The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education rejected Superintendent Crystal Hill’s proposed $2.1 billion budget Tuesday in a surprise 8-to-1 vote. They’ve instructed Hill to amend the budget by May 12. WFAE’s James Farrell was at this tense meeting, and joined All Things Considered host Nick de la Canal to tell us more about what happened — and what it all means.
DE LA CANAL: James, first tell us, how surprising was this?
JAMES FARRELL: It was very surprising. It’s really rare for a school board to outright reject a superintendent’s budget proposal — and in fact, I couldn’t tell you the last time this has happened in CMS. Hill seemed blindsided, and hinted at that when she asked for the board to re-read the motion, saying it was the first time she had heard it. Board members have had routine questions about the budget in recent months, but there were no obvious signs they were leaning toward rejecting it.
DE LA CANAL: Did the board offer any explanation for why they voted this way?
FARRELL: Not really. It was all very vague. Some hinted that they had unanswered questions. Others spoke about needing more time to make sure the budget aligns with district values. Specifically, they referenced closing achievement gaps, student mental health and resources for teachers. But no one really cited specific line items. They didn't say they wanted more teacher pay or spending on a specific program. Here’s Board Chair Stephanie Sneed, speaking after the meeting.
SNEED: “There are multiple areas in our budget that would address those areas. It is not necessarily a particular line item theme, but those are the major themes, and those are the major themes that we’ve heard from community members.”
FARRELL: Board Member Liz Monterrey-Duvall offered maybe the most specific criticism. She questioned the value of the district’s $2.4 million investment in Capturing Kids Hearts, a program that purports to improve school culture. Board member Shamaiye Haynes had previously raised similar questions. But it didn’t get more specific than that, and we're talking about one small item.
DE LA CANAL: You reported that Hill herself seemed to be confused. Tell us more about that.
FARRELL: Immediately after the vote, Hill interjected that she was “unclear” on what changes the board wanted with only two weeks to figure it out. Sneed told her they’d “address that after this meeting,” without elaborating. That led to this tense exchange:
HILL: “I just want to be clear. We have a $2.1 billion budget. I do not have clarity on what exactly needs to be amended —”
SNEED: “Dr. Hill —”
HILL: “— And I do not feel comfortable taking that direction outside of a board action.”
SNEED: “So we will address whatever meetings there will be. Not tonight. And you will get direction.”
FARRELL: When Hill pressed, Sneed cut her off by banging her gavel and adjourning the meeting. Afterwards, Sneed suggested there could be a special-called meeting between now and the May 12 regular meeting, which is the deadline the board has given Hill.
DE LA CANAL: That is quite a moment with the board chair cutting off the superintendent with the gavel. What do you think this says about the board’s relationship with Superintendent Hill?
FARRELL: I think that’s part of what makes this so surprising because, at least publicly, the board has been pretty supportive of Hill. And last night, board members seemed to be going to great lengths to not put the blame on Hill or her staff, even as they voted against her budget. Here’s the board’s vice chair, Dee Rankin.
RANKIN: “This motion that’s before us is not about the performance of our superintendent, it’s not about performance of our staff, it’s not about performance of our students because we see the hard work that’s produced historic gains in student outcomes.”
FARRELL: It felt like a real it's not you, it's me situation. CMS boasted really strong academic growth last year, and no sitting board member has disputed those results. If you go back to the last election, there had been some questions about whether the board might be overly deferential to Hill. That certainly wasn’t the case last night. And there was real tension in the room after the vote.
DE LA CANAL: What happens next?
FARRELL: Well, that’s a good question. Presumably, there could be a special meeting called, like Sneed said. But otherwise, the next regular board meeting is May 12. That’s the deadline the board has given Hill. That’s going to be real tight because state law requires districts to submit their budgets to the county by May 15. After the meeting, Sneed downplayed any concerns and said a budget will be passed in short order
