The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board on Tuesday took the first formal step in its search for a new superintendent, days after the board fired former Superintendent Crystal Hill in a contentious 5-4 vote.
The board approved a charter creating a superintendent search committee that will include four board members. The committee is part of a process that board members said will ultimately include community input as the district looks for its next leader.
But the tensions underlying last week’s shocking vote were still on display Tuesday, as board members wrangled over how to rebuild community trust. The board is facing multiple investigations after Hill released a memo alleging board member Stephanie Sneed had secretly routed money to a controversial consultant. Sneed subsequently stepped down from her chair position and the board subsequently fired Hill in a divided vote, igniting public outcry.
Tuesday’s proposal to start the superintendent search passed 6-2, with some members questioning whether the board should address its own internal challenges before moving forward with the superintendent search.
Board member Monty Witherspoon voted against the charter, saying the timing sends the wrong message to the public.
"I understand that this is an initial step, but it signals the wrong thing to the community, just coming off of a termination and so many other factors, that I think we just need to pause," Witherspoon said.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is facing leadership turnover and multiple investigations after Hill wrote a memo questioning the board's contracting procedures before her termination last week.
Board member Charlitta Hatch also voted against the proposal. She argued the board needed to be clearer about how it plans to regain public trust before beginning the search process.
“I’m trying to figure out how to make it clear that it is not about the superintendent search and the work, but it is about the work that the board needs to do outside of the superintendent search to make sure we have the right governance, accountability measures – that we’ve taken a look at ourselves before we bring ourselves in,” Hatch said.
Board Chair Dee Rankin said efforts to address those concerns could move forward separately from the work of the search committee.
“I do hear you, those things can take place at the same time, and you’re correct, we want to make sure we have our space in order as a board before we do bring somebody in,” Rankin said. “But that’s far down the line before someone else comes in.”
Rankin said he committed to working with the board to figure out how they can move forward together.
