CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Charlotte Mecklenburg School district will lose far fewer teachers and staff members than first-feared, based on higher than expected funding from both Mecklenburg County and the State of North Carolina.
Because of higher funding, CMS plans to bring back 1052 teachers and other staff members. The district will also be able to fully fund teaching assistants and Bright Beginnings classes, according to a CMS spokeswoman.
By the numbers, the additional funding will preserve 260 teachers in grades 4-12, 146 more teachers based on weighted-school staffing, 164 support positions, 328 teaching assistants, and 154 positions associated with Bright Beginnings.
“This is good news for our students, our families and our staff,” said school board Chairman Eric Davis.
The worst-case scenario originally projected cuts of more than 1500 positions. Based on new totals, CMS will likely lose around 460 positions for the upcoming school year.
The re-hiring and preservation of CMS jobs is made possible based on higher-than-expected funding at both the state and the county level.
CMS had been projected a loss of $70 million in state funding. Instead, based on the Republican-led budget overriding Gov. Bev Perdue's veto, CMS lost $43 million. That is $27 million that CMS did not expect to receive.
In addition, CMS received $26 million more than projected from Mecklenburg County.
All told, that is $53 million more than CMS expected. However, the school district is still cutting almost $50 million more for the upcoming fiscal year.
