Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Crystal Hill will remain in her role atop the district following a two-month investigation into unspecified allegations, Board Chair Stephanie Sneed announced Tuesday night.
"The decision follows a thorough and independent review of concerns about district operations and oversight," Sneed said at the end of Tuesday's regular board meeting. "The review identified issues that will require ongoing attention as it relates to leadership and operational practice, and we will address those directly with Dr. Hill."
Sneed did not specify what the issues identified in the investigation were, how board members voted on retaining Hill, or how the district will address ongoing issues with Hill. All of the board's meetings and discussions about Hill happened in closed session, which is allowed under state open meetings law to address personnel matters.
"We believe that returning her provides the best pathway forward for CMS," she said.
After the meeting, Sneed met briefly with reporters. Flanked by the board, she declined to answer questions about any votes they held. Sneed also declined to give any more information about the allegations against Hill or what the investigation found, despite the "ongoing" issues the board will be monitoring with Hill and the district's leadership.
Sneed did say she thinks the board and the superintendent can still work together.
"We have every confidence that we will be able to do that. Otherwise she would not have been able to return to work. So we believe with some oversight and discussions that we’ll be able to do what’s best in the interest of children," Sneed said.
The CMS board announced Hill’s suspension on June 17, citing “matters involving administrative and operational oversight.” Sneed told WFAE at the time the investigation could take a few weeks, but offered no other information. The board hired an outside law firm, Brooks Pierce, to investigate Hill at a cost of $275 per hour.
Hill officially returns to work on Wednesday. Students' first day back in school is in less than two weeks, on Aug. 25.
Ongoing speculation, tense relationship
Until this spring, Hill's tenure at CMS had looked mostly positive. Late last year, the board extended Hill's contract last year to run through 2029. She also received a raise of more than $22,000, taking her salary to almost $341,000.
But there had been speculation about Hill’s job status for weeks before the suspension, dating back to when the board voted down her budget in that dramatic 8-1 vote in April. A series of tense special meetings that followed exposed serious friction between Hill and the board. Some exchanges verged on open anger, as when Hill asked Sneed for clarity shortly after that budget vote:
“I just want to ask one – I believe it was said in your comments –” Hill said.
Sneed replied curtly: “Dr. Hill, we’re not doing this right now. We will address this after the meeting, you will get further direction.”
She then ended the meeting with a bang of her gavel.
A few days later, Board member Shamaiye Haynes voiced frustration with Hill and CMS staff during the budget process, accusing them of trying to make the board look "stupid."
“You definitely have the upper hand in terms of putting something up on a screen, allowing the public and the world to see how stupid we are," she said.
Rumors then swirled as the board held several closed sessions to discuss unspecified “personnel” matters. But even after that, CMS told WFAE that Hill had no intention of resigning, and Sneed suggested the board still had confidence in her. Still, none of that killed the speculation, which ratcheted up when Hill was not present at any graduation ceremonies.
Hill's reinstatement comes as the latest chapter in a long period of instability at the top for CMS. Her tenure, at least publicly, was a period of relative calm for the school system, marked by friendly relations with Mecklenburg County commissioners and a record-setting, multibillion-dollar bond approved by voters to fund school construction. Hill also received frequent compliments from the school board, who pointed to improving test scores and post-COVID-pandemic recovery.
Hill is the seventh superintendent in 15 years at CMS. Many have left under unclear and contentious circumstances with little disclosed by the Board of Education.
In 2014, Superintendent Heath Morrison resigned, and the CMS board said it could not answer questions. In 2019, Clayton Wilcox resigned, with the board declining to explain why. In 2022, the board fired Earnest Winston, later releasing documents citing concerns about his performance.
When the current board placed Hill on paid leave pending an investigation without providing details, CMS parents and teachers were left with a sense of déjà vu. Shortly after the suspension was announced, parent Jessica Hensen told WFAE that her reaction was immediate.
“Initially, maybe it was a: ‘Oh, not again,’” Hensen said, laughing. “Not again.”
'Serious concerns'
Addressing reporters after the meeting Tuesday night, Hill said the district's expenditure on the investigation, as well as its length, was worth it.
“We are executing our duties as employers. I think that we forget that the Board of Education oversees, not only the superintendent, but we also oversee 19,000 employees and we are the third largest employer in the county. It is our obligation to look into it, it is our fidelity to do that, we were elected to do that," she said.
“The amount of time that it took is the amount of time to make sure that we had all the facts and to make sure that it was thorough," Sneed said.
In a joint message sent from the board to CMS families Tuesday night, board members acknowledged there had been "serious concerns involving district operations and oversight."
The board again did not provide any information about those concerns, what the investigation into Hill found, or how the board would address those concerns.
"The Board will continue to provide oversight as the issues identified through the review are addressed," said the message, signed jointly by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education.
"Families can feel confident that CMS is ready for the new school year and that the people throughout this organization remain focused on serving your children every day."
This is a developing story and will be updated. Executive Editor Ely Portillo contributed.
