The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education made the stunning announcement Wednesday that it is placing Superintendent Crystal Hill on paid administrative leave, pending an investigation into how the school district is run. Here to break down what it means for the district and students is WFAE’s James Farrell.
Nick de la Canal: James, what do we know so far?
James Farrell: Hill is being placed on temporary paid leave pending this investigation into “matters involving administrative and operational oversight.” We don’t know exactly what may have prompted it. The board says it’s limited in what it can say because this is a personnel matter. But Board chair Stephanie Sneed told me [Thursday] morning that this investigation will be conducted by an outside firm and could take a few weeks. Interestingly, this would be separate from another districtwide compliance audit that the board has hired an outside firm for, which we reported on last month. While Hill is gone, Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight is expected to take on additional responsibilities to keep the ship afloat.
De la Canal: OK, so we don’t know what prompted this, but did we know this might have been coming?
Farrell: We didn’t necessarily know that this specific investigation was coming. But there has been speculation about Hill’s job status for weeks now, dating back to when the board voted down her budget in that dramatic 8-1 vote in April. That, and the very tense special meetings that followed, exposed real friction between Hill and the board that had not been publicly visible before. Like this moment, when Hill asked Sneed for clarity shortly after that budget vote:
Hill: “I just want to ask one – I believe it was said in your comments –”
Sneed: “Dr. Hill, we’re not doing this right now. We will address this after the meeting, you will get further direction.”
Or this moment a few days later, when Board member Shamaiye Haynes voiced frustration with CMS staff during the budget process.
Haynes:: “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.”
Rumors 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 this week with another closed session on Monday, and word from CMS insiders that Hill was not present at any graduation ceremonies.
De la Canal: What has the reaction to all this been?
Farrell: Hill sent an email from her personal account to media outlets, defending her record at CMS. She said she was saddened by the board’s actions but would cooperate fully with any review. Notably, she hasn’t shown signs of planning an exit, saying she’s “committed to our community, our district, and our mission.”
I’ve heard from some community members who just want more answers about what’s going on – especially since CMS has gone through so many superintendents in the last few years.
And some Hill critics welcomed the news. When some other news outlets initially reported Wednesday that Hill’s leaving was a done deal, former board member Melissa Easley wrote a lengthy statement on Facebook saying she wouldn’t miss her, accusing Hill of fostering a culture of fear among teachers and administrators and criticizing CMS for relying too much on outside consultants.
De la Canal: OK, so some strong opinions there. You mentioned that CMS has gone through several superintendents recently, and it does feel like this position has a lot of turnover.
Farrell: Nick, this position has become kind of a revolving door. There have been seven superintendents in 15 years. And no superintendent has lasted more than three years since Peter Gorman, who served between 2006 and 2011. The last two superintendents, Clayton Wilcox and Earnest Winston, both left under controversial circumstances.
But Hill’s fall is particularly shocking because, up until this spring, everything pointed to Hill being in it for the long haul. The district celebrated historic academic gains in September, which gave her plenty of room to argue that district strategies were working. The board extended her contract to 2029 just this past December. Hill’s approaching the three-year mark this July, so this investigation will likely determine whether she breaks that streak or not.
