MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — Mecklenburg County extended a sign of peace and possible compromise Tuesday night, inviting top Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials to meet with their county counterparts over a controversial budget proposal for the district.
The invitation was announced at Tuesday's Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners meeting by Chairman George Dunlap.
On Wednesday, leaders confirmed the Board of Education and CMS representatives plan to meet with the Board of County Commissioners and Mecklenburg County manager Tuesday morning.
"I would like to invite the school board leadership and superintendent, with myself, my vice-chair, and our county manager to discuss their concerns," Dunlap read from a statement.
It comes after weeks of a heated back-and-forth between county leaders, the superintendent, CMS and its school board members, at times resulting in personal attacks.
"It is my hope that they will accept this invitation and we can work toward addressing their concerns, while still providing the information requested by the board of county commissioners," Dunlap read.
The county wants to withhold $56 million from CMS until it provides a measurable plan on how the district will close achievement gaps for minority students and improve college and career readiness for all high schools.
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"Personally, I feel like I'm being set up for failure," said Trinity Snowten, a 17-year-old sophomore who believes she has not been set up for success. "We actually need help. This one year, we struggled badly."
Cedric Dean, Snowten's mentor, said she's a prime example of why CMS needs to show a detailed plan on how they'll better educate students.
"That's what's missing: the specifics," Dean said. "I can say, 'Hey, I want a million dollars!' But how am I going to make a million dollars? I have to say what my plan is to make a million dollars!"
A few citizens spoke at Tuesday's meeting in support of the county withholding the funds to hold the school district accountable.
Commissioners spoke up on the issue at the end of the meeting, including Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell who got in a heated back and forth with the county manager a week prior.
"Creating a roadblock to funding is not thinking outside the box," Rodriguez-McDowell said. "Colleagues, please let us find an off-ramp to this adversarial path and find a way to come together in good faith to achieve our goals."
She also called out Dunlap directly, who questioned Superintendent Earnest Winston's qualifications for his job at a virtual forum on Sunday.
"I've been extremely disappointed in the personal attacks that have been hurled from our chairman toward the superintendent," she said.
In the "Commissioners Reports" section of the meeting, Dunlap got the final word.
"I have been a passionate advocate for educating children for 26 years and that won't change," Dunlap said. "But I also believe that there is time for change."
He doubled down on the county manager's proposal, demanding a plan.
"They got to bring us a plan. And I will not relent from that," he said.
In a press release Tuesday, CMS said they shared their 2024 strategic plan with the Board of County Commissioners as recently as May 4. They added in part, "funding reductions and holdbacks of this magnitude impact the classroom. Period."
Contact Hunter Sáenz at hsaenz@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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