CMS Stays Intact (For Now)

Yesterday in the NC House, the Education Committee killed a bill to put the deconsolidation of Charlotte-Mecklenbury Schools (CMS), the state's largest school district, on the local ballot in November. CMS critics argue that the district's size leads to overcrowded classrooms and a bureaucracy unresponsive to parental concerns, and want it split up into several smaller disticts.

Is deconsolidation a good idea in the abstract? I doubt it, but I'm open to hearing the argument. But I'm quite certain that deconsolidation in this particular case would be done badly. All the pressure for the split-up is coming from the newer, more affluent suburbs, who want to formally separate themselves from the older, poorer Charlotte city center. Any new district map would be drawn accordingly.

I can understand why some people leave the city in search of larger back yards and lower property taxes (although I'm not one of them). But leaving the city limits doesn't mean you leave the Charlotte community. An interdependence exists between city and suburb (and, increasingly, exurb). If anything, the level of integration in the metropolitan area should be greater than it is now to enable the kind of consistent, planned "smart growth" that will keep the area moving forward.

All school systems have problems. Suburban parents might think that they will benefit from succession, but a few things are clear looking at the experiences of other cities. First, today's suburbs are tomorrow's urban neighborhoods, and modern schools eventually become old and outdated. Second, when suburbs begin to abandon the city, the quality of life for the whole community degrades. I hope Charlotte can learn from history and avoid the mistakes other cities have made.