’t know what more he can say.

Says their world was turned upside down when CMS’ Dennis LaCaria shared the latest plan at Polo Ridge two weeks ago: “CMS put [us] through all of this anxiety and sleepless nights since Dennis walked into Polo Ridge with this plan. A bombshell dropped on our head.”

8:28 p.m. What would Polo Ridge do with its AK sweatshirts?

Himanshu Meel, student body President at Polo Ridge Elementary, says he is a professional swimmer whose dreams will be “shattered” if he’s rezoned to the new high school instead of Ardrey Kell.

“And we have AK sweatshirts. What are we supposed to do with those?”

8:23 p.m. 4th-grader says going to 2 new schools would be a burden

Aanya Shah, a 4th-grader at Polo Ridge Elementary, says the new plan is unfair:

I would be spending my school life in two new schools, which definitely won’t have as many facilities as [Jay M. Robinson Middle] or Ardrey Kell while my friends and peers will have opportunities that I won’t have.
Don’t you think it would be better to only have the burden of one new school for us?

8:18 p.m.: Polo Ridge parents getting a little 🔥

Polo Ridge parents are coming out guns a-blazin’.

Venket Raman says: “God is looking at all of this.”
Shailesh Shukla: “This is a chance, because your integrity is in danger.”
Himanshu Bhatnagar says to people who are not affected by this, that your kids could be next.

8:11 p.m.: 6th-grader calls out CMS board: ‘If you were being graded on this plan, you would fail’

Ben Ricketts, a 6^th grader at Alexander Graham Middle, says he wants to go to Myers Park High with his friends, instead of to South Mecklenburg as proposed in the latest maps.

“I don’t understand why I was switched. Why would you move me?” he says.

Adds: “I have made new friends at AG, and I don’t think I should have to leave all my friends again when I go to high school. … If you were being graded on this plan, you would fail. Your plan meets none of your goals and is making many people upset. … This plan makes no sense. I am stuck in the middle, and it makes me sad and angry.”

This is in reference to a portion of Sharon Elementary — a part that goes to AG, south of Fairview Road, would be switched to South Meck.

7:58 p.m. Public comments start — buckle in, there are 70+ speakers

We are getting going on the public comments. Chair Elyse Dashew says there are 75 signed up.

There is expected to be a strong showing by Polo Ridge parents, Under the latest plan, Polo Ridge would go to the new middle school in Rea Farms, then to the new high school off Johnson Road. Many parents would prefer to stay at Ardrey Kell and not have their kids populate two new schools.

The Ledger’s Cristina Bolling examined the objections by Polo Ridge parents last week. They formed a committee of data scientists to develop what they say is a superior plan:

After the shock of last month’s south Charlotte school boundary plan announcement had worn off, an emergency town hall in their school gym had concluded and emotions had calmed, a group of about 10 data-scientist parents from the Polo Ridge Elementary feeder pattern who were unhappy with the plan came together and asked: Could they scientifically analyze their way out of the pickle they were in?
They canceled evening plans, cleared their calendars for the long Memorial Day weekend, pulled out maps and fired up their laptops.
By their best estimations, they say they spent a combined 1,000-plus hours over the last week or so coming up with a fresh plan for school boundary lines in south Charlotte — one they say they believe is better than all of the proposals CMS has crafted so far, both for their own kids and those in nearby schools. Their revisions would keep Polo Ridge at Ardrey Kell High instead of heading to a new relief high school, which they say would be a quicker commute and less disruptive for students than CMS’ latest plan. …
The data-minded Polo Ridge parents sent their proposed plan, complete with a fresh map, a rubric and a detailed explanation, to board members and CMS staff on Wednesday morning. Their proposal calls for Polo Ridge students to attend the new middle school and then move on to Ardrey Kell High — where they currently attend. Among other changes, it calls for Ballantyne Elementary students to switch from Ardrey Kell to the new high school — a change which CMS officials had included in an earlier draft but one which Ballantyne Elementary parents had spoken out against because it resulted in a feeder pattern that they say would cause a troublesome split between middle and high school.
“They’re destroying communities because they’re creating winners and losers out of a whim. There is no logic to it,” said Polo Ridge data workgroup parent Himanshu Bhatnagar, a global engineering director with two kids in the CMS system.

The current plan calls for Polo Ridge to go to the new high school instead of Ardrey Kell.

7:55 p.m. Board chair says she is encouraged

Chair Elyse Dashew says she’s encouraged to see so many people engaged in their children’s education.

And she’s encouraged by so many people saying, regarding the boundary lines, “It’s not perfect but it’s a good compromise.”

She also likes how “much of the language we are hearing is about the greater good and the longer-term good.”

7:49 p.m. Board members play to the crowd and ask for participation beyond school boundaries

Board members, in their reports, are making appeals to the audience, which is largely there for the south Charlotte boundary discussion and vote.

Board member George “Dee” Rankin says CMS needs feedback from a survey, asking parents: “What do you want us to accomplish — besides the south boundaries?” (Crowd laughed and held up signs.)

Board member Jennifer De La Jara says she would like to harness the energy from the south Charlotte boundaries and use it to advocate for education in Raleigh. She suggests we “take all of this beautiful energy and use that to make sure we are securing the resources that students need, including teacher pay.” (The crowd applauded.)

7:36 p.m. Offending sign relocated

The Ledger’s Cristina Bolling is reporting exclusively that the sign that was improperly being hung behind the podium has been moved to the balcony level:

7:31 p.m. The scene from the meeting chamber

The board is discussing magnet programs at Eastway Middle School. Public comments are up next. There are 72 people signed up to speak.

Scene inside the chamber, from The Ledger’s Cristina Bolling:

Crowd is quiet. Most are on phones, but a decent number are continuing to hold up their signs.

7:27 p.m. Attempts to make minor changes to assignment plan expected

We are not yet to the public comments section. The board is getting reports on other matters.

When the board does discuss student assignment, we are expecting some board members to suggest some minor changes to the latest draft maps.

The Ledger’s Cristina Bolling reported last week that two school board members say they are examining potential changes to the superintendent’s recommended assignment plan.

We don’t know exactly what those are — but tonight we will find out.

Cristina (who is at the Government Center tonight) reported last week (🔒):

Two school board members — at-large member Jennifer De La Jara and Melissa Easley, who represents north Charlotte — told The Ledger Thursday that they may call for changes to the plan during the June 6 meeting. Both declined to specify what changes they’re considering, because they say they’re waiting on data from CMS staff to determine whether their ideas are sound.
De La Jara said there have been phone calls between board members in recent days about “small tweaks” they may propose, but she declined to be specific because she said it’s too early to know if the changes will actually be put to a vote on Tuesday.
“I don’t want to cause unnecessary panic,” she said.
In an email between Easley and a parent that was released this week in a public records request, Easley expressed concern over the location of the plan’s new South Mecklenburg-Providence High boundary, but she didn’t specifically single out that boundary to The Ledger when asked what change she is considering.

7:25 p.m. You’re welcome to ask questions or comment

Email from Ledger subscriber Matt:

Ya’ll are awesome. Great coverage and providing legitimate value for the subscription. Thank you guys for all your hard work! The charlotte community appreciates it!

If you have a comment or a question, you’re welcome to share it in the comments.

7:17 p.m.: Hot mic moment defended!

Some good back-and-forth going on on the board’s Facebook page regarding the hot mic moment that caught board members saying “God” and “Jesus Christ” under their breath as parents walked in.

Some parents are saying it was disrespectful. Board advisor Charles Jeter says they were separate conversations and nothing disrespectful.

Laura Wilson Vagianos: it went something like giggle giggle here comes the 2nd shift Jesus C.
CMS board advisor Charles Jeter: Laura Wilson Vagianos, [You’re] talking about two different conversations by different board members. One statement had nothing to do with the other.
Nicole Willis Jenkins: ..maybe we should go to the tape? Or ask JC? Since he was called upon.
Jeter: Since I’m sitting in the audio booth watching the actual mics and the conversations, I know exactly what happened
Nicole Willis Jenkins: Not meaning to quibble, but I was literally in another room and heard the "Jesus Christ" over the mic...so...it's lowkey awkward at best...and certainly unprofessional.
Jeter: I agree someone said it. It just wasn’t said in relation to anything going on in the room. It was a separate side conversation. Y’all are trying to conflate multiple conversations as if it was one conversation that goes together. It wasn’t.
Nicole Willis Jenkins: ...maybe they need a lesson on muting their mics?
Jeter: the mics cannot be muted at the dais

7:07 p.m. Reason for late start disputed

Board advisor Charles Jeter is saying our earlier item, which said the meeting was starting late because of awards given to students is incorrect.

On CMS Facebook page he wrote:

Incorrect. BOE meeting is starting late because folks got stuck in elevator at CMGC. Had nothing to do with presentations to students.

We will take him at his word and apologize for the error. We were going by what police outside the meeting chamber told us.

Jeter is kind of a consigliere figure — board members often look to him on questions of protocol and strategy. He’s a former state representative. His actual title, according to his LinkedIn profile, is executive director of government affairs, policy, and board services.

He’s known as a fierce defender of the board and is not afraid to play hardball with media and board critics.

6:58 p.m.: Hot mic moment

Board members seem not to realize that their microphones are often on, picking up their under-their-breath discussions.

As the crowd switched out about 15 minutes ago, one board member said: “Here comes the other crowd.” Someone said under her breath, “God.” You can then hear laughter. And another female voice said under her breath, “Jesus Christ.”

It’s hard to tell what they were referring to.

Some commenters on the CMS Facebook page picked up on the language, too. One wrote:

When the other group was coming in they said, here comes the other group, oh God, Jesus Christ and a bunch of laughing and snickering at them.

Board advisor Charles Jeter replied: “Wasn’t disrespectful at all. We had to empty the gallery and laid it back it up. It was stating a logistical fact, not in any way shape or form a criticism.”

6:41 p.m. Let’s move that sign

Chair Elyse Dashew asks that a sign be removed from behind the podium. That’s the rule, and it’s a matter of “decorum,” she says.

Here’s the offending sign:

Board now moving on to regular agenda (non-student-assignment).

6:35 p.m. Line-jumping called out?

From The Ledger’s Cristina Bolling at the Government Center:

Meanwhile, tempers hot outside as Polo Ridge dad objects to a couple of family members joining an Alexander Graham-Myers Park mom at the front of the line (to get into the meeting chamber).

6:29 p.m. New superintendent sworn in

Chair Elyse Dashew introduces Judge Rhonda Patterson, who will swear in new Superintendent Crystal Hill. Former family law attorney and a “double Tar Heel.”

Hill was named as full-time superintendent last month.

Dashew says the judge and Hill’s family were stuck in an elevator in the Government Center but fortunately made it.

Hill takes the oath, pledging allegiance to the Constitution and to the law.

Dashew says afterward: “Alright, you ready to get to work?”

6:20 p.m. Meeting starting

Board member Summer Nunn is introducing Pledge of Allegiance leader Brody Fox.

6:19 p.m. What to look forward to tonight

Here’s what we are expecting tonight:

A CMS board meeting with several items on the agenda
A 2-2.5 hour public comment period. Most of the speakers seem to be from Polo Ridge. Many parents there don’t like the proposal to send them to the new high school off Johnston Road. They would prefer to stay at Ardrey Kell.
More CMS board meeting.
Discussion and vote on school boundaries. We are expecting some proposals for minor changes.

6:12 p.m. Meeting starting late

The Ledger’s Cristina Bolling, on the scene, says the meeting is starting late because they are giving awards to kids before they let the masses in. [UPDATE: Board advisor Charles Jeter says it’s not because of awards; it’s because the superintendent’s family was stuck in an elevator]

Selfie time! Here’s Cristina:

6:01 p.m.: It’s go time

Online it looks like the sign language interpreter is all ready to go.

CMS seems to have wrong date on meeting logo. Elevator music playing in background on Facebook feed.

5:58 p.m.: Sign warning

Dispatch from Cristina at the Government Center:

Some folks are laughing about this sign that’s posted as you go through security because there are some real whoppers here tonight.

Two weeks ago, a huge sign had to be moved out of the front of the chamber so people behind could see.

5:49 p.m.: Pledge leader

Brodie Fox, a 7th-grader at Southwest Middle School, is saying the Pledge of Allegiance tonight and was surprised to learn how big today’s meeting is.

He was chosen for the pledge “because of my friendship-making skills,” he says. Here’s Brodie (in center in a suit):

5:35 p.m.: Reception for new superintendent

The meeting will get going at 6 p.m. We understand that before it starts, CMS board members are attending a reception for Crystal Hill, the new superintendent. She will be sworn in tonight.

It is one of several non-school-assignment items on tonight’s agenda, before the public comments and board discussion.

You can view the meeting agenda here.

➡️ Want to watch? You can watch the meeting yourself on the Board of Education’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cmsboe/

5:20 p.m.: Polo Ridge bus arrives!

This just in, from our Cristina Bolling on the scene:

Polo Ridge bus has arrived! Came out chanting, “Polo Ridge to Ardrey Kell!”

And taking time for a nice photo op for the TV cameras:

5:08 p.m.: T-minus one hour

The show starts at 6 p.m. We’ll be here for it with regular updates on the CMS board meeting throughout the night.

It’s Team Coverage here with The Ledger: This is Tony Mecia, and I’m anchoring our blog from Cotswold. Our Cristina Bolling is just about to the Government Center, and we’ll get an update from her soon.

View from Cotswold: Cooking some enchiladas for dinner tonight. We’re usually Taco Tuesday kind of people, but tonight we’re branching out and going with enchiladas:

Speaking of which, the school board is voting on the whole enchilada tonight — the school assignment plan. I’m guessing the vote will be after 9 p.m., maybe after 10 p.m.

3:30 p.m.: The Polo Ridge charter bus is back!

Families in the Polo Ridge Elementary feeder pattern, who mobilized quickly and have become very vocal against changes in the final maps, say they’ve hired a charter bus to bring them to and from tonight’s meeting. The bus leaves around 4:15 p.m. from the Regal Stonecrest movie theater parking lot, and it’ll head back to south Charlotte around 9:45 p.m. tonight. (With 70+ people on the list to speak at tonight’s meeting, that might be a tad early if they want to stay for the vote.)

If you’ve been following the south Charlotte boundary issue in The Ledger over the last couple of weeks, you may remember that Polo Ridge parents also chartered a bus to the last board meeting on May 23. (Here’s a photo parents took from inside the bus that day.)

You can read a Ledger article about the Polo Ridge quick mobilization efforts here, and see how some parents banded together to create a whole new set of maps for CMS officials to consider in this Ledger article from last Friday. (Here’s a website where they’ve published their suggested maps.)

Polo Ridge had been slated to stay at Ardrey Kell High in previous draft maps, so parents were surprised when the final high school map had Polo Ridge within the boundary of the new high school. Parents are upset because they say it will take far longer to drive from their homes to the new high school than it does to drive to Ardrey Kell High. They also say they’re frustrated that their kids will have to attend two new schools (Polo Ridge is slated for the new middle school, too), which will both be working to establish academic, athletic and extracurricular programs.

Here’s a website a group of parents created with their suggested alternate maps, which have Polo Ridge Elementary students staying at Ardrey Kell. Several parents who have data analysis backgrounds dove into the CMS data and spent more than 1,000 combined hours creating the plan.

2:41 p.m.: More speakers added

The latest meeting agenda lists 75 speakers — almost all of them on south Charlotte school assignment. At 2 minutes each, that is 150 minutes, or 2 1/2 hours of public comments.

Tuesday, June 6, 7:21 a.m.

Tonight is the night! Hold onto your hats.

Looking at the agenda for tonight’s school board meeting, we could be in for a long night. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. There are a number of other items on the agenda before the discussion and vote on the south Charlotte school reassignment, including the swearing-in of new Superintendent Crystal Hill.

There are also 61 speakers signed up — almost all of them on school assignment. That’s about 2 hours of speakers.

◼️ How to watch: You can watch the meeting yourself on the Board of Education’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cmsboe/

◼️ Agenda: You can view the agenda here.

◼️ Review the plan: Here is the plan up for a vote tonight: https://go.boarddocs.com/nc/cmsnc/Board.nsf/files/CSCMGG5A9FA7/$file/Superintendent's Recommendation South County Relief FINAL DECK.pptx.pdf

This blog will rev up a little before 6 p.m. and be with you until there’s a decision.

Saturday, June 3

The school board meeting starts Tuesday at 6 p.m. That’s when this LIVE BLOG will really get moving.

If you’d like to get a sense of what’s to come, and some background, check out our live blog of the public hearing on May 23.

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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

Alan Banks

Jun 6, 2023Liked by Tony Mecia, Cristina Bolling

Thank you for reporting like this. Much easier to follow then the live debate. By the way, I think Christina should get a week off for having to be there.

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Lesley O'Connor

Jun 7, 2023·edited Jun 7, 2023Liked by Tony Mecia

Thank you Cristina ,very much appreciate you. Keep up the great work! On another note, as a former Polo Ridge parent what was sprung on us at the 11th hour was so unfair and shady by CMS. All South CLT schools need some skin in the game. 2 new schools = 2 much.

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