District
5
Cynthia Stone
Board Member, District 5, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
- Party
- Nonpartisan
- Office phone
- 980-343-3000
In our reporting · 11 stories
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.
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.
CMS Board Won't Rubber-Stamp i-Ready, Cuts It to One Year
Charlotte-Mecklenburg's school board declined to renew i-Ready on the terms its staff requested, rejecting a multi-year, sole-source contract for a single year with conditions attached. The 7-2 vote followed sustained objections over screen time, student-data privacy, and the strength of the evidence. Staff must return in August with data, security provisions, and limits on how the vendor uses student data.
CMS Approves 99-Year Educator Housing Lease Option
CMS unanimously approved a 99-year lease option with Innovative Housing Solutions Foundation for educator housing adjacent to Garinger High School. IHSF must secure fundraising by June 2027.
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 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 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.
Mecklenburg Results: Transit Tax Passes, Democrats Sweep
Mecklenburg County voters approved a landmark transit tax, re‑elected Mayor Vi Lyles, and delivered a clean sweep for Democrats on the council and school board in Charlotte's 2025 municipal election.
CMS board forum: Districts 1–6 candidates on gains, funding
WFAE and the League of Women Voters hosted a CMS board forum. Candidates for Districts 1–6 outlined views on achievement, funding, communications, immigration policy, teacher retention, and district needs.