Mary C. Curtis: CMS Pushes Back on County Budget Allocation

Featured at WCCB Rising

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mecklenburg County Commissioners, on Tuesday, adopted a $2 billion budget that includes a controversial $56 million cut to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. CMS promises to fight back by initiating the “dispute resolution process,” which calls for the two boards to meet within seven days.

In dispute is the plan to cut the CMS budget until it comes up with a plan to close the racial achievement gap. CMS says it already has a strategic plan, that the cut will harm students and that the commissioners are overstepping their legal authority. County Commissioners say it’s about accountability, and that the trim won’t affect student services.

WCCB Political Contributor, Mary C. Curtis is breaking down the funding feud and other key issues in the county’s budget that you should know about.

Read the rest atWCCB Rising
Jun022021 TAGS: , , , ,

Mary C. Curtis: School Funding Fight

Featured at WCCB Rising

CHARLOTTE, NC — It is a dispute that does not fall along party, neighborhood or racial lines.

In the latest county budget proposal, Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio has proposed a recommendation that calls for putting $56 million of the money for CMS in the next fiscal year aside, intended to close those gaps and strengthen college readiness for Black and brown students.

WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis discusses the ongoing battle.

You can catch Mary C. Curtis on Sunday nights at 6:30 PM on WCCB Charlotte’s CW discussing the biggest issues in local and national politics and also giving us a look at what’s ahead for the week.

You can also check out Mary’s podcast ‘Equal Time.’

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May262021 TAGS: , , , ,

Mary C. Curtis: The Challenges of Reopening Schools Safely

Featured at Roll Call

CHARLOTTE, NC — President Joe Biden says his goal is to open the majority of K-8 schools five days a week by the end of his first 100 days in office.

It comes as schools in North Carolina are slowly reopening with rotated schedules while teachers are next in line to get the vaccine.

WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis has more on the debate to reopen schools.

You can catch Mary C. Curtis on Sunday nights at 6:30 PM on WCCB Charlotte’s CW discussing the biggest issues in local and national politics and also giving us a look at what’s ahead for the week.

Read the rest atRoll Call
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Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup: Phase 3 Reopening, CMS Adjusts Return Plan, CMPD Officers Resign

Featured at WFAE

On the local news roundup, North Carolina moves into Phase 3 of reopening. With the state’s coronavirus metrics stable, Gov. Roy Cooper is easing restrictions to allow bars and other entertainment venues to open with reduced capacity. We find out what that means and check in our COVID-19 numbers.

The first CMS students began returning to the classroom this week, with more on the way. And the school board holds an emergency meeting to adjust their return to school plan for elementary students.

Five CMPD officers connected to the in-custody death of Harold Easter resign ahead of video release.

And county elections boards across the state have begun to process tens of thousands of absentee ballots.

Our roundtable of reporters fills us in on those stories and more.

Guests

Steve Harrison, WFAE’s Political Reporter

Claire Donnelly, WFAE’s health reporter

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com and WCCB-TV

Nick Ochsner, Chief Investigative Reporter at WBTV

Ann Doss Helms, WFAE’s education reporter

Read the rest atWFAE
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Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup: Cooper’s ‘Last Call’ Rule; Has Charlotte Reached COVID Peak?G

Featured at WFAE

On this week’s Charlotte Talks local news roundup …

Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday that there would be a “last call” order throughout North Carolina beginning on Friday, banning alcohol sales in restaurants after 11 p.m. Charlotte has a similar order already in place, but it’s more restrictive. We’ll give details on that, as well as a general update on Coronavirus — has Charlotte reached its peak?

President Trump announced this week that he will accept the GOP nomination for president in North Carolina, leaving many wondering if he means Charlotte, or somewhere else in the state. We’ll hear reaction from Charlotte officials.

There were talks of a conflict of interest — or the appearance of one — at city council this week. We’ll talk about what transpired regarding COVID-19 Relief Funds, council member Tariq Bokhari and his company Carolina Fintech Hub.

For the first time since World War II, the North Carolina State Fair (which was scheduled for Oct. 15-25 in Raleigh) has been canceled.

We’ll have those stories and much more with our roundtable of local reporters on the local news roundup.

Guests:

Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com and WCCB 

David Boraks, reporter for WFAE

Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV Reporter

Read the rest atWFAE
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Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup: Schools Draw Up COVID Plans; Business Reopenings Delayed Again

Featured at WFAE

Parents, students and teachers got the word they had been waiting on for weeks: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will begin the upcoming school year in the classroom then switch to all-remote learning.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said the state’s public school systems can reopen with a hybrid of in-person and remote teaching, while South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and the state’s public school teachers are at odds over McMaster’s reopening plan for schools.

The reopening of North Carolina’s economy will stay in Phase 2 for the time being as coronavirus hospitalizations continue to set records. The head of the CDC, Robert Redfield, came to Charlotte to make the case for mask-wearing, saying that masks could “drive this epidemic to the ground” within two months.

For the first time since the financial crisis, Wells Fargo ended a quarter in the red, and said deep cuts – including layoffs – were on the table as a result.

The Local News Roundup has more on those and other stories.

GUEST HOST

Erik Spanberg, Charlotte Business Journal managing editor (@CBJSpanberg)

GUESTS

David Boraks, WFAE reporter (@davidboraks)

Mary C. Curtis, Roll Call columnist, WCCB News analyst (@mcurtisnc3)

Jonathan Lowe, Spectrum News 1 anchor and reporter (@JonathanUpdates)

Annie Ma, Charlotte Observer education reporter (@anniema15)

Read the rest atWFAE
Jul172020 TAGS: , , , , , , , ,

Mary C. Curtis: NC Schools Will Reopen in August

Featured at WCCB Rising

CHARLOTTE, NC – Governor Roy Cooper announced North Carolina schools will reopen in August. Political contributor Mary C. Curtis has a breakdown of the governor’s plan.

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Jul152020 TAGS: , , , , ,

Takeaways From Election Night 2019

Featured at WCCB Rising

CHARLOTTE, NC  —Voters in Mecklenburg county reject one of the biggest items on Tuesday’s ballot, a quarter-cent sales tax increase.

The sales tax would have generated an estimated $50 million a year for the arts, parks and schools.

As for the mayor’s race incumbent Democrat Vi Lyles has been re-elected for a second term.

She easily beat republican challenger David Rice.

Political contributor Mary C. Curtis discusses some of the biggest takeaways from the election.

Read the rest atWCCB Rising
Nov062019 TAGS: , , , ,

POLITICAL WRAP: Election Preview – City Council, School Board, Sales Tax Referendum

Featured at WCCB Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C.- Tuesday voters in Charlotte will elect a Mayor and City Council. Across Mecklenburg County, three at-large school board seats are also up for grabs. And there’s a quarter-cent sales tax referendum on the ballot to support arts, parks, and schools.

Click above for more in this week’s political wrap with WCCB Charlotte Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis

Read the rest atWCCB Charlotte
Nov032019 TAGS: , ,

Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup: Clayton Wilcox Accusations; NC Congressional Maps; Arts Tax

Featured at WFAE

On the next Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup…

People have been wondering for months what led to former CMS Superintendent Clayton Wilcox’s July suspension and later resignation from the school system. This week, the Charlotte Observer reported that there were reports of racist and sexist remarks by Wilcox that were reported to officials in the system and that the school board knew about remarks. We’ll discuss details.

Two more rulings about political maps in North Carolina came out this week, one upheld, and one thrown out—for now, and there are implications for the 2020 Election… we’ll take a look.

City Council approves spending for improvements at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, but postponed a vote about the Silver Line, the proposed rail line that would go from Matthews to Gaston County.

Senator Richard Burr is receiving a lot of attention– and it’s not positive- on Twitter for a comment he tweeted this week about whether NCAA athletes should have their scholarships taxed if they receive compensation for the use of their likeness. This comes after the announcement by the NCAA Governing Board that student athletes will be allowed to be compensated for their names, images and likenesses.

We’ll cover those stories and much more on this week’s Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup.

Guests:

Ann Doss Helms, WFAE News

Nick Ochsner, WBTV news reporter

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com and WCCB

Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV Reporter

Read the rest atWFAE
Nov012019 TAGS: , , , ,
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