Key Takeaways
- Students and alumni from Levine Middle College testified Tuesday against expanding the school's model to 9th and 10th graders, saying CMS has not done adequate community outreach
- One speaker cited data showing 62 to 68 percent of Levine students graduate with an associate's degree from Central Piedmont Community College
- An NC Pre-K family advocate described roughly 100 classrooms across 26 sites that depend on the program and asked the board to protect support staff
- The board took no formal action on either topic Tuesday
Three speakers used Tuesday's public comment period at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education meeting to ask the board to protect programs they said were producing results — two focused on Levine Middle College, one on North Carolina's Pre-K program.
Priti Bhandari, who identified herself as the incoming student body president at Levine and a third-generation Levine student, spoke against a proposal that would expand the school's model to include 9th and 10th graders.
Richard Maximoff, who said he was returning after speaking at a previous board meeting, challenged the district's engagement process. He said the community input sessions CMS conducted had excluded middle college schools from participation, and he disputed figures in the district's FAQ about Levine. He cited data showing that 62 to 68 percent of Levine students graduate with an associate's degree from Central Piedmont Community College — a figure he offered as evidence of what the program's current structure produces.
Ashley Harris, who identified herself as one of two NC Pre-K family advocates in the state, said roughly 100 classrooms across 26 sites in CMS depend on the Pre-K program. She described families facing housing instability, transportation barriers, and food insecurity, and asked the board to maintain support staff for the program.
The board took no formal action on either topic. The Pre-K testimony connects to a broader staffing debate: the board eliminated Pre-K facilitators in an earlier budget decision.