#BackToSchoolOn9: Staff, students, parents prepared for new school year

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is expecting hundreds more students enrolled in their classrooms this year, and have made changes to prepare for that growth.

SPECIAL SECTION: #Back2SchoolOn9

Channel 9 watched as a steady stream of buses head out early Monday morning to pick up students for the first day of school, and the district said that 40 more school buses were among those hitting the roads.

That's part of the plan to help the district accommodate 500 additional students.

To make sure there is enough space for everyone, CMS moved 32 mobile classrooms to schools, and the district is also opening two new schools -- Statesville Elementary and Nations Ford Elementary.

CMS is also rushing to fill over 150 job vacancies within the district.

Some parents told Channel 9 that they're concerned that their children’s classes will feel overcrowded.

"Even with going to the open house there were way too many parents wanting to see one teacher," said Karima Powell.

CMS Superintendent Ann Clark arrived at the bus lot around 5:30 a.m. to wave to drivers heading out for the first day.

CMS leaders are asking all drivers to be patient with congestion and construction projects near schools.

IBM Drive is closed for an extension project near Vance High School and Martin Middle School.

Ongoing construction projects to affect back to school traffic

Near Pineville Elementary, Polk Street has been closed since last year while crews replace the bridge over Little Sugar Creek.

There are also closures in Myers Park where a storm drainage improvement project near Eastover Drive has confused some drivers.

Transportation officials were encouraging parents to avoid adding to the congestion and to put their children on the bus. Despite the added buses and construction, Clark believes things should run smoothly Monday.

Channel 9 anchors and reporters first day of school photos

“I think we are as ready as we can possibly be for the school year,” Clark said. “I visited schools and got good reports across the county. I think we are ready to go.”

The district still has about 90 vacancies for bus drivers –- there are 44 substitutes filling in.

New program aimed to help students read at grade level

Clark was at Torrance Creek Elementary in Huntersville Monday morning, greeting students and staff on their first day back to class. This school year, CMS is expanding a program to help students read at grade level.

More students at Torrance Creek Elementary, and across the district, will have the chance to be a part of a reading mentoring program. North Star Reading Partners is a program that Clark started last year to help with student reading.

It pairs 3rd, 7th and 12th grade students with community mentors to help with their reading. They meet at least one day a week for an hour.

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This year, North Star is adding 4th and 8th graders to the program.

This comes as the district has been concerned about low test scores. In 2014-2015, 59 percent of CMS 3rd graders were proficient readers.

For 7th graders, it was only 56 percent.

A CMS principal told Channel 9 that by allowing a mentor to continue to help students as they enter new grade levels, it will be a huge help.

“These students need additional support who are part of North Star, and we don't want them to slide academically in reading,” said Ivy Gill.

The district is looking for at least 5,000 volunteers for the program.

So far, Clark has visited 15 schools, and has another 15 to go. She plans to address any transportation issues after meeting with school leaders later Monday afternoon.

Districts making changes

In addition to CMS, 18 other local school districts started their school year Monday, including Cabarrus, Gaston, Burke and Union counties.

For the first time, some students in Burke County will wear seatbelts on school buses. The district added seatbelts to seven of its buses and students on those buses will be required to use them.

In Cabarrus County, the new Odell Elementary School is opening on Highway 73 and Odell School Road. More than 700 third through fifth graders will attend.

Kindergarten through second grade will attend Odell Primary School down the road and officers will be there to help with the extra traffic. Officials placed a traffic light on Highway 73 and created a lane that will go right into the school carpool line.

Mooresville police are warning parents about a new traffic pattern outside Park View Elementary School. They added a four-way stop sign at the intersection of Oak Street and McNeely Avenue, hoping to prevent speeding problems they've seen there in the past.

Raising money for school supplies

As teachers start the new school year, many of them need help paying for classroom supplies.

This year, teachers are encouraged to use a new tool instead of GoFundMe pages, to raise money for school supplies. The new portal is called Online School Payment for Fundraising.

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Some CMS teachers told Channel 9 that they're spending an average of $500-$1,000 on supplies for their classrooms.

GoFundMe reports that since 2014 North Carolina has donated $3.5 million to pages raising money for education. This year, the state capped teacher spending to $30 dollars per student.

Channel 9 spoke with one teacher who set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for school supplies and a field trip. School leaders told her she had to shut her page down and use the recommended online resource.

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• #BackToSchoolOn9: Staff, students, parents prepared for new school year

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