A Republican state lawmaker from Union County is planning to introduce legislation that would break Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools into smaller districts, according to a WBT Radio report cited by Queen City News. Rep. David Willis, who chairs the North Carolina House Education Committee, is reportedly expected to formally pitch the proposal once lawmakers return to Raleigh, with more details on his plans anticipated when the legislature reconvenes next week.
Word of the plan has already reached Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board members. CMS board member Anna London said Willis's staff contacted her office to let her know about the plan, according to WSOC-TV. London said the staffer indicated the potential move would force a recall vote for the school board. CMS Board Chairman Dee Rankin separately confirmed to the station that he, too, had been contacted by Willis's staffer.
Willis Points to Investigations and a Call for Scrutiny
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools faces multiple state and federal investigations, according to the Queen City News report, a backdrop that appears to be fueling Willis's push. Willis said he believes it is time to examine the entire school system, and that students, teachers, staff, principals and school personnel need protection and care. He also said it is time for people to shine a light on the issue and move forward, per the same report.
That framing echoes an earlier public statement from Willis. Back on Oct. 5, he wrote on X that he thinks it's time for a task force to look at breaking up CMS, as reported by The Charlotte Observer. The newspaper also reported that the FBI, State Bureau of Investigation and state auditor are examining matters involving the district, though the evidence does not detail the specifics or outcomes of those inquiries.
Student Counts and an Unclear Legal Path
How many students actually attend CMS schools depends on which account you read. The Charlotte Observer reported the district serves approximately 140,000 students across Mecklenburg County, while CMS itself said in October that it serves all of its 185 schools and approximately 139,000 students — a discrepancy the available reporting does not explain.
Whatever the exact enrollment, there's a bigger question hanging over any breakup push: North Carolina law may not actually spell out how to do it. A 2019 EducationNC analysis cited by the Observer found there is no general statutory process for dividing school districts. A primary-source review of North Carolina General Statute § 115C-66.5 found that it addresses the merger of county school administrative units by the State Board of Education, but the available text does not establish how that statute would apply to splitting a district apart.
A Long History of Breakup Talk in Mecklenburg County
CMS was formed in 1960 through the merger of Charlotte City Schools and Mecklenburg County Schools, per the Observer, and talk of undoing that merger is not new. In 2005, members of the House education committee refused to hear and overwhelmingly voted down a bill that would have let Mecklenburg voters weigh in on a secession plan, according to WBTV. A 2017 legislative committee later studied dividing large school districts but did not recommend a specific process for doing so, the Observer reported.
More recently, the town of Matthews explored breaking away from CMS in 2018, and a law was passed to let Matthews, Mint Hill and other municipalities operate their own charter schools, per WSOC-TV. WBTV also reported that House Bill 704, filed separately, would create a joint legislative study committee to look into whether legislation should allow previously merged school systems to break up, with the committee also considering how to divide districts and whether a local referendum or petition would be needed before a split could happen. North Carolina had gone from 167 school districts in the 1960s to 115 in 2017, according to the station.
A Shifting Political Landscape in Raleigh
Any such bill would also land in a legislature with a different balance of power than in recent years. Democrats won a majority in the state House on Nov. 3 for the first time in 16 years, the Observer reported, while Republicans were expected to retain the Senate with a narrower majority. That shift could shape how far any CMS breakup proposal is able to travel once lawmakers reconvene.
Queen City News said it reached out to Willis for details about the proposed legislation and contacted Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for comment, as Queen City News reported. Willis's conversation with WBT Radio is expected to air beginning at 6 p.m., with additional specifics on his plans anticipated once the General Assembly is back in session next week.
