The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education voted 9-0 on Friday to convert May 1 from a student instructional day into a teacher workday, after district staffing data projected 1,934 unfilled teacher absences for the same Friday thousands of North Carolina educators plan to spend marching in Raleigh.
Chief Human Resources Officer Angie Wood told the board in the emergency meeting that as of 6 a.m. Friday, CMS was already showing 1,934 unfilled absences for May 1 — more than four times the Friday average of 449 for April and May last school year, and more than three times the single-day record of 560 this year to date. Another 688 absences were already filled; the total requiring a substitute stood at 2,622. "This is a fluid number that is continuing to increase," Wood said.
The motion came from Board Member Liz Monterrey Duvall, who tied the calendar change directly to the North Carolina Association of Educators' "Kids Over Corporations" rally in Raleigh, expected to draw thousands to Halifax Mall. "North Carolina still ranks 43rd in the nation for teacher pay," Duvall said. "The state still has no budget, which means no raises, no new funding, and by 2030, the corporate income tax phases out entirely, threatening the very revenue that funds our schools."
CMS joins Chapel Hill-Carrboro, Chatham, Guilford and several other North Carolina districts that have already converted May 1 into a workday or non-instructional day. New Hanover County's board voted against doing the same, with one member dismissing the rally as "politically motivated."
Presenting the superintendent's recommendation, Beth Thompson emphasized that the change keeps CMS within state law. North Carolina requires a minimum of 1,025 instructional hours; the district began the 2025-26 calendar with 1,063 and will retain 1,057.7 at its smallest grade span after May 1 is removed. The district has one additional remote day in reserve — but no further cushion. The change does not affect the Early and Middle College calendars at UNCC and CPCC, where exams are already scheduled.
Board Chair Stephanie Sneed closed the discussion by framing the vote as a symptom of a larger problem. "This is a greater issue that we have been dealing with for quite some time in terms of funding for our schools," Sneed said. "It is a problem that we cannot supplement our way out of, and we definitely need the support from our state." The state funds 78 percent of CMS positions; the county fills the rest.
Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill said the district is working to keep the After-School Enrichment Program running on May 1 and will notify participating families directly.
It is the second emergency calendar change CMS has made this school year. Two February half-days became full days after back-to-back winter storms. The May 1 change comes from a different source: the state-funding fight the board said out loud in March.
The vote was 9-0. May 1 is seven days away.