Eastover Elementary and Myers Park High School: Boundary Battles Heat Up

The overcrowding issues at Eastover Elementary and Myers Park High Schools have been contentious not just for families with students enrolled in those public schools, but for neighboring schools that might be affected by CMS rezoning proposals that counter this overcrowding. 

The Charlotte Observer writes CMS Will Get An Earful Tuesday and that as of yesterday afternoon, "45 speakers had signed up for public comments, ensuring that the board will spend more than two hours hearing views on possible changes to Myers Park and East Mecklenburg high schools, as well as Eastover, First Ward, Dilworth, Myers Park Traditional and Elizabeth Traditional elementaries. Advance signups continue through noon Tuesday, and speakers can also sign up on site."

 Websites and internet forums discussing and mobilizing families have sprouted up in the Dilworth, East Mecklenburg and Elizabeth neighborhoods (because they are most vulnerable?).

Dilworth For Positive Change (on Facebook)

Dilworth Online

Under the Watertower (Elizabeth community website)

CMS School Board, District 5 (East Meck)

I haven't seen anything online from the Myers Park, Eastover or Cotswold neighborhoods.  Are they mobilizing affected families in their communities?  I think the answer is yes. We'll see who shows up at the school board meeting tonight. 

Something clearly must be done to address this issue, but I don't think the solution is to bus the children that currently reside within these respective school zones to another, more far away school.  Whatever Peter Gorman (the Superintendent of CMS) and the school board decide, there will be howls.  However Charlotte will have a hard time justifying the relatively higher property taxes (in a declining real estate market no less) in  Myers Park and Eastover if living there doesn't even ensure families a spot in their neighborhood schools.  Will this issue ultimately come down to property tax monies?  I think it will.