CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Dr. Peter Gorman said Friday that he's never seen a budget crisis like the one the district is facing now.
Gorman focused on the district's money woes during his "State of Our Schools" address, which he gave at the Government Center in uptown Charlotte Friday morning.
Gorman said CMS is losing about $150 million in funding.
Because of the budget crisis, CMS is considering closing some schools next year.
In protest of a plan to close their school, about 500 Harding High School students walked out of class Thursday. They stood arm-in-arm, asking CMS to save their school.
Gorman said Friday morning that school closings are inevitable.
"We've cut from district office. We've cut from transportation. We've cut from support operations. We've cut teachers. We've cut site based administrators. We've cut counselors. We've cut media specialists. We've cut in virtually every area," Gorman said.
The news during Gorman's address wasn't all negative. The superintendent said CMS' graduation rate this year increased from 64 to 69 percent, and 108 schools reached "high growth" compared to only 16 in 2005.
Gorman proposed that CMS needs to start paying teachers based more on performance, not just years of teaching or credentials.
