The following article was included in the June 9, 2021, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with original local news and information. Find out more.
CMS pushes back opening of Waddell to coordinate assignment plans with new Ballantyne-area high school
Some south Charlotte parents are claiming a small victory, after Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools let it be known Tuesday that it’s postponing a decision on shifting school assignment plans that would have affected some families in the Myers Park and South Mecklenburg zones.
In a letter to principals, the district said it plans to postpone reopening Waddell High School until the fall of 2023, in order to have time to coordinate attendance zone changes with the planned opening of a new high school in the Ballantyne area. Waddell was to reopen in the fall of 2022 as a full magnet program, but the district last month suggested:
moving South Meck’s World Languages magnet program to Waddell; and
switching a portion of students from the Carmel Middle/Myers Park attendance area to South Meck
Instead, the district said Tuesday, it will reopen Waddell a year later and decide earlier than usual on boundaries for the new high school planned off Johnston Road near I-485 north of Ballantyne. Some parents had worried that back-to-back assignment changes would create instability, and school board members voiced some of those same concerns — though one member, Carol Sawyer, said south Charlotte parent advocacy smacked of “privilege and entitlement.” Those school assignment decisions will now be consolidated, with the board now expected to vote on those before June 2022.
“The adjusted timing allows for additional community engagement related to the programs for Waddell and allows us to consider relief scenarios for Myers Park and South Meck which include the new South Charlotte Relief HS,” the district said in a message to principals.
CMS board member Margaret Marshall, who represents the south Charlotte district with those schools, told The Ledger in an email: “I am glad that we are taking more time to look at data as we begin the school year in August and to have more face to face engagement around boundaries.”
Parent reaction: South Meck parent Staci McBride, who was helping lead the charge to preserve her school’s languages magnet, said she’s glad CMS is taking a comprehensive approach.
“We are really pleased that they are taking the time to evaluate broader impacts to the whole district,” she said.
The new south Charlotte high school will likely require changing school boundaries affecting South Meck, Myers Park, Ardrey Kell and possibly Providence high schools. Brace yourselves for those discussions.
The site of a new south Charlotte high school (where the red dot is) will require shifting school attendance boundaries. The school board is expected to make a decision on south Charlotte school assignment by June 2022.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Reporting intern: Lindsey Banks