3 things to know about CMS superintendent Crystal Hill amid reports of departure

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Crystal Hill is reportedly out after leading the district for over three years

Multiple news outlets reported Wednesday she is no longer superintendent. CMS has made no announcement yet, but one is expected, a school board member told The Charlotte Observer. Speculation about her status intensified after she missed graduation ceremonies and the district’s annual leadership conference recently.

Here’s what to know about Hill’s tenure.

Hill became the first Black woman to lead CMS in December 2022 when the board named her its interim leader.

She was previously the district’s chief of staff. Before coming to Charlotte, she was a chief academic officer and assistant superintendent for Cabarrus County’s school system. She began her education career as a first-grade teacher in Guilford County.

The superintendent position saw high turnover before Hill took the job; she was the eighth person since 2011 in the role.

The board cut “interim” from her title in May 2023.

“It opens up an opportunity for me to serve in ways that I’ve not been able to serve before,” she told the Observer then. “I’m just grateful to those who have gone before me who have been the first and charted the path. I just hope that I can reflect and be a good role model for our students so they can look at me and say, ‘Wow, if she can do it, I can do it.’”

Test scores painted an unflattering picture of the district when Hill took the job three years ago. About half its students failed state exams in the 2021 and 2022 school year. The achievement gap for Black and Hispanic students grew then, too.

Crime, violence and student misconduct were also up after the COVID-19 pandemic. And teacher attrition rose.

Hill found success in raising test scores, leading CMS as it outpaced North Carolina as a whole — about 56% “proficient” locally compared to about 55% across the state. Overall crime numbers in district schools returned to a normal pre-pandemic range, though drug possession in particular grew to an 18-year high.

Teacher turnover remains an issue. Hill in March said that one issue is the state’s pay structure for educators.

Perhaps her biggest achievement as superintendent: passage of a $2.5 billion bond to fund improvements at school buildings, offer more academic choices and lessen overcrowding. County voters approved the funding by a good margin in 2023.

There have been signs of tension recently. Nearly unanimously in April, the school board voted down Hill’s budget request for the 2026 and 2027 academic year. Board members offered little insight into their thinking at the time, but listed learning gaps, student mental health and a social and emotional learning program as particular concerns.

Hill seemed to be blindsided by the vote.

The board later approved a revised budget.

Observer reporter Rebecca Noel contributed.