On Monday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m., WFAE, in partnership with the League of Women Voters of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, will host a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education candidate forum at the WFAE Center for Civic and Community Engagement in uptown. WFAE’s education reporter James Farrell will moderate the conversations, and the event will be livestreamed on WFAE's YouTube and Facebook pages.
About the CMS Board of Education
The CMS Board of Education is the governing body of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, responsible for overseeing the school district's operation and making decisions on policies, budgets, and strategic plans. If you think schools matter, then this board matters, because they’re the ones who are ultimately responsible for the schools’ performance. Their core functions include hiring the superintendent and other key staff; approving the school district budget; and establishing policies that guide teaching, learning and safety within the district. The board consists of nine elected members and holds the ultimate authority over the district.
Policy and Oversight: The board sets and enforces policies that govern the school district, covering aspects such as curriculum, safety and student conduct.
Budget Approval: They have the authority to decide on the school district's budget and allocate the necessary resources.
Hiring the superintendent: The board is responsible for employing the superintendent, who then leads the school district's daily operations and implements the Board's policies.
Strategic Planning: The board develops and approves strategic plans, such as the current 2024-29 Strategic Plan, to guide the district's goals for educational excellence and student success.
School Boundaries and Facility Decisions: The board makes decisions on changes to school attendance boundaries and other facility-related projects, often based on data about student populations and facility utilization.
Community Representation: Board members are elected to represent the community's vision and values regarding student outcomes and the district's overall direction.
Six of nine seats on the CMS Board of Education are up for election this November. Seats representing Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 will be on the ballot. Board members run for staggered four-year terms. So, three at-large seats — currently held by Lenora Shipp, Monty Witherspoon and Liz Monterrey Duvall — will be up for election in 2027.
Here's what we know about each race.
District 1 covers parts of north Charlotte into Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson.
Incumbent Melissa Easley is running for reelection in this north Mecklenburg district, but will face two challengers: Bill Fountain and Charlitta Hatch.
Easley is a former teacher who’s completing her first term on the board. In a July 3 Facebook post, she described herself as a “lifelong educator, proud LGBTQ+ advocate, and mom of two CMS students.” She vowed to remain “deeply committed to building safe, inclusive, and equitable schools where every child can thrive.”
Fountain is a former teacher and combat fighter pilot who has frequently spoken at CMS board meetings and who ran for the board in 2022. His website accuses CMS of prioritizing “social and political agendas over core academics,” which he says has led students to a “victimhood mindset.” He promises to “prioritize academic excellence, protect parental rights, ensure safe and supportive learning environments, and uphold the American principles that make opportunity possible.”
Hatch boasts a background in data and technology — she’s currently the deputy director of data and technology for the city of Charlotte. The platform on her website nods at her technology experience. “I’m running for school board to log in,” she writes. “By reconnecting families and schools, level up — by using data and innovation to close gaps, and lead forward—by building a future where every child is prepared to thrive.”
District 2 covers uptown, west Charlotte and western Mecklenburg County.
Thelma Byers-Bailey, the board’s longest-tenured member, isn’t running for reelection. Byers-Bailey told WFAE she felt she didn’t have a clear vision of what she wanted to accomplish with another term, and it's time to pass the baton. “I’ve been on the school board now for 12 years, run three times, and each time I ran, there was something left that I had my eyes on that I wanted to accomplish,” Byers-Bailey said. “And I’ve accomplished everything I set out to do.” Among other things, Byers-Bailey says she’s most proud of the work she’s done in revitalizing some of her district’s neglected school buildings.
She also knows who she’d like to pass the baton to.
Byers-Bailey says she endorsed Shamaiye Haynes in the race for her District 2 seat, which covers much of west Charlotte. Haynes’ website vows a commitment to a “community schools model,” one that prioritizes deeper connections between the district, families and community organizations.
Haynes is facing off against Juanrique Hall, a former volunteer coach at West Charlotte High School and community advocate. Hall says he wants to combat illiteracy, restore discipline and rebuild trust in public schools. His website touts a partnership with the conservative parental rights group Moms for Liberty.
District 3 covers northeast Charlotte.
Gregory “Dee” Rankin, the board’s current vice chair, is running for reelection unopposed. At the close of filing, no other candidates had surfaced to challenge Rankin. He’s completing his first term.
District 4 covers east Charlotte.
Board Chair Stephanie Sneed, coming to the end of her first term, will face challenges from two opponents: Robert Edwards and Jillian King.
Sneed is a CMS parent and lawyer who’s also served as the chair of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Black Political Caucus and on the CMS Bond Oversight Committee. In her first term, she’s had to respond to efforts by the Trump administration to cut funding for schools — most recently co-signing a letter to the Department of Education requesting that the frozen funds be unfrozen.
King is a stay-at-home parent who’s looking “to keep books in schools and help kids grow,” according to her Facebook page, which is linked in her filing but has no other posts or information about her candidacy. There was no campaign website immediately available for Edwards.
District 5 covers parts of south Charlotte, from the Eastover neighborhood, through Myers Park, down to Highway 51.
Incumbent Lisa Cline is running for reelection in this south Charlotte district. In a Facebook post announcing her candidacy, Cline wrote that her work “is not done.” Cline was a longtime teacher in CMS before retiring in 2019. When she ran in 2022, her emphasis was on tackling learning loss, improving school safety and building relationships in the local community to create opportunities for students.
Her challenger, Cynthia Stone , is a former teacher who retired in 2023. Her website says she believes education is the key to eliminating poverty. She lists several priorities: Student safety, mental health, teacher retention, quality of education and transparency.
District 6 covers the southernmost part of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, including Steele Creek, Ballantyne, Pineville, Blakeney and the Providence area.
Incumbent board member Summer Nunn announced on Facebook she would not seek reelection. She cited her role as a full-time marketing executive and a parent, and said she felt she couldn’t commit to another four years on the board. “I had to ask myself: Can I give another four years to this role at the level our students and staff truly deserve from a school board member?” Nunn wrote. “The honest answer is: no, not right now. And I want to be very clear — I will not put my career, my family, or my reputation at risk because of politics, especially when politics get in the way of doing what’s right for kids, teachers, and our community.”
Three candidates are seeking to fill the seat.
Toni Emehel is a personal, spiritual and professional development coach who cites a long history of experience working in various volunteer roles across CMS. Her website says she aims to “reimagine education that engages higher level thinking to produce career and college-ready thought leaders of tomorrow.”
Anna London is the president and CEO of Charlotte Works, North Carolina’s largest workforce development organization. London says she wants to “nurture safe, welcoming schools,” equip learners with skills and credentials “demanded by today’s economy,” and “bridge classrooms to careers” through community partnerships.
Justin Shealy is a CMS parent who says on his website he aims to “restore parental rights” and ensure all parents feel they are sending their students to school to be “safe, challenged academically and taught without political bias.” He says he’s concerned about “declining safety, politics taking precedence over academics and a lack of transparency with parents."
