Parents of Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools students reacted to the news of now former Superintendent Earnest Winston’s termination on Tuesday afternoon by questioning the board's decision to terminate his employment.
What You Need To Know
Parents express concern with CMS board after Winston's termination
Parents said it was another change to CMS leadership, making it harder to make improvements
One of the parents also questioned the board's reasoning for the move, saying she felt the details leading to the move were left vague
Winston's tenure with CMS was terminated on Tuesday afternoon in a vote among school board members. The board used the "termination of convenience" clause in Winston's contract to end his employment.
"We did not arrive there easily. It was a difficult decision to end the contract with an individual whom we hold in such high regard," School Board Chair Elyse Dashew said in a statement Tuesday. "However, we believe that a different leader is needed to shore up this district and place our students on track to achieve high goals in literacy, math, and career and college readiness."
Michael Smith, a physician in Charlotte and the father of two CMS high schoolers, said the board’s decision did not surprise him. But, he said it was another sign of the board’s high turnover with the superintendent’s office.
“We’ve gone through six, now going on seven, in the last twelve years? We can’t just keep firing the top person. I think we need to look at where’s the real problem. I’m a physician, and one of the things I do in my work is I look for, where’s the root cause of the issue? And work on helping to correct that. We need to do the same thing with the school board,” Smith said.
Smith, who already pulled his youngest daughter from a CMS elementary school, said he was already frustrated with the board for how it handled the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added Tuesday afternoon’s vote to remove Winston did little to lessen his doubt.
“Maybe the board doesn’t know how to run this district properly. And, you know, why are these same people still sitting in these seats? And, making decisions that continue to not lead our school system well? I’m concerned as a parent and as a taxpayer that our dollars are not being well invested for our kids and their future,” Smith said.
Mother of two 2nd grade twins in CMS, Stacy Staggs, also questioned the board’s decision.
“What they said is there’s concern about the existing achievement gaps, that were exacerbated by the COVID impacts. They talked about, you know, inequities that exist across the schools, which is actually across the communities and larger than what’s happening just in the school system. So again, that seems like an awful lot of responsibility to put on one person. As if the rest of the board hasn’t also been sitting in those same chairs throughout,” Staggs said.
Staggs, who has been an active participant in previous school board meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic, said in her view Winston was not perfect. But, felt the board was putting a lot of pressure on Winston to fix larger societal issues affecting the school district and others across the state.
“It doesn’t seem fair to put that on one person instead of looking at the whole. We all want improved student outcomes, that’s only going to happen when the adults, the people in charge, the ones who are making the decisions really buy into that, roll up their sleeves, and do the work,” Staggs added.
However, at the end of the day, Staggs said she felt the board was leaving more questions than answers.