Two of the city’s richest families have joined forces to address the dropout rate and the so-called achievement gap in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

Officials representing the Levine and Spangler foundations said the two charities, working with other groups and individuals, would form the “CMS Investment Study Group.”

The group will study existing models for philanthropic involvement in public education and recommend the best ways for private funders to assist and support CMS.

The group will work through the Foundation for the Carolinas and will be co-chaired by Anna Spangler-Nelson, daughter of billionaire C.D. Spangler, and Richard “Stick” Williams, who heads the Duke Energy Foundation.

No budget or financial goals were immediately announced, but Williams said the group would issue a call to other philanthropic-minded organizations and individuals.

“This is serious work that we’re about to undertake,” Williams said at the kickoff announcement, held at the Irwin Avenue Elementary School, the building where a 15-year-old Dorothy Counts integrated Harry Harding High School in 1957.

Despite recent gains, African American and Latino students historically score significantly lower than their white counterparts on standardized tests. And by some counts, fewer than half of all African American males who enter CMS leave with a diploma.

“In these communities, we are throwing away half of our potential,” said Spangler-Nelson.

The groups will launch with the full support of CMS and the school board, said Superintendent Peter Gorman and board Chair Eric Davis. The group's meetings, however, will not be open to the public, Williams said.

The Spangler and Levine foundations have donated millions to education-related causes.

In December 2009, C.D. Spangler Jr., one of the nation’s richest men, gave more than $4.5 million to various education-related causes in Charlotte, including $2 million in college scholarships for African American males who graduate from West Charlotte High School.

Spangler made much of his fortune in the construction and real estate industries. Leon Levine is heir to the Family Dollar fortune.

Private money going to address issues in public education is hardly new, Gorman told Qcitymetro.com. In the last four years, he said, the district received more than $20 million in assistance from private groups.

It will not be clear for several months – perhaps toward the end of the year – what new initiatives the group might launch, officials said. At Wednesday’s launch announcement, they vowed to involve the public.

In addition to Williams and Spangler-Nelson, other members of the study group are:

• Charles Bowman, Bank of America
• Gene Cochrane, Duke Endowment
• Jay Everette, Wachovia
• Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx
• Dr. Ophelia Garmon-Brown, Novant Health
• Thomas Lawrence, Levine Foundation
• Ronald Leeper, R.J. Leeper Construction
• Katie Belk Morris, Belk Foundation
• Judge Calvin Murphy, N.C. Superior Court
• Susan Patterson, Knight Foundation
• Calvin Wallace, retired educator

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