‘We want balance.’ Tensions persist over latest south Charlotte school boundaries draft

At a bistro in upscale SouthPark, a group of women meets, some for the first time, connecting.

They are mothers on a mission.

Their kids, in one way or another, will be impacted after Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools redraws boundaries in the southern part of the county. They’ve found common ground amid discord and fractured neighborhoods — repercussions of families fighting to stay in the schools they love.

“We’re not just fighting for our own kids,” says Amy Morrison, a mother of three children who would ultimately attend South Mecklenburg High. “We believe in diversity and inclusion. We’re invested in this. CMS needs to get this done right.”

Overcrowded high schools and the need to populate a fifth high school, set to open for the 2024-25 school year on North Community House Road, are among reasons why CMS wants to shift school boundary lines. But as officials make revisions — a second draft was unveiled last week — debates are heating up over who should have to make changes. Tensions are high.

The latest draft balances utilization and socioeconomic diversity at Ardrey Kell, Myers Park, Providence and South Mecklenburg high schools, which are in the more affluent “wedge” of the city’s crescent and wedge division pattern. It’s a balance that Morrison and the other moms in south Charlotte want.

For dozens of parents in the area, maintaining socioeconomic diversity is a priority. Socioeconomic status, or SES, includes household income and parents’ education level, among other factors.

“The feedback we received had SES as a primary component,” Dennis LaCaria told The Charlotte Observer. LaCaria is the executive director of facilities, planning and real estate for CMS. “Therefore we used SES diversity as our primary lens for this iteration.”

Eddie Perez, a media relations specialist with CMS, told The Observer that CMS’ staff is focused on developing a single scenario that will be presented to the board for consideration May 23, with a vote scheduled June 6.

CMS balances diversity

Karen Cannon, a mom of two who also met the other moms, along with Morrison, have children who attend Beverly Woods Elementary School on Quail Hollow Road. It’s a feeder school for Carmel Middle School, which feeds into South Mecklenburg High.

So far, boundary changes aren’t impacting them directly. But they worry about socioeconomic diversity at South Mecklenburg High amid other neighborhoods whose patterns could be changing.

“We want balance,” Cannon said. “We have been very careful to look only at the data provided by CMS to make sure we are using accurate figures and bring actual solutions to the board. We deal in facts, and the facts show balanced and diverse schools succeed.”

This school year, 47% of South Mecklenburg students are considered low income with another 30% as more affluent, according to CMS. Of the students at Myers Park, 19% are considered low income with another 56% as more affluent. Providence High and Ardrey Kell have the highest percentages of affluent students, with only 1% that are considered low income at both schools.

The newly released school boundaries’ draft better boosts diversity at three of the five schools, parents say.

“I hope that the differences between Draft 1 and Draft 2 indicate that we not only accepted feedback, but responded via the revisions that were made,” LaCaria said. “That is why it is so important that families submit their thoughts to our online feedback form.”

In the newest draft, South Mecklenburg High would have a student body made up of 57% high socioeconomic status, 13% middle socioeconomic status and 30% low income. Myers Park and the new high school would be better balanced, as well. Myers Park would be 46% high, 26% middle and 28% low socioeconomic status. The new high school would be 39% high, 35% middle and 26% low.

Ardrey Kell and Providence High would continue to have the highest percentage of high socioeconomic status students in south Charlotte and the lowest number of low income students. Ardrey Kell would be at 83% high, 17% middle and 0% low, and Providence would be 77% high, 23% middle and 0% low.

“We will take three balanced high schools in south Charlotte over none,” Cannon said.

Other changes

Proposed boundary changes for the new relief high school will impact seven middle schools and eight elementary schools, according to the latest draft. A new relief middle school also is planned for CMS, but won’t open until 2025-26.

The schools the new relief high school will impact include: Alexander Graham, Carmel, Community House, Jay M. Robinson, Quail Hollow, Rea Farms and South Charlotte middle schools; and Ballanytine, Endhaven, Huntingtowne Farms, McAlpine, Olde Providence, Pineville, Sharon and Sterling elementary schools.

Alexander Graham, Huntingtown Farms and Sterling are new additions to the list.

The new plan also does more to balance the use of classrooms, officials say. For example, this school year Ardrey Kell is at 136% utilization, South Mecklenburg is at 136% and Myers Park is at 123%. District officials say 130% utilization means every classroom in the building is in use for every period. Providence High is at 114% utilization.

In the 2025-26 school year, Ardrey Kell would be 130%, South Mecklenburg 136%, Myers Park 123%, Providence High 102% and the new high school 105%

Scott McCully is the district’s chief compliance officer, but he spent more than 15 years as the head of student assignment and planning for CMS. He told the Observer that part of the process is to expect heated dissension among parents and neighborhoods over shifting boundaries.

“The south Charlotte parents’ (uprising) is not the worst I’ve seen,” McCully said. “I remember when Ardrey Kell opened, that caused some outcry. Unfortunately, what’s going on now is standard operating procedure and we can’t make everyone happy.”

Morrison agreed, but says CMS finally has a chance to make “the wedge” equitable and diverse.

“They’re following through with what they said they want to do,” Morrison said of the new proposal. “It’s a step in the right direction.”