Gwendolyn Glenn

Two weeks ago, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools received an award from the Council of Urban Boards of Education for its’ Breaking the Link Report, released earlier this year. The report looked at the disparities that exist between students of different races and economic status in terms of educational resources, achievement and academic opportunities. CMS officials are seeking ways to close those gaps and on Wednesday night, they participated in a conversation on race and equity that centered on the new docuseries “America to Me.”

CMS officials have received lots of complaints from parents this year about buses being late. They blame it on a shortage of drivers. A pay raise for bus drivers was announced Monday as a way to recruit and retain more drivers. 

This year, 19 of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' 31 high schools made the 2018 Challenge Index list that ranks Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs nationally — not by test scores, but by the number of students from a school who took an AP or IB exam.

This year, 19 of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ 31 high schools made the Challenge Index list, which ranks schools based on participation in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge programs. The index is calculated by taking the number of exams given for any of the three programs and then dividing that number by the number of graduating seniors from the same school. 

Charlotte-Mecklenburg officials say more bus drivers are leaving the school system for higher paying jobs. District officials are not only grappling with filling the vacant spots, but also making sure students are arriving home on time.

Thursday marks the second anniversary of protests that exploded around Charlotte for days, following the fatal police shooting of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott. Police say Scott was smoking marijuana in an apartment parking lot and had a gun. His family, including his wife who witnessed his shooting, contends he was waiting for his son and not a threat to police. They are suing the city and the officer, Brentley Vinson.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board members held a breakfast meeting Wednesday with municipal officials to dispel what they call "misunderstandings" about their future plans for school construction in the townships.

The Town of Matthews will lose the headquarters of retail discounter Family Dollar next year. Dollar Tree, which acquired the retailer three years ago, announced that the Matthews operation will close and 700 of its 900 jobs will move to Dollar Tree’s headquarters in Virginia.