It’s been a busy year for public school districts across North Carolina, including Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Before school wraps up, we’ve got a lot to discuss with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools superintendent, Dr. Crystal Hill, who is approaching three years on the job.
Hill recently recommended a $2.1 billion budget — including a $1.97 billion operating budget — for the 2026-27 school year.
If the CMS school board approves the request, the district will ask Mecklenburg County for nearly $699 million — roughly $31.1 million more than it received from the county last year. The large ask comes as the N.C. General Assembly has yet to pass a budget.
Students, parents and teachers experienced anxiety and uncertainty as Border Patrol agents deployed into Charlotte. In November, at the height of activity, roughly one in five students were reported absent across the district, with many schools seeing empty classrooms and carpool lines. Have schools bounced back?
CMS crime numbers inched back toward pre-pandemic norms — but drug possession still ticked up, proposed changes to the CMS school calendars were made, and we look back at the decision for why there were so many snow days this year.
GUEST:
Dr. Crystal L. Hill, (Ed.D.), Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent
