education
CMS Renames Its Equity Policy and Drops Race Data Rules, 7-2
Board member Lenora Shipp's motion cited Session Law 2026-41, and no one at the dais mentioned the race data before the vote.
Jack Beckett·Oct 17, 2026
Topic
Education
education
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.
Jack Beckett·Oct 17, 2026
education
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.
Jack Beckett·Oct 15, 2026
education
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.
Jack Beckett·Oct 15, 2026
education
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.
Jack Beckett·Oct 15, 2026
education
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.
Jack Beckett·Sep 30, 2026
education
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.
Jack Beckett·Sep 23, 2026
education
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…
Jack Beckett·Aug 25, 2026
education
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.
Jack Beckett·Aug 13, 2026
education
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.
Jack Beckett·Aug 12, 2026
education
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.
Jack Beckett·Jun 24, 2026
education
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…
Jack Beckett·Jun 10, 2026
education
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.
Jack Beckett·Jun 10, 2026
government
Reneé Johnson Takes CMS School-Utilization Report to Council
Council Member Reneé Johnson (District 4) brought a manually-compiled CMS school-utilization report to Monday's council meeting to argue that the conventional rezoning process is not tracking the…
Jack Beckett·May 20, 2026
education
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.
Jack Beckett·May 15, 2026
education
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…
Jack Beckett·May 15, 2026
education
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.
Jack Beckett·May 15, 2026
education
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…
Jack Beckett·May 15, 2026
government
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.
Jack Beckett·May 13, 2026
education
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.
Jack Beckett·May 13, 2026
education
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…
Jack Beckett·May 6, 2026
education
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.
Jack Beckett·Apr 29, 2026
education
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…
Jack Beckett·Apr 29, 2026
education
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.
Jack Beckett·Apr 24, 2026
education
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.
Jack Beckett·Apr 18, 2026
education
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…
Jack Beckett·Apr 15, 2026
government
Mecklenburg Votes to Buy Former Smith School for Housing
Mecklenburg County voted unanimously to spend $4.5 million on the former Smith School at 1600 Tyvola Road, a site CMS vacated five years ago over a cancer cluster investigation, for future housing.
Jack Beckett·Apr 8, 2026
education
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…
Jack Beckett·Mar 31, 2026
education
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…
Jack Beckett·Mar 25, 2026
education
Mecklenburg Commissioners: NC Is Last in School Funding
A teacher asked the board to back the NCAE's "Kids Over Corporations" campaign, and four commissioners raised school funding from the dais.
Jack Beckett·Mar 18, 2026
education
CMS Teacher Got Three Minutes at Mecklenburg Commission
A CMS teacher brought documented facts and a specific ask to the Mecklenburg County Board. The board did not respond. Three hours later, four commissioners said the same things he'd said, to each…
Jack Beckett·Mar 18, 2026
education
CMS Turns Two Half Days Into Full School Days After Storms
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools voted unanimously to convert two early release days into full school days after winter storms disrupted eight consecutive days of instruction.
Jack Beckett·Feb 7, 2026
education
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.
Jack Beckett·Jan 28, 2026
elections
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.
Jack Beckett·Nov 6, 2025
elections
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…
Jack Beckett·Oct 28, 2025
government
Charlotte Civic Calendar: Political Events, Oct. 3–13, 2025
Charlotte's next 10 days decide zoning, preservation, transit, and ballot logistics. Here's what to watch, how to attend, and why it matters.
Jack Beckett·Oct 3, 2025
education
CMS Posts Record Gains: 55 Schools Improve, 89% Meet Growth
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.
Jack Beckett·Sep 6, 2025
elections
NC Politics: Transit Tax Vote, Stopgap Budget, Veto Fight
A hard look at the week: Mecklenburg's transit tax hits the ballot, the governor signs a stopgap budget and vetoes a school-choice tax credit, and local transparency fights simmer in Charlotte.
Jack Beckett·Aug 10, 2025