Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools provides 21 executives with cars, public records show
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools provides 21 executives with vehicles issued by the district, including nine members of Superintendent Crystal Hill’s cabinet.
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The fleet includes Toyota RAV4s, Chevy Malibus and Chevy Equinoxes. All but one were made between 2024 and 2026, with the remaining vehicle manufactured in 2022. The Charlotte Observer obtained a list of the vehicles through a public records request. The district’s response provides a full list of vehicles used by district employees, aside from school buses, for jobs like plumbing, roofing and school nutrition services.
CMS policy restricts the use of district-issued vehicles to “commuting to and from work and/or between school system-related business activities.” They are not for personal use and can only be operated by the designated employee. But six of the cars are designated as “take home” vehicles in CMS records.
A CMS spokesperson told the Observer the district usually assigns vehicles to employees who do a lot of traveling around the county as part of their job duties.
“Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools assigns district vehicles based on operational need and job responsibilities,” the spokesperson said. “These determinations are made to ensure that certain positions can effectively carry out duties that require frequent travel between sites, support of districtwide operations or on-call response.”
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CMS said giving vehicles to employees is more cost-effective than reimbursing their mileage. The Internal Revenue Service currently sets the standard mileage reimbursement rate for business at 72.5 cents per mile.
“Use of a district vehicle is recommended when the annual reimbursement rate exceeds the cost of use,” the CMS spokesperson said.
Superintendent Crystal Hill does not have a car issued by the district, but she does receive a $900-per-month car allowance.
Here are the CMS leaders issued cars by the district:
The Observer previously reported in April that 22 CMS executives make more than $200,000 a year. Nine of the executives who have district-issued vehicles are also on that list.
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