When the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board votes Tuesday night to close or consolidate more than two dozens schools, only one outcome is certain: Not everyone will leave happy.

In parts of the African American community, some critics have leveled allegations of racism, noting that a disproportionate number of schools slated to close are in poor and predominately black neighborhoods.

Qcitymetro.com recently met with school board Chairman Eric David to discuss these and other issues. Below is a Q&A based on that interview. Answers were edited for brevity and clarity.
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Q. How are you feeling about this reorganization plan?
It’s incredibly disruptive and causing a ton of pain in the community, and I worry what the long-term implications and effects will be.

Q. What do you mean by long-term effects?
CMS has been the community punching bag for a number of years. There is an underlying feeling of mistrust – sometimes skepticism – that just explodes. This set of proposals has exacerbated that and touched the pain that our community has been feeling.

Q. Some African American parents have alleged racism. Is there any truth to that?
It’s pretty hard to have a conversation about public education in our town without having race come into the equation. But racism, I think is different. I firmly believe that we the system did not pick the schools to close because they primarily had students who are African American, or that they are located in the African American parts of town. The schools that were identified for closing were identified because they had empty classrooms. That’s a statement of fact, I believe. But there’s another whole side to this that’s built on history and the realities of inequity. Those feelings are just as real. But I don’t believe we targeted these schools simply because they are predominately African American schools.

Q. Given those “realities of inequity," does the CMS board have any responsibility to ensure that under-served communities are not impacted disproportionately by the reorganization plan?
We certainly do. So the question then becomes, what does under-served mean, and what’s the appropriate response or action to take? What I think is most important are the principals and teachers who are in the schools. Buildings are important, but they’re secondary.

I think our primary response to the inequities of the past is to produce better results, is for African American children to get the education they need to be productive, contributing members of society, just like any other child.

Q. What is the purpose of this reorganization? Is it to save money or improve academic performance?
Money is the pressure point that’s forcing us to have this conversation today. To face the kinds of cuts we’re facing, we can’t afford to have empty classrooms. We’ve got to fill up every classroom and close those we don’t need. Even if we had all the money in the world, should we invest it in empty classrooms or should we put every dollar we can into paying effective teachers what they really deserve, which is far above what they’re making now?

Q. So if the issue is about money, why say it’s about academics? Hasn’t that muddied the water?
It’s definitely been hard to have that conversation. I think it’s been difficult for the district to get the message out that we’re trying to do two things at the same time – raise academic performance and make the system more efficient. When an individual looks at a school, they see those things in different degrees. On one hand it might look like a money decision, but on another hand it might look like an academic decision.

Q. What would you do differently if you could start over?
I think we would certainly be franker about the financial challenges we face. This summer, when we had those guiding principles community forums, we didn’t talk as much about the financial situation. I think we missed a chance to have a more constructive conversation before we got to closing specific schools. I certainly wouldn’t have made the decision I did (to cut off public comment) on October 12, which was the board meeting where we had speakers go beyond the 8 p.m. time limit. I admit; that was the wrong choice.

Q. Local NAACP President Kojo Nantambu, who was arrested that night, has been one of the school board’s biggest critics. In a recent letter responding to his request for an independent audit, you said the board has confidence in Superintendent Peter Gorman. Why is that confidence justified?
First, it’s based on the track record of results that have been produced since he’s been here, most notably the (narrowing) of the achievement gap. That progress is a result of the strategies he’s put in place, leaders that he’s identified, and changes that he’s made, as well as hard work by parents and students. I think the confidence that the board has is primarily based in the results that he’s delivered. And he’s delivered it not just for a few children, but he’s delivered it across the community.

Q. Have you requested a meeting with the NAACP?
Three times – by phone and twice in person.

Q. And what’s been the response?
“I’m not sure I want to do that."

Q. That was the response?
That was the response.

Q. How do you read that?
I don’t know what’s behind that. I think that’s a question for Rev. Nantambu. I think the most critical civil rights issue of our time is education -- public education -- and I welcome a chance to work with him and what I think is the foremost civil rights organization in our country on public education.

Q. What would you tell him?
I don’t know if I would tell him anything, maybe share a few of the facts as I see them and then ask him what his perspective is, and then just try to talk, try to find common ground.

Q. What role would you like to see the NAACP play in this?
A great thing that would help would be to share with our county commission and state legislature how important it is to fund public education. In addition to that, in the future, when we are again faced with a challenging set of circumstances like this, to be able to sit down and say ‘This is the way I see it. How do you see it?

Q. Do you worry that, when it comes to race, that the chasm is too wide for common ground?
Not for me. I don’t see it that way. I think that’s one of the benefits I got from going to school here. First, seeing a segregated community, and then seeing the benefits of an integrated school system. I don’t believe it’s too wide for us to come together and find common ground.

It takes a willingness to talk, a desire to find common ground, and seeing that the benefits to the whole are worth the time it takes to work through our differences. The place we need to start is to assume positive intent in the other person and the other person’s statement, even if we don’t understand it or disagree with it.

Q. Given that Waddell High is named after the former husband of a school board member, was it appropriate to have that school board member involved in the discussion about whether to close that high school versus another high school -- Harding High?
In my knowledge of what Dr. (Joyce) Waddell did, I don’t see anything inappropriate in sharing an idea that came from a group of parents, sharing that idea with board members or staff. I’ve asked our legal council is it appropriate for Dr. Waddell to vote. Legally, there isn’t a conflict that would prevent her from voting. I think she will have to decide whether she wants to vote or not.

Q. What would you do in that situation?
One, I don’t think there will ever be a school named after a member of my family. (Laughter) But where there is an appearance of a conflict, I tend to restrain, recuse.

Q. One final question from a Qcity reader: How can CMS incorporate each child's learning style into current teaching methods?
I think one of the most important things we’re doing is this deep dive into what makes an effective teacher. What are the characteristics and actions and behaviors of a variety of teachers in a variety of circumstances that create effective learning? The more we can identify and understand what those traits and characteristics and actions are, the better chance we have of replicating them.

Q. So you’re saying this needs to happen in the classroom, not at the district level?
I think it fundamentally has to happen in the classroom. What I think the district needs to do is a complete overhaul of our HR policies and regulations, many of which come from the state.

If you think about it, our HR policies are not in alignment with educating children. Here’s an example. What our policies effectively say to teachers is: ‘Come to work for us, and as fast as you can, get a graduate degree. In fact, get a graduate degree from the lowest-cost provider of graduate degrees. Don’t go after quality, because regardless of where you get your graduate degree, regardless of how rigorous it was, we’re going to pay you the same amount.’

Do we pay teachers more today if they produce better results? No, we pay them more the longer they stay. It’s a longevity approach, not a performance approach.

Knowing that teaching is so much about connecting an adult with a child, human resources is the area we need to focus on the most.

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