CMS is bursting at the seams

[voyager12]

There were some dire descriptions of CMS growth and other nearby district overcrowding in today's Observer. "Huntersville's North Mecklenburg High, the state's largest school, now has 3,140 students, with 69 mobile classrooms stretching a building designed for just over 1,600 kids".

"At an elementary school in Lincoln County, students sometimes eat lunch at their desks when the cafeteria is used for an additional gym class."

"In Fort Mill, S.C., Orchard Park Elementary has an enrollment freeze, so students who move nearby get bused to a different part of town."

"No Carolinas district added more students than Wake, where enrollment swelled by a record 7,556 students. The system now has 128,070 students, putting it on pace to pass CMS and become the state's largest school system by next year."

There are no easy answers. The same problem is found in fast growing communities natiowide. Planning ahead for anticipated growth is important but the schools usually overexceed capacity right after the doors open and then the trailers appear, classes in mobiles is not a fun way to experience school especially when it rains and leaks on your head

[nyxmike]

Why haven't they built a new high school in North Mecklenburg? I can't understand that. I know they are building the new Mallard Creek High, but that is more in the University Area. Cornelius and Davidson are nice towns, but it must be terrible going all the way to North Meck High. They need another high school up there.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

I find it surprising that Wake is about to become bigger than CMS. They are supposedly doing a decent job even with the sizeable student population.

[krazeeboi]

I've heard that Fort Mill needs 5 new elementary schools, 2 new middle schools, and 1 new high school. The growth in that area is incredible.

[monsoon]

The article makes mention that CMS is being abandoned by the White middle class in vast numbers which may be one of the reasons that Wake is no doubt going to be larger. Whites make of 65% of Mecklenburg, but the White population of CMS has dropped to something like 36% and is still going down. It's a shame because CMS used to be a model for a well run school that did not need to focus on race.

On the earlier question as to why N. Meck is so crowded. That is because CMS has not invested in building schools in the suburbs. Most of it is due to racial reasons, as the urban dominated school board looked to punish the suburbs because they brought the successful lawsuit that ended school ordered busing. Nobody will actually say this, but the fact that Velma Leake would threaten to turn her vacant house that she isn't keeping up, into a section 8 home is testimate enough on how she likes to play the race card. The suburban schools have been neglected for some time.

Because CMS has had it so good for so long, nobody yet realizes how a decaying school system is going to take down this county in terms of its development. We are seeing the first signs of it now, but when the day comes when CMS is primairly a school system of poor students and illegals, we will see a repeat of what happened to Atlanta in the 70s and 80s. Everybody else will put their kids into private schools or move out of the county.

[Rufus]

Wake is suffering from the same problem as CMS. The city is in need for somewhere in the range of 20 new schools just to handle the current enrollment. in a few years that number will swell greater. another problem is the fact that because of the lack of space Wake COunty has said that it will convert some 30 schools to a year-round schedule, meeting fierce opposition to families. either way, year-round has got to be done in some cases along with building new schools. another problem is in the fact that a new school was made out of the Dubois Center here in Wake County and major opposition followed, including some racial discrimination, and another school is having to be made out of an old Winn-Dixie grocery store.

as voyager12 stated, this problem is not unique to this area or the nation. In some cases, though, schools have been built to accomodate 5,000 students and others have become completely year-round systems. a good example is in the Las Vegas school system, where i think it is completely year-round for a school system that is adding larger numbers than any system in the country.