CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Schools announced this week that Superintendent Crystal Hill is on temporary leave with pay. The district said there’s an investigation but provided little detail.
“Ultimately, we made the decision that we have to uphold our duties as elected officials, and that’s why we were not looking at it for a particular outcome,” CMS Board of Education Chair Stephanie Sneed said. “But it was enough for us to say that this matter needed to be looked into.”
Stacy Staggs, a mother of two, said the news shocked her.
“After I got through my surprise, I was sad, really. You know, I worry about what this means for the teachers, the students, everyone who’s in the building,” Staggs said.
The school system has had five superintendents, including interims, in the past 10 years.
“We do seem to have an issue in keeping superintendents aligned for more than two or three years at a time,” Staggs said.
Brooks Pierce Law Firm in Raleigh is handling the investigation, which centers on administrative and operational oversight.
“As most investigations, what is exactly going to happen or what they’re going to exactly speak to, what they’re going to exactly look at, it’s not particularly revealed,” Sneed said.
Staggs said she thinks it takes more than a few years for a superintendent to execute a plan for the school district.
“If we continue with Dr. Hill, I hope that this is a point of reflection in her work and it informs what she does going forward. If we have to search for our sixth superintendent in 10 years, I hope that the process is thorough,” she said.
Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight will take on additional responsibilities during investigation.
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Melody Greene
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