CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) laid out a timeline for its projects under their new bond referendum during a meeting with the state Board of Education.
Under this plan, $2.5 billion will go towards updating schools and making them safer for students as leaders say they’re working to fix underserved schools.
“It’s a challenge to keep maintaining something that’s way past its useful life," said Dennis LaCaria, the district's executive director for facilities planning and real estate. "If you have an air conditioner at your house that’s 20 years old and you have the option to replace it or try to keep the old one running, at some point, it doesn’t make sense to try to keep the old one running anymore."
The funding for this will come primarily from increased property taxes. LaCaria says the feedback from the community has been positive.
“We as a community, I think, demonstrate our commitment and the way we value public education. It’s important for us to make sure we create the best environment for our students to learn in and our staff to teach in,” he said.
LaCaria says CMS plans to finish projects started under the 2017 bond referendum first and then move forward with the other projects after. He also says the projects will all take a different amount of time to complete individually, but says they should all be completed within the next five to seven years.
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