📝 Chalk Talk: End of Year Wrap-Up
We’ve made it to the finish line! As we close out the 2024-2025 school year, I want to send a heartfelt THANK YOU to every student, teacher, staff member, and caregiver who showed up and poured their energy into making this year a success. This work isn’t easy, but it’s worth it—and you’ve proven that day after day.
To the CMS Class of 2025, congratulations! This milestone is one you’ve earned through resilience, hard work, and determination. I’m proud of you, and I can’t wait to see what you do next.
💡 Celebrating What Matters: Student Outcomes
This year, the Board celebrated 289 students at our regular meetings for their academic excellence. That’s 289 moments of joy shared with families, teachers, and the entire CMS community—because when our students succeed, we all win.
Our board continues to focus on Student Outcome Focused Governance (SOFG) goals: early literacy, math proficiency, and college/career readiness. These are at the heart of the 2024–2029 Strategic Plan, and everything we do is tied to helping every student thrive.
💰 Fully Funded: 2025-2026 CMS Budget
Big win—Mecklenburg County approved our full $667 million budget request for the upcoming school year. That’s nearly one-third of the district’s total budget and represents a growing recognition of how vital our schools are.
Here’s what that means in real dollars:
- Raises for Staff: 5% increase in teacher supplements (~$8M), and implementation of the first two phases of the Classified Compensation Study to address long-standing pay disparities.
- Teacher Development: $2.3M added for professional learning and growth.
- Student Tech Access: $2M to ensure every student has their own digital device for learning.
📣 Speaking Up for CMS
We’ve spent the spring amplifying the voices of our students and staff at every level of government.
- Legislative Breakfast (May 2): We met with NC General Assembly members to share our district priorities.
- General Assembly Visit (May 21): Several board members met with nearly two dozen legislators to push for better pay, calendar flexibility, and critical student health screenings.
This kind of relationship-building matters. It puts CMS on the map and helps ensure our needs are seen, heard, and acted upon.
📚 Key Policy Updates
This school year, the board revised, created, or retired 40 policies—all focused on supporting our students better.
Some important ones:
- Strategic Partnerships: Ensures partnerships align with CMS values and legal standards.
- Student Assignment Plan (School Options Lottery): Guarantees siblings are prioritized in lotteries for magnet and home schools.
- Students Experiencing Homelessness & Foster Care: Strengthens supports and protections for students navigating these challenges.
🏛 Legislative Priorities + Where We Stand
Here’s where the major state-level issues affecting CMS stand right now:
🧑🏫 Teacher Pay
- The Senate’s proposed raises? A one-time bonus and under 5% over three years—not enough.
- The House proposal offers an average 8.7% increase, which we do support.
- Why it matters: NC is currently 43rd in teacher pay. Many CMS teachers can’t afford rent in Charlotte. This is not sustainable.
📆 Calendar Flexibility
- We support Senate Bill 754, which allows us to start the school year one week earlier.
- This small shift lets us end the first semester before winter break, helping students perform better and take real time to rest.
👓 Dental, Hearing & Vision Screenings
- Screenings are down significantly due to the opt-in requirement in SB49.
- We support SB 729, which switches back to an opt-out system so kids don’t fall through the cracks simply because of paperwork.
🏛 Title VI Certification
- CMS certified compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, as required. This doesn’t mean we stop pushing for equity—it just means we continue to navigate federal expectations with our students in mind.
🏫 Cuts to Federal DEI-Associated Grants
- CMS lost $5M+ in grants, including programs for teacher leadership and recruitment at high-need schools.
- These weren’t just “DEI programs”—they were key to teacher retention and student success.
- We’re actively working to find new funding sources.
🚨 Update: Federal Funds Withheld for Critical Education Programs
I have seen lots of questions and concerns about this. I am concerned too. We are following as this develops very closely. Here is what we know so far.
At the eleventh hour—on June 30—the U.S. Department of Education announced a sudden decision to pause nearly $6.8 billion in federal funding for public education. This money was already approved by Congress in the FY 2025 Continuing Resolution and was expected to be distributed by July 1, as required by law.
This decision impacts key programs that CMS staff had already planned for and budgeted to directly support our students:
- Title I-C: Migrant education
- Title II-A: Professional development and teacher training
- Title III-A: English language learner support
- Title IV-A: Academic enrichment
- Title IV-B: Before- and after-school programming
These are not “extras”—they are essential services. These funds impact everything from reading and math intervention to after-school care, multilingual learner support, and educator professional growth.
CMS—like districts across the country—was blindsided by this pause. On July 2, we connected with staff from Senator Thom Tillis’s office and Representative Alma Adams’s office, both of whom had reached out to the U.S. Department of Education for clarity. They were redirected to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), who shared only this vague response:
“Given the change in Administrations, the Department is reviewing the FY 2025 funding for the grant program(s)… [and] will not be issuing Grant Award Notifications obligating funds for these programs on July 1 prior to completing that review.”
In short: the money is being held until further notice, and we’ve had no additional updates since.
👉 How this impacts CMS:
- Over 268 jobs are tied to these funds
- That’s more than $12 million CMS had already planned for—and now can’t access
This delay threatens critical programs and staff our students rely on every day.
CMS has already begun budget planning and programming for the new school year based on these funds. This delay creates instability not just in our finances, but in the services our students rely on.
We will continue to push for answers—and for the full, timely release of the funds Congress already approved.
📣 How You Can Help
Call on federal leaders to release the funds:
Stay informed:
Use your voice: #FundOurSchools #NoMoreDelays #SupportPublicEd
📈 Looking Ahead: Academic Goals
We’re not just coasting—we’re aiming higher. These are our targets for June 2026 (with 2029 goals in parentheses):
- Early Literacy (K-2): 79% at or above benchmark (→ 91% by 2029)
- Reading CCR (Grades 3-8): 40% CCR (→ 50%)
- Math I CCR: 42% CCR (→ 57%)
- Graduate + Enrolled, Enlisted, or Employed: 78% (→ 85%)
To hit these, we need great teachers in every classroom. That’s why pay, training, and retention are at the top of our budget and advocacy work.
🌟 Final Thought
This year brought challenges—and victories. Through it all, our focus stayed on what matters most: student success. Thank you for staying informed, showing up, and believing in what public education can be.
Have a safe and restful summer—and stay tuned.
Together in Partnership,
Melissa Easley
CMS School Board District 1 Representative
