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CMS Board Will Vote Tuesday On Ending Graduation Project

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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' graduation project is almost certain to come to an end Tuesday, though it may be reborn in a new form.

The school board is scheduled to vote on eliminating the project from the district's graduation requirements, fast-tracking the action so it can be effective by midyear graduation. At a November policy committee meeting, members said a new law requiring districts to reimburse low-income students for up to $75 in expenses makes the project impractical.

CMS has about 10,000 seniors a year, and board member Carol Sawyer said the administrative burden of deciding who qualifies for reimbursement and processing receipts, let alone the actual cost, would be "insane."

CMS currently requires graduates to do a research paper their junior year and a service project their senior year. Students have to compile a portfolio and do an oral presentation to a panel of community members as well.

Board members and top administrators say they hope to preserve the best parts of the project, such as developing research and presentation skills, without tying it to graduation requirements.

The board will hold a public hearing on the graduation requirement policy at Tuesday's meeting before voting. People who want to sign up to speak can call 980-343-5139 by noon Tuesday, or do so on site before the meeting starts. It's at 6 p.m. in the meeting chamber of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 E. Fourth St.

Find the meeting agenda here.

Ann Doss Helms has covered education in the Charlotte area for over 20 years, first at The Charlotte Observer and then at WFAE. Reach her at ahelms@wfae.org or 704-926-3859.