‘Concerning and alarming’: CMS employees speak up after early budget talks point to layoffs

CHARLOTTE — Some Charlotte-Mecklenburg School employees took their fears about the upcoming budget process straight to the school board on Tuesday night.

“The state of school social work in CMS is both concerning and alarming,” said Carrie Bushell, a CMS social worker.

As CMS leaders prepare for the expiration of $190 million in federal stimulus funding, there’s worry about how that affects teachers and social workers, which COVID funding partially paid for.

“We have worked hard to decrease the number of students who are considered chronically absent,” Bushell said. “We, CMS social workers, were informed that approximately 24 of our colleagues will be released due to the end of the ESSER funds.”

Bushell says the workload on the employees that remain would be overwhelming. Experts say the ideal ratio is one social worker for every 250 students. That number could multiply drastically.

“This means that one social worker may be assigned to 2 or more schools, this means that there is a possibility that one social worker could have a caseload of over 3,000 students,” she explained.

That’s 12 times more students that is ideal.

Another social worker told the board that she’s been split between two schools before, and it was not the best way to function in a job requiring connections with students.

“Being at one school really allowed me to connect, not just with students, but staff,” said Charlene Davidson.

As the superintendent gets closer to presenting a budget, the school board may hear from other essential staff worried about their job.

(WATCH: CMS superintendent addresses mental health, school safety at ‘State of our Schools’)

CMS superintendent addresses mental health, school safety at ‘State of our Schools’

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