Potential CMS conflicts of interest outlined in 200 pages of documents

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill sent 200 pages of documents to the Board of Education outlining what she describes as conflicts of interest and extortion.

Dr. Hill has been keeping records since 2024. She starts her timeline when the board hired education consulting firm SYDKIMYL in September of 2024. The firm is owned by Kim McGregor. She is the wife of Raki McGregor – who was a CMS executive at the time. Documents show CMS paid the firm $13,000 a month to work on the teacher housing program and student mentorship.

Rhonda Cheek served on the school board for 13 years and ended her time on the board in 2022. She says there’s a clear precedent for hiring consultants.

“When I was on the board and we needed a specific function like that, they would send out what’s called an RFP request for proposal,” Cheek said. “So, you would bring in an outside firm to assist, but it’s not done this way.”

Dr. Hill outlines how throughout the contract, the budget for SYDKIMYL increased. Some board members raised concerns about the potential conflicts of interest with Raki McGregor and his wife’s business.

In March of 2025, the board voted to increase the SYDKIMYL budget to half a million dollars.
Melissa Easley was one of three board members who voted against it.

In a statement to WCCB she says in part, “it wasn’t about the individuals involved. It was about fiscal responsibility…”

Lisa Cline also voted against increasing the budget for the firm at the time. She sent WCCB a statement saying in part, “I am saddened by the state of affairs for the children and angered on behalf of the parents of Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. You entrust your children to a school system to get the best possible education with the monies allotted by the federal, state, and local governments, but now we are seeing that the district and board may not have been good stewards.” I hope through transparency, we will get to the bottom of the issue.”

In July of 2025, Dr. Hill decided not to renew Raki McGregor’s contract as executive in residence because of what she said were potential conflicts of interest. She says board chair Stephanie Sneed and Vice Chair Dee Rankin didn’t support the decision.

Poyner Spruill Law Firm was hired in February of 2026 to review a grievance filed by a former employee against Chair Sneed and Vice Chair Rankin.

Dr. Hill shows documents that demonstrate the law firm’s scope of work shifted from the grievance to teacher housing, instead. The firm eventually moved on to an assessment of the compliance office. Dr. Hill writes that she found the decision to be “unusual” suspected the Board was “launching a fishing expedition” for grounds to terminate her.

Records show the law firm hired a consulting firm called Qonnect to work on the teacher housing project. The law firm paid the consulting firm up to $30,000 a month. The consulting firm is owned by Raki McGregor.

“The fact that this went through an attorney, through a consultant, who then farmed it to us another person. Well, number one, that that shows me there’s got to be a lot of markup there because all those people are making money,” Cheek said.

Dr. Hill clashed with the board during the latest budget cycle. Hill’s records allege that public friction with Sneed could have come from Hill’s concerns about conflict of interest issues.

In June of 2026, the board suspended with pay Dr. Hill for what it said were operational and oversight concerns. The board hired the firm Brooks Pierce to investigate Dr. Hill.

After spending more than $379,000 and finding no wrong doing the board brought the superintendent back in August.

Former board member Rhonda Cheek tells me this is a distraction and Sneed should step down.

“She can say that she’s done nothing wrong, but she’s going to cooperate with this investigation, but that she’s going to step down so that the focus can be back on taking care of students and making sure teachers and principals and staff have what they need,” Cheek said.

Dr. Hill says she was told that the board received several serious allegations about her management but if she stepped down by June 12th the claims would be kept private. Dr. Hill says she considers that extortion.

In a summary of her concerns Dr. Hill wrote, “If I don’t understand the Board’s decisions from my seat as Superintendent, we can’t reasonably expect employees or taxpayers to understand.”

WCCB contacted Stephanie Sneed for comment, but it appears she has blocked my number. The board will discuss removing her as chair in a meeting on Tuesday September 22nd.