The former President taught America about the meaning of “is,” maybe he can help the Powers That Be in Charlotte with the meaning of “no.”
Manifestly smart people like CMS school board vice chair Kit Cramer are pretending not to understand the voters’ resounding rejection of the $427 million school bond.
“This community is divided,” school board vice chair Kit Cramer said Wednesday night, “and I’m at a loss for what to do.”
First thing, the community is not divided. A 57 to 43 margin is not a squeaker.
As for what to do, how about trying exactly the opposite of what you have been doing? That would mean stop pretending that more money will solve all of CMS’ problems. Stop trying to hold the suburbs hostage build the schools they need and have paid for with their property taxes. Admit that Equity-Equity Plus II-Focus plans that have routed up to 30 percent more per student to low-performing schools — roughly $9500 per kid vs. $7500 district wide — have not worked and new facilities for those schools is no magic bullet either. Admit that CMS teachers are pretty good and are not the problem with low performance.
But CMS is not going down that route. CMS is going to have a “work session” to probe the “root causes” of the bond rejection. CMS is also evidently trying to clam up until they decide what to do. That is not going to work either.
