That didn’t last very long.
Mecklenburg Citizens for Public Education’s supposed neutrality on the CMS bond package is out the window. Look for full support of the bond in the near future from the group, which essentially out-sourced the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce’s traditional role as bond-backer and merged it with the reform efforts of the CMS Task Force when MCPE was formed last year.
Chairman Jim Woodward ran into a buzz saw when he recently said the group would not be ready to take a position on the $620 bond package in time for the November vote. The message from both within and without his group came back — well get ready dammit!
And think about it, if taking no position on the bonds was seen as unacceptably negative, what position is left for MCPE to take? If you said, “Support the CMS bonds” you win a cookie.
So here is tomorrow’s news today.
First, the Mecklenburg County Commission will chop $50 million or so from the package, in order to get below the $600 million number. Recall that the Chamber was polling on this very topic recently. CMS board will squeal and complain about the move, but ultimately accept it. Meanwhile, MCPE will “study” the issue of CMS bonds. The “study” will find the bond will fund “critical needs” at CMS and thus MCPE will endorse it. By Labor Day everyone will be marching in lockstep behind a $500 million plus school bond.
This is how things get done in Charlotte.
Bonus Observation: The reform element of MCPE is on life-support at this point. Unless the group can agree on something — anything — to actually push CMS to change, to improve MCPE will just be a thinly-veiled CMS front-group.
