Crystal Hill

CMS Board: Five Asked to Resign, All Five Spoke

A parent read the CMS board a petition she said carries 1,179 signatures calling for five members to resign over the vote that fired Superintendent Crystal Hill. Later, in board reports, all five spoke. None announced a resignation.

SAIL Families Ask CMS Board to Undo the 9:15 Start

Fifteen of the 33 people who spoke at Tuesday's CMS board meeting came about one thing: a later start time for South Academy of International Languages and Sedgefield Middle in 2027-28. CMS Transportation announced it Sept. 22 as an informational item needing no board vote. Parents offered an alternative.

CMS Board Starts the Search for a New Superintendent, 6-2

A week after firing Crystal Hill, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board voted 6-2 to create a four-member search committee. The two no votes said the board should examine its own governance first. No timeline has been set.

CMS Fires Crystal Hill 5-4; Report Found No Improper Conduct

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education fired Superintendent Crystal Hill 5-4 on Tuesday without stating a cause, then released its own report finding no improper conduct by her. Here is how each of the nine members voted and what they said.

For Nine CMS Programs, This School Year Is the Last

CMS opened the 2026-27 school year Tuesday. At eight schools, the board's August 11 Program Choice votes make it the final year for nine magnet and choice programs, with replacements arriving on a slower clock.

CMS Brings Back Crystal Hill, Offers Few Details on Review

CMS says Crystal Hill will return as superintendent after an independent review. The board says the review found issues that still require attention, but it did not explain them at its Aug. 11 meeting.

Mecklenburg Spends $400M Covering the State's CMS Share

At Mecklenburg County's May 20 budget overview, Budget Director Adrian Cox put a number on what the county spends covering the state's share of CMS: more than $400 million, about sixteen cents of the property-tax rate. The recommended FY27 budget holds the rate flat by shifting a penny between funds, but the structural gap remains.

NC Budget Framework: Most Workers' Raises Trail Inflation

Senate Pres. Pro Tem Phil Berger and House Speaker Destin Hall announced a budget framework Tuesday afternoon, ending a ten-month standoff. Teachers get an 8 percent raise and a $48,000 starting floor. Most state employees get 3 percent, below the 3.8 percent inflation rate reported the same morning. The income tax steps down through 2034, and a constitutional amendment capping the rate at 3.5 percent goes on the November ballot.

CMS Board Unanimously Approves Hill's Amended Budget

Two weeks after rejecting Superintendent Crystal Hill's $2.1 billion budget 8-1, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education unanimously approved her amended version on Tuesday. The same operating envelope now carries six negotiated changes, including the elimination of the $2.4 million Capturing Kids Hearts contract and the reinstatement of all four CMS-DSS educational liaison positions. The state budget remains the variable holding everything else still.

CMS Eliminates Pre-K Coaching Staff, Folds It Into K-2 Team

CMS Plans to Cut 4 Liaisons; County Not Told of New Plan

CMS's $6.6 Million Hedge May Not Cover a State Raise

CFO Kelly Kluttz told the board the district's $6.6 million salary reserve covers them to about 5 percent, but bills in Raleigh propose up to 9, the state hasn't passed a budget, and the county can't backfill after June.

CMS Final Program Choice Plan

The board took its Program Choice votes Aug. 11, and for nine programs at eight schools, 2026-27 is the last year.

CMS Board Denies Hill's $2.1B Budget 8-1, Wants a Redo

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education voted 8-1 Tuesday night to deny Superintendent Crystal Hill's $2.1 billion budget and gave her two weeks to come back with a revised version, without saying, in open session, what to change. After the vote, Hill asked four times for direction at the dais. Chair Stephanie Sneed declined and adjourned. The revised budget is due May 12.

CMS Makes May 1 a Workday as Unfilled Absences Hit 1,934

The 1,934 unfilled absences were more than four times the Friday average of 449 for April and May last school year.

State Funds 78% of CMS Positions; the County Fills the Gap

The state funds 78 percent of CMS positions. The county funds 2,707 more. Superintendent Crystal Hill showed the board what happens if either side flinches.

CMS K-2 Literacy Hits Four-Year High; 4,858 Short of Goal

Sixty-three percent of K-2 students across Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are at or above benchmark on the DIBELS early literacy assessment, the highest mid-year mark since the district adopted the assessment in 2022-23. The district still needs 4,858 more students to reach its annual target of 79 percent.

CMS Family Engagement Policy Draft Exposes a Board Rules Gap

The Family and Community Engagement Ad Hoc Committee is drafting the district's first standalone family engagement policy, and discovered there are no written rules for how board members use district staff.

CMS Asks Mecklenburg County for $698.6 Million: What's In It

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is asking Mecklenburg County for $698.6 million to fund a $1.97 billion operating budget, including a fourth consecutive 5% teacher supplement increase, while North Carolina still has not passed a state budget for this year or next.

CMS Board Names Leaders, Reviews Literacy, 2027–28 Calendar

CMS leaders outlined 3–5 reading progress targets, named new school leaders, and launched a community survey for two 2027–28 calendar options after a virtual Board meeting.

The CMS Dates and Changes Worth Knowing This School Year

CMS opened the 2026-27 year on August 25. Here is the one-page version for families: every break, workday and early release day, plus what actually changed this year.

CMS 2026-27 School Year: Key Dates and What Changed

CMS opened the 2026-27 year on August 25. Here is the one-page version for families: every break, workday and early release day, plus what actually changed this year.

Charlotte Water Limits, Data Center Moratorium, Budget, CMS

Six takeaways from a heavy week at city hall: Stage 2 water restrictions, a unanimous data-center moratorium, a $4.5 billion budget hearing, the NC state-budget framework, the CMS budget reversal, and the MPTA's July 1 deadline.

CMS Sends $2.1B Budget Back: Quick Read for Firethorne

Quick read on the district next door: CMS denied Hill's $2.1B budget 8-1; revised version due May 12. Five-point takeaway with a link to the full story.