Community members voice concerns at CMS board meeting
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In the first board meeting since federal and state authorities started investigating Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools for financial irregularities, more than 50 people signed up to speak. Several people addressed the board, its decisions and its spending.
“I’m very disappointed with the CMS School Board and embarrassed as a Charlotte Mecklenburg law-abiding, tax-paying citizen,” Gloria Davis, CMS Grandparent said.
Some community members questioned the board’s decision to spend more than $379,000 on an investigation into former superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill before reinstating her and firing her. The district also owes Hill one year of pay because they fired her without cause.
“Had we not spent all of this money on this costly investigation into Crystal Hill, consulting contracts, corporate cheats, student outcomes actually would have been higher because we could use that money to hire more teachers and staff,” James Russell, CMS Parent said.
The board fired Hill in a surprise 5 to 4 vote during their September board meeting. At the same meeting, Stephanie Sneed stepped down as chair. There are calls for her to resign from the board entirely. Sneed addressed that pressure Tuesday night.
“My work with the community cannot be erased. I stand by it. My decisions and actions, every single one, has always been centered on students, families, and educators,” Sneed said. “Neither I nor this institution is perfect, but the board has been in the process of examining how our processes can be improved. That work should continue, and it should expand.”
CMS Parent Ann Margret Gidley started a petition calling for Sneed’s resignation as well as the other four board members who voted to fire Hill. The online petition now has more than 1,100 signatures.
“The ongoing conflicts of interest, lack of transparency, and misuse of taxpayer funds that should directly support our classrooms and our students have undermined this community’s trust,” Gidley said. “The public deserves leaders who prioritize students, staff, and schools above all else.”
Other community members say we need to wait for the FBI, SBI, state auditor and Department of Public Instruction to finish their investigations.
“There may be policy areas in which the school board and superintendent could or could not have implemented differently,” Janice Robinson, Charlotte community member said. “That should come out when the investigation is completed but this demand that Ms Sneed step down, I wholeheartedly reject.”
The investigations into CMS are ongoing. The next big task is for the board to form a superintendent search committee. Interim superintendent Dr. Melissa Balknight has agreed to stay on as long as it takes to find another superintendent though she previously planned to resign in January of 2027.
