CHARLOTTE, N.C. — District leaders with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools gave their annual back-to-school briefing on Tuesday, less than a week before the first day of school in Charlotte.
Tuesday's briefing happened at the new Knights View Elementary School in south Charlotte. In addition to Knights View Elementary, CMS will also open the doors at Ballantyne Ridge High School this year. With 100 classrooms and 25 students per class, CMS leaders say the $159 million school will have a huge impact on families in the area.
CMS also warned parents about bus delays due to the ongoing driver shortage. The district is currently trying to fill around 35 vacancies while another 47 are on some type of leave. Transportation Director Adam Johnson said CMS has quite a few drivers in the pipeline to be hired and hopes to have 10 trainees on board for the first day of school.
Johnson says with the driver vacancies, families can expect a 15-20 minute delay. To help keep things as smooth as possible, CMS is urging parents to remind students of their address and bus number.
"If they could put a tag in their book bag or attach it to their backpack, that helps the driver know where the student should go," Johnson explained.