On Feb. 28, the CMS Board of Education voted to recommend the approval of a new capital improvement plan for the district. The package would invest nearly $3 billion in new improvement projects over five years, drastically reshaping schools across the district. CMS Interim Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill had previously introduced the proposal, and the district settled on a final plan after consulting with community members.
“If the bond passes, North Meck HS will have an onsite replacement of the school, including a comprehensive athletics package,” board chair Elyse Dashew said in a statement. “The estimated cost for this (accounting for estimated inflation) is $266 million.” Ms. Dashew explained that the package would also fund the construction of a new relief middle school in northern Mecklenburg County, as well as onsite replacements for Huntersville Elementary and Cornelius Elementary, among other projects.
The board advanced the measure by a nearly unanimous 8-1 vote, and all board members indicated they would advocate for the final package in the end.
Passage by the board was only the first hurdle for the enormous proposal. Next, the district will seek authorization from the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners later this spring. It will then need to be approved by the Local Government Commission, a state-level office under the N.C. Treasurer. If successful there, it will be sent to voters this November for final approval. It would be the largest school district bond referendum ever in North Carolina.
Such a project is, according to the district, long overdue. The superintendent explained that “while the bonds in 2007, 2013 and 2017 helped address capacity issues and increasing enrollment, aging facilities and capacity constraints still remain.”
In re-introducing the measure at the Feb. 28 meeting, Dr. Hill implored Board members to vote in favor: “Creating and sustaining a great community requires investment. Through this plan we have an opportunity to increase capacity as we significantly improve conditions at some of our oldest schools.” (Dr. Hill did not respond to a Viking Voice request for comment.)
“All of our students deserve a better situation,” said Melissa Easley, the Board member from District 1 (which includes North Mecklenburg). Other board members chimed in with their support.
The sentiment is reflected here on campus. Mr. Cook, English teacher of 13 years, said that North Mecklenburg “absolutely” needs an onsite replacement of the school. “One reason is just to have basic needs met, whether it’s heating and cooling, whether it’s functioning restrooms. And I think that individuals treat an environment as they see the environment,” he explained.
The sole dissenter, At-Large member Jennifer De La Jara, called for even more investment as she opposed the motion. “The truth is, I wish our approach had been different, and that we were asking for more,” she explained. “We need to ask ourselves why our community is so far behind.”
At the same time, though, non-voting student representative Laksha Ramkumar said that she knows how much of a difference the changes can make for students. “Eventually, the shortcomings of the quality of the buildings are going to catch up with students, staff, and the quality of education,” she said. Ms. Ramkumar drew on her experiences with inadequate facilities as she urged board members to vote in support.
During the process of selecting the projects which will receive funding, CMS eliminated nearly 100 candidates in two stages, reducing the total cost of the plan by more than $2 billion. In her remarks, Ms. De La Jara said that just the second set of cuts — which removed ten projects — “equate[s] to 7,000 students who won’t have an optimal learning environment,” even if the measure were to take effect.
While some criticized these cuts, other board members stressed the tremendous amount of good the proposal would do and argued that it was worth an attempt. The board members shared the sentiment of the old adage: “don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.”
It remains an open question whether the new plan will be good enough. 🆅