This article originally appeared in WFAE reporter Ann Doss Helms' weekly education newsletter. To get the latest school news in your inbox first, sign up for our email newsletters here.
When the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board hired Earnest Winston as superintendent in 2019, the district had to get special clearance from the state because he lacked experience as a principal and an advanced degree in administration.
Now he’s gaining the experience that his resume lacked. Winston was fired in April 2022, and UNC Charlotte confirms that he’s now a graduate student in the Cato College of Education’s school administration program. And he’s working as a principal intern at a Kannapolis elementary school.
Winston declined to talk about his current work. It’s another twist in an unusual career path for one of my former journalism colleagues. Winston, who has a bachelor’s in journalism, was a reporter at The Charlotte Observer about 20 years ago, then left to teach at Vance High. In almost 18 years with CMS, he moved up through the ranks of central offices before being tapped for the top job after two predecessors who were hired in national searches left under duress.
His severance agreement with the board included almost $577,000 in salary to be paid over the next two years. I’d have guessed that whenever he decided to return to the workforce he’d have his pick of job offers from corporations, philanthropies and consulting firms. (His LinkedIn page describes him as a self-employed educational consultant.)
I understand Winston’s decision not to court any more public attention. He spent almost three years leading America’s 17th largest school district during the COVID-19 pandemic, with all the scrutiny and tension that accompanies such a post. I wish him well … and hope he’ll share his still-intriguing story at some point.
Voters love new schools and hate tax hikes. CMS bond vote will test that tension.
We had an all-star panel going deep on the $2.5 billion CMS bond package last week: Superintendent Crystal Hill, County Manager Dena Diorio, “vote yes” Co-Chair Mary McCray and “vote no” leader Rev. Ricky Woods spent an hour fielding questions on Charlotte Talks. If you’re trying to figure out how to vote, it’s well worth 50 minutes of your time.
For instance, Diorio laid out the financial aspects of what it means to borrow $2.5 billion, which is expected to require three property tax increases in the coming five years. Each increase is relatively small, but Woods argued that when they’re combined with the jump that came with revaluation, it adds up to potentially forcing low-income residents out of their homes. That would “put the housing crisis on steroids,” he said. Diorio laid out some county options for helping low-income property owners pay taxes, such as an expanded HOMES program that will contribute up to $660 toward tax bills.
Hill talked about the importance of having schools with up-to-date learning environments and safety features. She cited a study linking above-standard buildings to increased academic success. “Why would we, when we have the opportunity to do better, why would we be satisfied with our students being in substandard conditions?” she asked.
Woods disputed the idea that new buildings create high achievement, citing Renaissance West STEAM Academy, which opened in a new building in 2017 with what Woods described as “goo-gobs of resources.” Academic performance was dismal for the first few years, and the school just moved up from an F to a D last year. “So the idea that by simply putting somebody in a new building and giving them all the bells and whistles and all of a sudden their academic outcomes are going to change, that has not been the case in this community,” Woods said.
He’s right. I’ve seen dozens of instances where high-poverty schools in new buildings continue to produce low test scores. If you vote for the bonds expecting a dramatic academic payoff you’ll be disappointed. But Hill also made a good point when she described good facilities as just one ingredient in success, along with strong leaders and faculty. Dilapidated buildings can accelerate a downward spiral, discouraging teachers from applying to work there and families from enrolling their kids. A new school can nudge things the other way.
I’ve noticed that voters seem to like new schools (especially in their own neighborhoods) and hate tax hikes. State Treasurer Dale Folwell pointed me to a particularly dramatic example of that: Guilford County’s May 2022 election. Folwell called to say I had correctly reported that voters approved $1.7 billion in school bonds, but might not have realized that they simultaneously rejected the means of repaying the debt. Wait … what?
I dug into it and he’s right. County officials there said the property tax impact of paying off that debt would be unacceptably high, so they also asked voters to approve a quarter-cent sales tax for debt repayment, reducing the need for property taxes to rise dramatically. (Read the full explanation here.) So voting day came, and 61% of voters said yes to the bonds. But 55% said no to the added sales tax.
All of which makes me think the fate of the CMS bond project may hang on whether voters think “new schools” or “higher taxes” when they enter the voting booth.
And check out what my colleague, political reporter Steve Harrison, wrote about how changing enrollment trends and demographics might play into the bond vote.
