A committee appointed to lead Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ search for a new superintendent met for the first time Tuesday and signaled that it will largely follow the process used to hire former Superintendent Crystal Hill in 2023.
That search included community surveys, town halls and the hiring of an outside firm to identify candidates based on public feedback. The process took about six months.
Committee members said they plan to use that effort as a template but will likely make tweaks. For instance, they want school board members to play a larger role in community engagement during the search. They also want board members, not consultants, to lead town halls throughout the county.
“Building trust is actually through action, not just saying it, so that’s another reason that I’m saying I think it’s important that we’re the ones out in the community doing the engaging,” said Committee Chair Anna London.
The committee also discussed the possibility of CMS creating and analyzing community surveys rather than hiring consultants to do that work. In 2023, the board used an outside firm, which the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council paid for.
The committee plans to meet again Nov. 16 to finalize a first draft of the search timeline.
