This story first appeared in WFAE Education Reporter James Farrell's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get newsletters from WFAE straight to your inbox.
A spring and summer of leadership turmoil at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is bleeding into the fall.
The spotlight now shifts from Superintendent Crystal Hill and onto Stephanie Sneed, the chair of the board that investigated Hill for two months before reinstating her in August.
On Friday, we learned that three board members — Cynthia Stone, Monty Witherspoon and Lenora Shipp — had pushed to get an item on the agenda for the Sept. 22 school board meeting to consider vacating Sneed as board chair.
In this scenario, the board would choose a new chair, although Sneed would remain on the board.
I’m told that the request to add the item to the agenda cited “information shared with the board” and suggested the board members no longer felt comfortable with its leadership, though multiple board members told me Friday they were still trying to learn the specifics.
In a joint statement over the weekend, Stone, Witherspoon and Shipp expressed regret that their request was made public “before the matter could be formally addressed by the full Board.”
The statement said the board members “believe that a change in board leadership is in the best interests of the board, the district, and our community.” They said responsible leadership requires “the courage to be uncomfortable, especially during times of conflict.”
“We are prepared to engage in those difficult conversations respectfully and in good faith,” the statement said.
Sneed, for her part, told WFAE in a statement that she was disappointed in the way the situation was handled but would respect board members’ rights to use the processes available to them.
“Although I have expressed concern of being targeted and retaliated against in connection with carrying out my responsibilities, I will address them through the appropriate processes,” Sneed said. “I will not allow those concerns, however, to distract me from the work I was selected and elected to do.”
The latest episode lays bare the simmering divisions on the board that started to leak into public view after the investigation concluded on Aug. 11. The board reinstated Hill, and while members have not disclosed their vote, it likely was not unanimous.
When some board members pushed to release a summary of the investigation, Witherspoon, Shipp and Sneed abstained. Witherspoon called the motion “performative” and suggested he had concerns about the process. Shipp told WFAE she believed the board already had a process for releasing more information. Sneed said she wanted to remain “neutral” in the discussion as chair.
We’re still waiting for that summary to come out before the end of the month — even as Hill has gone public, telling WFAE that the investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing.
But now we face new questions about what prompted this move against Sneed, what ties it may have to the investigation and how the board will proceed.
In her statement to me, Sneed said she was “deeply appreciative of the continued support of a majority of my colleagues on the Board.” Board member Shamaiye Haynes asserted to me last week that Sneed has the votes to remain chair.
Here’s what we know about that: Both Haynes and board Vice Chair Dee Rankin told me in a phone interview that they support Sneed. Board member Charlitta Hatch told me she supports Sneed and Rankin “and their continued leadership of this board.” Including Sneed, those are four strong votes.
Board member Liz Monterrey Duvall was less committal. She seemed to lean toward keeping Sneed, at least for now.
“The Board holds leadership elections every December, so we are only a few months away from our normal process,” she said. “At this point, I would need to understand what circumstances warrant disrupting that process and changing leadership now.”
She added, “Chair Sneed has been supportive of me as a board member, and I have seen her consistently advocate for the progress of Black and brown students in CMS.” If Monterrey Duvall votes Sneed’s way, the five votes would be enough for Sneed to remain chair. Board member Anna London did not respond to a request for comment, and her stance on this remains unknown.
So, in sum: The Sept. 22 meeting will be a must-watch for CMS board followers — as they discuss this motion and, presumably, the summary of findings from the Hill investigation.
