Source: Streeter Lecka / Getty
After three rounds of mediation between officials from Mecklenburg County and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, both sides have tentatively agreed to a $68.1 million funding deal, as first reported Wednesday morning by WBT’s Brett Jensen.
The County initially withheld $56 million from the school district after concerns of an inequality gap between minority students and white students. After harsh negotiations from both sides, CMS will not only get the original amount requested, but $11.1 million in additional funding on top of a $1 million investment by the county for the district’s website.
In return, CMS has agreed to conduct business with more transparency and provide the county with any details at their request. A reversal from the county’s stance that will give CMS more than they allotted for in their 2021-22 fiscal budget. Also, a move that is expected to draw controversy as both sides will likely claim victory after a hard-fought battle over the past two months.
The Board of County Commissioners will meet for a regular meeting at 5 p.m. ET tonight and the initiative for CMS funding will be voted on and is expected to pass, according to Jensen.
“If the County Commissioners vote against this deal, it could ultimately end up going to the last phase of the mediation, which is inserting data into a formula created by the state to determine how much CMS will get. Many believe on both side that the County could actually pay more than the current negotiated deal,” Jensen noted.
No word if a plan was ever presented by CMS to close the inequality gap. This story is developing.
Mecklenburg County reaches tentative $68.1 million funding deal with CMS was originally published on wbt.com
