MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — In just over a month, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leaders will reveal its next multi-billion dollar budget to board members for the upcoming school year.
CMS is funded mostly by state and county dollars, and like in previous years, they’re likely to get some pushback on what they request.
But before any negotiations happen, the district is asking parents and community members in town halls what they want to see funded in the upcoming budget.
At its first of at least four town halls, parents asked CMS to focus on more money for teachers, school bus drivers, and other programs.
CMS has dealt with several budget shortfalls in different areas that have directly impacted families.
One area highlighted in Thursday's town hall was buses.
Sharon Alexander, who attended the two-hour town hall, is a parent impacted by the ongoing driver shortage.
It's a problem she said she didn’t have last year.
"The bell end time is 4:15 he gets home, maybe 4:30 or something close to that," Alexander said. "This year, he's been two hours [late] sometimes."
Late buses are just one of the reasons Alexander came to CMS’s budget town hall. She was also concerned about staffing issues.
"I love the fact that they were prepared with experts who were available here," Alexander said. "Including the acting superintendent to answer the questions that we might have."
Alexander, like other parents in attendance, wanted to help inform decisions on where funding goes for CMS services before it's approved by school board members and county commissioners.
“One of the challenges is that possibly they [bus drivers] don't get paid enough," Alexander said. "That's why I'm here today."
Parents listened to CMS decision-makers about where the money goes, where it comes from how the budget works, and where parents fit in.
"They had a very good strategic approach to it to the budget team, how they received the funds, they identified that for us as well as how it's been allocated," Joseph Moses, another CMS parent in attendance, said.
Another hot topic at the meeting was the upcoming plans to start express bus stops for some magnet programs. Parents wanted to advocate for more bus-related funding to possibly stop that plan from going forward.
CMS has cited a multi-million dollar budget shortfall and a driver shortage as to why it's made the decision to start the express stops.
Parents wanted assurances that CMS was going to take their budget concerns seriously.
"The format of the meetings does not allow for the spontaneity that I would really like," Alexander said. "So there are a few things that I've walked away from this table and I'm not sure that the questions have been answered."
There is one more town hall scheduled for Feb. 27 that's a few days before the CMS board meeting to have its work session.
On March 28, the superintendent will present the budget proposal to the board. Two more town halls are scheduled after this on March 30 and April 6.
The school board will then approve a proposed budget that will be sent to Mecklenburg County Commissioners on May 11 for review.
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.