Newly released invoices reveal how much CMS spent on Crystal Hill investigation
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will pay over $379,000 for services related to its investigation into Superintendent Crystal Hill.
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The district contracted with outside law firm Brooks Pierce for $275 an hour, plus fees, to conduct the probe, beginning in mid-May. Hill was later placed on paid leave June 17 before the board voted to restore her to her position Aug. 11.
Invoices from Brooks Pierce, which The Charlotte Observer obtained through a public records request, show that the services rendered between May 13 and July 31 will cost the district $379,429. Work done by the firm during that timeframe totaled 1,233.4 hours. CMS released the records to the Observer Friday.
For comparison, Hill, the district’s highest-paid employee, will make $351,000 this school year.
The board still has not confirmed what prompted the investigation, though the Observer’s news partner WSOC-TV reported the cause of the investigation is contracts with some of Hill’s former colleagues. The Observer determined those contracts totaled more than $1.7 million over three years.
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Records show the board’s first phone call with Brooks Pierce about the probe was on May 13, the day after the board voted to approve Hill’s revised 2026-27 budget proposal following a tense budget cycle. The board had previously voted to spike Hill’s first plan on April 28.
Several budget planning meetings preceded the May 12 vote, including one in which board members said Hill presented information they wished they’d seen sooner. Others described feeling they were being talked down to.
Board members voted Tuesday to release a report detailing the investigation into Hill, including the process, lessons learned and recommended improvements, by the end of September. Previously, the board had remained tight-lipped about the probe.
“Confidentiality does not have to mean silence,” board member Charlitta Hatch said Tuesday. “Accountability is not just about completing an investigation but also relating what we learned.”
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This breaking news story will be updated.
This story was originally published August 28, 2026 at 12:58 PM.
