The CMS school board held their annual retreat last Friday and Saturday to discuss several agenda items that included Project L.I.F.T., progress on the search for our next CMS superintendent and how the board can communicate more effectively as they begin working together and planning for what will be a very important year for public education in Mecklenburg County.

Read about the board retreat’s outcomes

This week’s For Your Consideration discusses the importance of STEM education. Read it here.

Read the complete January 25th e-Newsletter

By Valerie Strauss
Washington Post
January 24, 2012

Here’s the part of President Obama’s 2012 State of the Union address that was about education, taken from a text prepared for delivery:

….To prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, our commitment to skills and education has to start earlier.

For less than one percent of what our Nation spends on education each year, we’ve convinced nearly every State in the country to raise their standards for teaching and learning – the first time that’s happened in a generation.

But challenges remain. And we know how to solve them.

At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight budgets have forced States to lay off thousands of teachers. We know a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance. Every person in this chamber can point to a teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives. Most teachers work tirelessly, with modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies – just to make a difference.

Teachers matter. So instead of bashing them, or defending the status quo, let’s offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. In return, grant schools flexibility: To teach with creativity and passion; to stop teaching to the test; and to replace teachers who just aren’t helping kids learn.

We also know that when students aren’t allowed to walk away from their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma. So tonight, I call on every State to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.

When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college. At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July. Extend the tuition tax credit we started that saves middle-class families thousands of dollars. And give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work-study jobs in the next five years.

Of course, it’s not enough for us to increase student aid. We can’t just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition; we’ll run out of money. States also need to do their part, by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets. And colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down. Recently, I spoke with a group of college presidents who’ve done just that. Some schools re-design courses to help students finish more quickly. Some use better technology. The point is, it’s possible. So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education can’t be a luxury – it’s an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.

Let’s also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hardworking students in this country face another challenge: The fact that they aren’t yet American citizens. Many were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation. Others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else.

That doesn’t make sense.

I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. That’s why my Administration has put more boots on the border than ever before. That’s why there are fewer illegal crossings than when I took office.

The opponents of action are out of excuses. We should be working on comprehensive immigration reform right now. But if election-year politics keeps Congress from acting on a comprehensive plan, let’s at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, and defend this country. Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away.

and later in the speech he said:

I’m a Democrat. But I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: That Government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more. That’s why my education reform offers more competition, and more control for schools and States.

Dear Friend of MeckEd,

I hope you enjoyed last week’s Menu of Options. Our hope is that you will use this resource to become more engaged with local schools and students. If you missed last week’s e-Newsletter, you can view the information here.

There has been much community dialogue in the past two weeks about our new school board member, Reverend Amelia Stinson-Wesley. This week’s For Your Consideration is an editorial from the Charlotte Observer that reiterates why it is so critical for the school board to communicate regularly and work together effectively. Read it here.

Read the January 18th e-Newsletter

By Israel Balderas
Fox Charlotte
January 10, 2012

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A new Charlotte-Mecklenburg School board gets down to business, with drastic changes in store. Members are suppose to be non-partisan, but the majority are Democrats. A change in education policy could result in a tug-of-war between urban and suburban  schools.

“I would like see CMS look at it as one big district and hopefully that will happen, and change is always good,” said school mom Deanna Hill.

“We have a lot of good in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and a lot of good things to work with, but there’s definitely improvements that need to be made,” said Kelly Coley from Cotswold.

Two moms with sons attending second grade.  Coley’s goes to Myers Park Traditional. Hill is a Long Creek Elementary parent.

As new board members begin to chart a new course for the district, both are watching closely.

“And how the team is going to work together and how its going to look going forward,” said Coley, especially since we’re still searching for a superintendent.”

“Just coming to see to make sure we have equal opportunity across the board, for the students,” said Hill.

The first item for the board to tackle – the district’s budget. And one word sums up what Interim Superintendent Hugh Hattabaugh wants: more! As in more money, more teachers, and more resources for schools.

“Our employees have been doing a whole lot with less,” said CMS Board Vice-Chairperson Mary McCray. “So, its time that we reward them.”

From raises to smaller classrooms, the district plans to ask for $37 million dollars above its current budget. It’s a dramatic change from last year’s CMS board that emphasized school accountability.

“And the bottom line is, do we trust our principals to have the flexibility to put in place what is needed, at their schools or do we want it more top down driven by the board?” said CMS board member Tim Morgan.

While in public, board members say they hope to work together, the new Democratic majority is shifting priorities. That’s already leading to tensions behind the scenes.

A change in education policy and philosophy will impact who becomes the superintendent and how and where the district spends money.

After the board selected a Democrat to represent a mostly Republican suburban district, there’s renewed talk of splitting the school district in two. The concern is that funding priorities may shift to urban schools.

Dr. Bill Anderson with MeckEd says superintendent candidates are watching how the board interacts.

“Many of these candidates who got elected talked about trust. So, its going to be real important that we behave in such a way that trust is earned.”

The next CMS budget work session takes place January 24th.

As for the superintendent search, board members received a candidate profile during their first public meeting, and they were told recruiting should begin at the end of the month.

Watch Executive Director Bill Anderson discuss MeckEd’s involvement with TEDxCharlotteEd.

January 5, 2012
Davidson News.Net

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board Members on Thursday voted to appoint Rev. Amelia Stinson-Wesley as the board representative for District 6. A United Methodist minister and Pineville Elementary parent, Rev. Stinson-Wesley was one of 12 candidates vying for the seat and will be sworn in Jan. 10.

She fills the seat left by board member Tim Morgan, who on Nov. 8 was elected as one of the three At-Large board members.

In her application, Ms. Stinson-Wesley said:

“I am committed to public education; I believe that our schools, particularly our public ones are where basic citizenship is fostered. I am committed to this community and its future; with the impending selection of a new school superintendent, I want to be involved in this community and the decisions that affect my children, our children collectively and the future for us all.”

Ms. Stinson-Wesley founded World Connections for Women in 1998 and serves as its director. She holds a master of divinity from Duke University and a bachelor of arts degree from Meredith College. Also, she has been a member of the Mecklenburg County Child Protection team, a member and chairperson of the Burke County Task Force on Domestic Violence and a member of the Burke County Child Fatality/Child Protection teams.

District 6 includes Pineville, Matthews, Mint Hill and parts of southeast Charlotte.

VIDEO: CMS School Board appoints Rev. Amelia Stinson-Wesley to fill District 6 seat
Courtesy of News 14 Carolina