CMS Community Forum Outcome

Well, for those who did not attend the forum on Monday...it was quite a show!  Just two hours before the scheduled start of the forum, CMS announced a new proposal to move Smith to Harding and to keep Waddell open, since it is a neighborhood school and not a magnet.  To view the details of the new proposal click here.  While this new announcement was good news for Waddell it was bad news for Harding and for many of the Smith families who would prefer to stay in their current facility.    

Members of our group stepped out of the auditorium to take part in a smaller focus group to discuss other schools on the CMS list which includes Pinewood Elementary and their need for "targeted assistance" due to a "perception issue."  After the discussion, Jarrett Hunt spoke with Tyler Ream and Scott McCully and it was determined that we will not see the changes we desire for Madison Park during the vote for the upcoming school year.  However, Tyler seemed optimistic that we would be more likely to have an impact when budget cuts and school closings are not at the forefront of the debate.

So, with that being said, that leaves us with our efforts being focused on Pinewood, which will always be our neighborhood elementary school.  We can have a direct positive impact on the success of Pinewood if we commit to sending our children there and contribute our time and efforts as a community.  If you are interested, you can start now by signing up to volunteer at Pinewood.  The CMS volunteer form can be found here.

     

Proposed Boundary Changes Posted

The CMS site has posted the proposed boundary changes for all of the changes that are currently being discussed including the changes to Waddell should Smith move to their facility.  Madison Park is zoned for Harding as the proposal stands now.  Click here to view the map and the staff proposal on pages 8 & 9 of the PDF.

***REMINDER CMS Forum Tomorrow night, 10/25, 6-8pm***

Tomorrow night, from 6-8PM, our CMS Community Forum will be held at South Mecklenburg High School, 8900 Park Road 28210.

Jarrett Hunt will present our proposal to be zoned for Myers Park or South Meck to the BOE during the session.  We plan to show our support by holding signs that read "Madison Park Supports Neighborhood Schools" and by wearing our Madison Park T-shirts.

We hope to see you there!

***REMINDER to RSVP for the Pinewood Community Cruise 10/25 10AM***

Next Monday, October 25th at 10AM, Trish Sexton, Principal of Pinewood Elementary, has invited our community to tour the school while it is in session.  Come see for yourself what Pinewood has to offer!  Childcare will be available during the tour.  

RSVP is required for this event.  Please e-mail lisacharde@earthlink.net or call 646-299-8661 if you would like to attend or need more info.

CMS Update/Madison Park Neighborhood effort

Well...the blog has been silent for a few days...but that does not mean that things are not happening and happening quickly! 

• Jarrett Hunt succeeded in getting Madison Park some press in the Charlotte Observer on 10/6.  You can read the article here. 
• We had a GREAT turnout for our neighborhood meeting (10/6) to discuss our schools and a lot of information was shared.  Almost 100 Madison Park neighbors came to get updated and to find out how to get involved!
• We are continuing to meet with Board members face to face and meetings with Joyce Waddell (10/8) and Richard McElrath (10/11) were held to discuss our situation and the concerns of our neighborhood.
• Leslie Brooks has calls scheduled with Eric Davis and Trent Merchant scheduled for later this week and she is continuing her efforts to speak with others board members as well.
• An update on our neighborhood school movement was presented at the HOA meeting on 10/11.     

Stay tuned for more info on our next action plans!  We still plan to appear at the October 25 community forum although we hear it will be total chaos as this is the forum that will focus on the proposed closing of Waddell.

Meeting tomorrow night 10/6, 7:30pm at Pinewood ***Reminder***

A quick reminder of the meeting tomorrow night (10/6), 7:30-8:30pm at Pinewood Elementary.  The meeting will be held in the Media Center at the front entrance of the building.

We will discuss the information obtained over the last few weeks regarding the support of Pinewood as a neighborhood/home school and the possibility of rezoning part or all of Madison Park to the Myers Park HS district.

Please come out and show your support, get updated, and find out what you can do to help and be a part of the movement.  Final school board votes on November 9^th, so things are moving fast! 

Notes from Eric Davis Meeting

From Lisa Charde:

The meeting with Eric Davis yesterday morning went well.  He played his cards close to his chest, but he offered some answers and suggestions for the group, and said he appreciated meeting with us.

Our Questions/Discussion with Eric fell into 3 categories:
1. What does "targeted assistance" mean for Pinewood and our community?
2. With our feeder high school closing, what is the new middle/high school track for Pinewood?
3. How will the board make their decisions and how can our community influence the decisions?

#1.  Eric had no specific information to share with us about what targeted assistance will mean at our school.  BOE has given this designation, but Pinewood Principal will be addressing the three targeted assistance subcategories (School Improvement Plan, Perception, Addressing Mobility Issues, i.e. transient student population who move among schools). We can get involved by joining the leadership Council at Pinewood.

#2.  No decisions have been made about Pinewood's new track.  First the Board will decide how to disperse Wadell's population and then work backwards to the middle school assignments. 

#3.  Meeting such as this one today will help our cause.  He recommended meeting with other Board Members, attending the Oct 12 BOE meeting, and consolidating communication for our cause when approaching the board.

Other comments he made that can help guide us moving forward:
--Our strongest case for reassignment to a better track is *Proximity*--work that angle
--He said our timing is good to make our case to the board as things are in flux with the closing of Waddell
--Continue to be organized in our approach.
--Don't flood the BOE with emails this is not effective.
--Look at CMS website tab to see Pinewood zone map and dot map