Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ new $180,000 contract with the education consulting firm SYDKIMYL sparked fresh tensions among CMS board members that were on display at Tuesday night’s board meeting.
Last month, WFAE reported that CMS had entered into the new contract with SYDKIMYL despite some board members questioning a prior contract expansion in March. Board members had questions about the firm’s efficacy at improving academic outcomes, and about the familial connections between firm founder Kimberly McGregor and her husband Raki, who until July was a close advisor to CMS administration and Superintendent Crystal Hill.
At the time, three board members—Summer Nunn, Melissa Easley and Lisa Cline—voted against the contract expansion, which increased the firm’s funding from $325,000 to $500,000, on top of another contract SYDKIMYL has with Mecklenburg County for $600,000.
The new contract is set to run between Aug. 25 and Jan. 30, putting the monetary amount below the $250,000 threshold for items that must come before the board for a vote.
The McGregors and CMS have insisted there was nothing improper about the contracts, and they’ve maintained SYDKIMYL’s work benefitted the 12 middle schools where the firm worked.
At Tuesday’s board meeting, CMS appeared to double down on the decision to re-sign SYDKIMYL. The district highlighted several partnerships with area organizations as part of a celebration of the district’s academic gains, which included all-time records in growth and school performance grades. SYDKIMYL was among the groups the district highlighted.
“We’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with you, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and we remain committed to ensuring that every scholar in this district can reach their fullest potential,” Kimberly McGregor told the board.
Responding to a question from board chair Stephanie Sneed about SYDKIMYL’s role in the district’s growth, CMS officials said 10 of the 12 schools that received SYDKIMYL consulting met or exceeded their growth expectations, according to last year’s state test data.
A look at the school performance ratings of the 11 SYDKIMYL schools listed on a question-and-answer document provided to the board in March shows seven increased a letter grade last year. That came in a year where 55 total schools across the district picked up a letter grade, the most in CMS history.
At Tuesday’s board meeting, Sneed and Board member Dee Rankin offered vocal support for both SYDKIMYL and Raki McGregor.
“Your work has become a talking point, even amongst candidates and even some board members,” Rankin said, singling out SYDKIMYL. “But your work is needed. Thank you.”
Sneed thanked Raki McGregor for his work with the district – which included deep involvement on several initiatives, like the district’s pursuit of affordable housing opportunities for teachers. She also said that “adult behaviors are barriers that we still have to overcome,” suggesting some were acting out of self-preservation or divisiveness, without specifying.
“Check yourself, and if you feel a little sting, that means I’m talking to you,” she said. “And anytime – and I’m going to charge everybody in this room – that somebody’s in that space, that they’re not supposed to be, then you say the words: ‘is this about the children?’”
An election-year controversy
SYDKIMYL’s contract has become a flashpoint in the upcoming school board election, where six of nine seats are up for re-election this year. Back in July, the Charlotte Ledger reported that Raki McGregor had shown public support for two school board candidates – Anna London and Charlitta Hatch. Hatch is challenging Easley, and London is running for Nunn’s seat. Nunn is not seeking re-election.
Raki McGregor’s involvement in the election while serving as a high-level CMS consultant raised some eyebrows and questions about whether his choice to back candidates challenging board members who voted against his wife’s contract was some sort of political payback.
As WFAE reported last month, Raki defended his decision to weigh in on the election, citing his role as a consultant, not an employee. He said his endorsement decision reflected his belief that some school board candidates were not as supportive of Superintendent Crystal Hill as others.
“I've been at almost every board meeting,” Raki McGregor said. “And there is a history that certain board members have had in not supporting the superintendent, who I think is doing a phenomenal job. Because of that dissonance, that I have exhausted myself to understand, I believe that it's impacting our youth.”
That comment has since prompted responses from Nunn, Easley and Cline, the three board members who voted against the SYDKIMYL contract in March. At Tuesday’s board meeting, Nunn offered a staunch defense of her record and pushed back on any assertion she doesn’t support Hill, who she said has shown “tremendous leadership.”
“Pressing for answers or questioning investments is not opposition – it is governance,” Nunn said. “With limited resources, stewardship sometimes means saying ‘no’ or ‘not now,’ especially when we’re waiting until we see the results to justify further investment.”
On Facebook, Easley also defended her questioning of the contract.
“I wasn’t elected to make consultants, socialites or powerful people comfortable,” Easley said. “I was elected to protect kids, schools, and your tax dollars. And I’ll never apologize for that.”
And Cline also weighed in with a social media statement, calling any suggestion that board members “don’t care” about children “a disgusting lie of the highest order.”
“Our responsibility as board members is to ask tough questions,” she said. “That’s how we ensure accountability, transparency and the best outcomes for our students.”
Meanwhile, other school board candidates have in recent weeks pounced on the news of the new contract. Justin Shealy and Toni Emehel, the two other candidates challenging London for Nunn’s soon-to-be vacant seat both posted about it, arguing the new contract presented ethical concerns.
