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Public commenters press Asheville board on trust, budget transparency and feasibility study
Summary
Community speakers told the board that trust has eroded around decisions such as the feasibility study and budget timeline; they asked for public survey results, more forums, and better engagement earlier in the process.
During the public-comment period, several speakers — including representatives of the Asheville City Association of Educators and Families of Asheville City Schools (FAX) — said the recurring problem across the district’s current debates is broken trust. They urged the board to slow processes, publish survey results tied to the feasibility study and invite families into earlier stages of planning.
Carson Bridges, president of ACE, said staff proposals (for example, IEP coordinator positions and living-wage proposals) were developed through staff conversations and brought to the MCC table, but that the board received items without full MCC review. “When developing our proposals, ACE had direct conversations with staff in order to find solutions to their problems,” he said, adding that the MCC process appears to have been bypassed this year.
Christina Shimrock of FAX told families not to “give up on our public schools” but urged the board and district leadership to rebuild relationships by sharing information in public meetings, inviting families into meaningful forums, and responding to survey results with concrete actions. The speakers linked concerns about the budget, program changes (including the feasibility study) and enrollment trends to a broader need for transparent governance.
The board heard those calls alongside formal action items and said it would continue MCC conversations, reconcile state allotments and revisit unresolved items in July.
