Schools
What the school board decided and what is changing in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, newest first.
Next school board meeting
Tuesday, November 10
CMS Board of Education Meeting · 6 p.m. ET
CMS Math 1 Scores Jump; Middle School Reading Barely Moves
CMS students made their biggest Math 1 gain in four years. Middle school reading rose one point, and a board member asked how the district closes a nine-point gap in a year.
Parents Press CMS Board on Phones, Screens and i-Ready
Schools Beyond Screens brought the CMS board a list Tuesday: a bell-to-bell phone ban, a public audit of what the district spends on technology, tighter device controls and evidence that i-Ready works. Celia Kaul, who warned this board in June, came back as a freshman.
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 Bars Solo YouTube Use in K-2, but Devices Won't Block It
CMS will bar independent YouTube use for K-2 students, but YouTube will not be technically blocked on their school devices.
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.
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.
An 8th Grader Argued Against CMS's New Free Speech Policy
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education voted 7-2 to adopt Policy S-SFRS on student free speech. The most substantive speech about the policy came from a student who argued it would do the opposite of what it promised.
CMS Parents and Students Testify Against iReady Renewal
More than a dozen parents, students, teachers, and health professionals testified against renewing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' iReady contract at Tuesday's board meeting. Board chair Stephanie Sneed thanked them and moved on.
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.
Levine Middle College and Pre-K Voices Lobby CMS Board
Students from Levine Middle College and a Pre-K family advocate used Tuesday's public comment period to ask the CMS Board to protect programs they said were producing results.
CMS Approves $5.5M IBM Oracle Extension, Eyes 2028 Payroll
The Board of Education approved a $5.5 million amendment to its Oracle enterprise software contract, extending the implementation and adding hypercare support as the district works toward a full system launch in 2028.
CMS Ends $2.4M Capturing Kids' Hearts Deal, Redirects Funds
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will end its use of Capturing Kids' Hearts and redirect the program's $2.4 million budget toward classroom-based instruction and a competitive procurement process.
CMS Restores Four Foster-Care Liaisons; a Judge Explains Why
District Court Judge Elizabeth Trosch spent nearly two decades in juvenile court before showing up at the May 12 CMS board meeting to explain what the district's sustained investment in four foster-care liaisons had actually produced, and why it had made Mecklenburg County a national model.
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.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education · 9 seats
Chair · District
3
Gregory "Dee" Rankin
Board Member, District 3 (Chair)
At-Large
AL
Liz Monterrey Duvall
Board Member, At-Large (Vice Chair)
At-Large
AL
Lenora Shipp
Board Member, At-Large
At-Large
AL
Monty Witherspoon
Board Member, At-Large
District
1
Charlitta Hatch
Board Member, District 1
District
2
Shamaiye Haynes
Board Member, District 2
District
4
Stephanie Sneed
Board Member, District 4
District
5
Cynthia Stone
Board Member, District 5
District
6
Anna London
Board Member, District 6