CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It was a difficult set of bonds that were passed in 2017 that would enable the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District to construct 29 projects, including new schools. Promises were made to taxpayers to gain their support. On Tuesday, board members voted to break one of them.
Many of the projects were created to battle overcrowding in a growing city and district.
One of the promises made was 125 classrooms would be inside the new West Charlotte High School, and new high schools in south and southwest Charlotte.
In a 7-2 vote on Tuesday, district leaders voted to take that back. Each of the new high schools will have 100 classrooms.
"It's a slap in the face to us, to our community," said Fredrick Smith, a West High graduate of 1966. "We've been fighting this for 60 years."
He said he and others voted for the bonds because of the new high school and the size of it.
District officials said the new high schools would still be able to accommodate 2,500 students as originally planned. Now, on average, 25 students would be in each classroom instead of 20 per classroom.
"We need to deliver to the community what we promised," said Sean Strain, who represents district six.
"You promised one thing and now you think you're going to go back on it? I think it is an abomination," said Dr. Ruby Jones, who represents district three.
However, district staff showed the numbers and said if 125 classrooms were in each high school, there would be hundreds of empty seats for years to come based on estimated enrollment growth.
"I see how good it works and I talk to the principal's who have run these 3,000 plus schools and they tell me it's just crazy," said Rhonda Cheek, who represents district one.
"It is time to right-size these high schools," said Margaret Marshall, who represents district five.
It comes as rising construction costs far exceeded the $922 million budget for all of the projects. The district is now trying to look at ways to cut costs or find more money to complete the projects.
District officials said the development plans took 100 classrooms per high school into consideration, not 125.
Those plans were done before Tuesday's vote, garnering questions from the public.
"I think the decision was made before we got here, which is another slap in the face," said William Simmons who graduated from West Charlotte High School in 1967.
Chairperson to the board, Elyse Dashew, admitted the school board could have done better.
"We goofed on the communications as far at the 125 versus 100, big time," she said.
Because of the vote late Tuesday night, district staff said those three new high schools will be built by August 2022 as originally planned.
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