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'The African-American kids are on a slow educational genocide' | Charlotte community demands better for CMS minority students

Community members say current CMS leadership may not be responsible for low-performing schools, but it is their responsibility to make it a priority to fix it.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mecklenburg County recently made the decision to withhold millions of dollars from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools unless the district can come up with a plan to improve more than 40 of the lowest-performing schools. 

On Monday, community members spoke out about the issue at a rally at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, demanding better from CMS.

"We stand with those students who are frustrated and feel this emptiness in their gut when they get up in the morning to go to school and they know they can’t read,” said Reverend Dr. Dennis Williams with the African-American Faith Alliance for Educational Advancement, who put on the event. "How would you feel going to school every single day, and everybody who looks like you is on the bottom?”

According to data from CMS, the failure rate in English rose from 8% to 22% for Black students, and from 8% to 25% for Hispanic students over the past year. The failure rate for white and Asian students only rose one to two percentage points. Similar statistics were found with math and science.

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"The African-American kids are on a slow educational genocide," Williams said. "The numbers are too bad for us to stick our heads in the sand and do nothing."

"My plan is to ask the school board to do something for me, and that is to send the students from Providence High School over to West Charlotte for one month,” Mecklenburg County Commissioner Vilma Leake said.

Providence High School is majority white with low poverty, and one of the best schools in the district. West Charlotte High School is low performing and majority Black with high poverty.

"Forty-two schools in Mecklenburg County are failing schools and that’s where Black children go to school,” Leake said. "You’ve got 9th graders that can’t read, you’ve got seniors that can’t read. They’re sending the weakest teachers to the weakest children.”

North Carolina School Report Cards data shows that there are more beginning teachers at high-poverty schools in the district.

“Majority of them are graduating from high school they're not ready for college, they're not ready for a career, so what are they going to do?” Williams asked.

Francis Sio, a 21-year-old with The Hot Seat Charlotte, said it’s sending students down the wrong path.

"We see it firsthand every day," Sio said.

Sio said students aren’t made to believe they can achieve, and some stop trying.

"If you don’t go to school and you're outside, there’s going to be people that accept you, and more times than not they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do either,” Sio said.

William said it’s why this isn’t a school problem but a community problem.

"CMPD can’t stop the killing until CMS stops miseducating our kids,” Williams said. 

Last week, county manager Dena Diorio announced $56 million would be restricted from the district in the county’s budget until the district could provide a plan to help lower-performing schools.

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CMS did not reply to a request for comment but previously stated the denial of funding was disappointing, and will adversely affect the students and staff.

Leake said that funding wouldn’t impact teachers, but top district officials.

"It’s about making sure we hold you accountable for why we elected you to educate all children,” Leake said.

Community members say current CMS leadership may not be responsible for low-performing schools, but it is their responsibility to make it a priority to fix it.

Contact Lana Harris at lharris@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and on Instagram.

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