Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of 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. No timeline has been set.

CMS Fired Crystal Hill 5-4 the Night Its Own Report Cleared Her. Where Each Board Member Stood.

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.

CMS Tells K-2 Students Not to Use YouTube. The Devices Still Can.

CMS will bar independent YouTube use for K-2 students, but YouTube will not be technically blocked on their school devices.

CMS Returns Crystal Hill as Superintendent, 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 a One-Year Contract

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 Read the CMS Free Speech Policy Before Tuesday's Vote. She Thought the Board Should Read It Again.

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 Just Committed a School Site to Educator Housing for 99 Years. Now IHSF Has to Raise the Money.

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 Students and Pre-K Families Ask the CMS Board to Protect What's Working

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 Board Approves $5.5 Million to Extend IBM Oracle Contract and Target 2028 for HR and Payroll Launch

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 $2.4 Million Capturing Kids' Hearts Program and Redirects Funds Toward Direct Classroom Support

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.

After Ten Months Without a Budget, NC Republicans Found a Framework. Most State Workers Get a Raise Below 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. Most state employees get 3 percent, below the 3.8 percent inflation rate reported the same morning. The income tax steps down through 2034, and a constitutional amendment capping the rate at 3.5 percent goes on the November ballot.

CMS Eliminated Its Pre-K Coaching Staff. The Kindergarten Pipeline Is the Replacement.

CMS Is Cutting Four Foster-Care Liaisons. The County Doesn't Know Yet.

CMS Set Aside $6.6 Million for a State Raise That Might Not Cover It

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 backfill after June.

CMS Makes May 1 a Teacher Workday as Unfilled Absences Hit 1,934 Ahead of Raleigh March

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education voted 9-0 in an emergency meeting to convert May 1 from a student instructional day to a teacher workday, after district staffing data projected 1,934 unfilled absences for the same Friday thousands of North Carolina educators plan to spend marching in Raleigh.

The State Funds 78 Percent 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.

CMS Kindergarten Literacy Hits a Four-Year High — 4,858 Students Still Short of Target

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 assessment in 2022-23. The district still needs 4,858 more students to reach its annual target of 79 percent.

Mecklenburg County Spent $12 Million on Real Estate Monday Night. The Biggest Purchase Is 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. A second vote authorized $7.5 million for 39 acres to replace Berryhill K-8. The biggest debate of the night was over parking.

CMS Board of Education Meeting Recap: New Principals Named, Literacy Data Reviewed, 2027–28 Calendar Options Released

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.