Crystal Hill

CMS Fired Crystal Hill 5-4 the Night Its Own Report Cleared Her. Where Each Board Member Stood.

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 Returns Crystal Hill as Superintendent, 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.

The $400 Million Mecklenburg Covers for the State Is Sixteen Cents of Its Tax Rate

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.

After Ten Months Without a Budget, NC Republicans Found a Framework. Most State Workers Get a Raise Below 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 Denying It 8-1

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 Eliminated Its Pre-K Coaching Staff. The Kindergarten Pipeline Is the Replacement.

CMS Is Cutting Four Foster-Care Liaisons. The County Doesn't Know Yet.

CMS Set Aside $6.6 Million for a State Raise That Might Not Cover It

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

Superintendent Crystal Hill's final Program Choice plan, presented to the CMS Board of Education April 28, would consolidate the district's choice programs into six themes, cut programs at 11 schools, add programs at four, and convert all four middle colleges to early colleges. Public hearing May 12; board vote May 26; implementation 2027-28.

CMS Board Denies Hill's $2.1B Budget 8-1, Gives Her Two Weeks Without Saying What to Change

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 Teacher Workday as Unfilled Absences Hit 1,934 Ahead of Raleigh March

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education voted 9-0 in an emergency meeting to convert May 1 from a student instructional day to a teacher workday, after district staffing data projected 1,934 unfilled absences for the same Friday thousands of North Carolina educators plan to spend marching in Raleigh.

The State Funds 78 Percent 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 Kindergarten Literacy Hits a Four-Year High — 4,858 Students Still Short of Target

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 Board Committee Spent Six Weeks Rewriting Family Engagement Policy. Then They Found the Real Problem.

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. Here's 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 of Education Meeting Recap: New Principals Named, Literacy Data Reviewed, 2027–28 Calendar Options Released

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.

CMS Posts Historic Gains: 55 Schools Improve, 89% Meet Growth, Low-Performing Drops to 18%

CMS reports record gains: 55 schools improved grades, 89% met or exceeded growth, and low-performing schools dropped from 32% to 18%. What changed inside the district's playbook.

Summer Nunn Steps Aside: District 6 School-Board Race Opens Ahead of Charlotte's 2025 Ballot

Summer Nunn leaves the CMS board after one term, citing family, work, and "dysfunction." District 6 now looks for fresh candidates as November's ballot takes shape.

Back to School: The CMS Dates and Changes Worth Knowing This 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.

Back to School: The CMS Dates and Changes Worth Knowing This 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.

Back to School: The CMS Dates and Changes Worth Knowing This 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.