CMS to return to class with major changes

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will welcome back more than 140,000 students and 17,000 staff members on Monday.

District officials said they are at 97% employment for educators and have a plan in place to address shortages in schools.

“We’ve come to grips with it; there will be a teacher shortage. This is not going away. It will probably get worse before it gets better. So, we thought and planned well in advance. What we said to our team is that by August 1, every school had to have a plan that if you weren’t able to hire any more teachers, what are you going to do?” Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill said.

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Three new schools will also be opening up in the district, including Knights View Elementary School, Burns Elementary School, and Valentines Ridge High School.

Those schools, however, are also expected to increase traffic in different parts of the city.

Administrators ask for patience in the morning from drivers and are asking parents to get their students to the bus stops ten minutes early.

“Of course when you run into 141,000 people and 840 plus buses on the road all on one day, it is going to take a considerable amount of time for the Charlotte Mecklenburg community to get used to all this new traffic,” Chief Operations Manager Tim Ivey expressed.

CMS also wanted to remind parents that middle and high school students are encouraged not to bring three-ring binders or metal backpacks into schools.

VIDEO: CMS opens school to relieve overcrowding in south Charlotte