Hello All!
I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful spring break! While we were out, CMS has been working on new scenarios that will be revealed Wednesday night at Ardrey Kell and Thursday night at Providence. Both meetings are at 6:30 pm.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! PLEASE ATTEND! PLEASE SPEAK UP!
South Meck parents have been vocal and given their numbers from a high school compared to ours as an elementary school, their voices are being heard over our own. We need to email, call, and show up at the meetings. The School Board vote will be delayed once again until June, and that gives us additional time to advocate for our kids.
Latest scenarios have High SES at South Meck increasing from 30% to 56%! So what's going on here?
Previously SM parents advocated for a 33-33-33 split of SES at their school. Now, SM parents and the Planning Board are advocating busing students to and out of the current SM zone to accomplish this High SES number. Students will attend schools further away from their closest home school to increase High SES to 56% at South Meck. This is NOT right! ALL students deserve the opportunity to attend their neighborhood school. Guiding Principles need to be followed for all students - not just some. Busing ended in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in 2001. CMS cannot pick and choose which schools they feel they want to bus children to balance out SES. 56% High SES exceeds a "balanced" approach to SES and removing students from their current schools to achieve such high SES at SM is wrong.
What about Sharon/AG families? Should they be worried?
The short answer is YES! My friend Katherine has outlined the reasons why, but we are aware that neighborhoods close to our Sharon AG/Carmel border have been identified as possible neighborhoods that can be shifted to Carmel. Many of you have reached out to me with this concern, and you are right to be concerned. It is now a scenario that would not just switch you to Carmel, but also to South Meck.
What's the solution?
Advocate for ALL of Sharon to remain at Myers Park. We need our Sharon/AG friends to speak up and speak LOUD to advocate for our whole school. We should not be neighbor against neighbor - we are all Sharon families, going to the same neighborhood pools, play on the same sports teams, carpool, and trick or treat together - let's all remain Myers Park Mustangs and support each other. We all have the same goal in mind and we are stronger together!
I understand there are a few that would prefer to go to SM, and some are already sending their children there because they have the ability to CHOOSE to be there through the magnet program, but for those of you that do not, please contact me. There are things you can do to advocate for your children's education. I have data that shows over and over again a change in our feeder is not necessary, nor in the best interest of our current students. Guiding Principles do matter. Holding politicians accountable does matter. If they aren't held accountable now to follow their own principles and not just what feels right at the moment or follow who speaks the loudest, then they won't be accountable later when it may be something you don't like. I can be reached at lagmom@gmail.com or text me at 980-297-6030.
Laura
Please take a look at Katherine's thoughtful email to our Sharon/AG families below...
Does This Matter for Sharon/AG? Yes!!
The school reassignment discussion continues and ramps up this week. The question comes up to how it relates to Sharon/AG neighborhoods, so here you go.
Currently the plan shows Sharon/Carmel being reassigned to South Meck. So why should Sharon/AG take note? If they want to stay at Myers Park, here is how the current discussion affects them.
Any of the scenarios that put any of Sharon at South Meck is likely to bring more of Sharon to South Meck by 2025 or 2026. I’ll define “more of Sharon” in three categories. (A) All those south of Sharonview (Sharon Woods, Winding Brook, Town and Country, etc.), (B) all south of Fairview (everyone in A plus Governor’s Square, Foxcroft East, etc), or (C) all of Sharon which is slightly less likely, but still possible.
I repeat, any scenario that puts any of Sharon at South Meck is likely to bring more of Sharon to South Meck in the next few years. Why?
South Charlotte Middle will be increasing from 40 to 54 classrooms and CMS is building a new middle school relief school. When students are pulled to those schools that creates more room at other middle schools (including Carmel). The first place CMS looks to pull students from are split feeder patterns, which is obviously us, especially with our messy and unfortunately contentious middle school split. The fact that AG is overcrowded makes Sharon/AG a likely target as well. When pulling more Sharon students to Carmel they would come from A, B, or C above. CMS isn’t going to make a third feeder pattern within Sharon, meaning they will not create:
Sharon/AG/Myers Park
Sharon/Carmel/Myers Park
Sharon/Carmel/South Meck
This means it will put everyone in the “new” Sharon/Carmel zone wherever Sharon/Carmel gets assigned to high school this year.
Now it’s time to ask yourself which high school you want that to be. South Meck or Myers Park. If Myers Park is your answer, the next two months are critical to you.
Two important things to note:
- Multiple CMS board members from outside our district have taken note of the border between Sharon/AG and Sharon/Carmel. That area has been in discussion and circled on maps.
- CMS board member Lisa Cline FULLY SUPPORTS all of Sharon staying at Myers Park. She says this openly as well as amongst the board. She says our best path towards this both now and for the future is uniting all of Sharon to stay at Myers Park.
So far “Keep Sharon at Myers Park” yard signs have been popping up all throughout the Sharon/Carmel zone. Sharon/Carmel parents are writing letters and speaking at meetings. What A, B, and C above don’t realize is that it is just as important to their future assignment. And by jumping in to support Sharon/Carmel remaining at Myers Park, it’s not only the supportive thing to do for your Sharon friends (which would be amazing), but it directly affects your school assignment as well. It’s how you stay at Myers Park too!
Email me for info or for how to get on our Facebook page. Email me for a yard sign. Getting some signs and support in the rest of Sharon Elementary areas will speak volumes to the community and the school board.
Katherine Weikel
weikelkt@gmail.com