What’s in store for Crystal Hill’s first board meeting back as CMS superintendent
Tuesday is not just the first day of school in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools: It will also mark Superintendent Crystal Hill’s first board meeting since her return from a nearly two-month-long paid leave.
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The board will vote on changes to district policies regarding diversity, equity and inclusion and religious education to align with state law passed this summer. Also, board member Charlitta Hatch told The Charlotte Observer she plans to ask the board Tuesday to release the findings of this summer’s investigation into Hill.
The move will require a majority of the nine-member board to support it in order to move forward. At least one other board member, Shamaiye Haynes, has said she will support Hatch’s motion.
“My position is that, within the boundaries of the law, we should err on the side of giving the public more information, not less,” Hatch told the Observer Friday.
The board placed Hill on paid leave June 17 and launched an investigation into “matters involving administrative and operational oversight.” The board voted Aug. 11 to return Hill to her post.
Board members have remained hush about what specifically prompted the investigation and what it found, often citing state law that prohibits the disclosure of most portions of employee personnel records.
Board Chair Stephanie Sneed told reporters Aug. 11 that the investigation “identified issues that will require ongoing attention as it relates to leadership and operational practices.” She did not go into further detail, instead saying matters would be addressed with Hill directly.
There is a legal loophole that allows boards to release certain personnel information if they choose to. Previously, CMS board members chose to release some of former Superintendent Ernest Winston’s personnel records, including a poor 2021-22 performance review, after it dismissed him in 2022.
The district has not confirmed nor denied previous reporting from WSOC-TV that the investigation pertained to 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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The board is slated to vote on changes to two district policies as a result of new regulations passed in this summer’s state budget.
First, board members will vote whether to approve changes to its Minority, Women and Small Business Enterprises Program. State lawmakers passed new rules as part of the 2026 Senate Appropriations Act that ban state or local agencies from using race-conscious or gender-conscious goals in contracting.
The district’s policy currently says, “Minority-owned, women-owned, and small business enterprises (collectively ‘M/W/SBE’) as well as other responsible vendors shall have a fair and reasonable opportunity to participate in CMS business opportunities.”
It also says the superintendent should implement “aspirational goals” for the number of minority-owned, women-owned and small businesses “in proportion to the availability of qualified vendors.”
Proposed changes to the policy would remove any mention of minority-owned or women-owned businesses.
The CMS board will also vote on changes to its attendance monitoring policies.
State lawmakers passed legislation this summer to require school principals to excuse student absences related to private, off-campus religious instruction programs. Students can be excused for one to four hours per week to attend religious instruction.
CMS’ proposed policy requires students to make up all missed classwork and specifies that no public funds can be used to facilitate a student attending private religious instruction programs.
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