A longtime lawyer for CMS is taking over the district’s top legal position

André Mayes, the deputy general counsel for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools since 2008, will step up to lead the district’s legal department after the district’s current top attorney, George Battle, leaves in January.

Mayes will officially transition into the role after Battle announced he would be leaving CMS to oversee institutional integrity and risk management at UNC-Chapel Hill. Battle takes on the newly created position that comes in the wake of a number of public safety incidents on campus, including demonstrations that led to the toppling of the Silent Sam Confederate statue.

“I am honored to be the next general counsel for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education,” Mayes said. “George and I have worked together for 10 years and I will miss his leadership. I look forward to building on the strong foundation that we have established.”

The board unanimously approved Mayes’ contract at its Tuesday meeting. She will be paid a salary of $229,500, and her contract runs through June 2024.

“This one was a no-brainer for the Board,” board chair Mary McCray said. “The decision to ask Ms. Mayes to serve as our general counsel was unanimous. Ms. Mayes probably has more in-depth knowledge of North Carolina education law than any lawyer in the state.”

Prior to joining CMS, Mayes was a senior attorney in education law at Clark Hill, PLC in Birmingham, Michigan, from 2005-2008. Before that, she served as general counsel and director of operations for the Dorchester County Board of Education in Cambridge, Maryland, from 2003 to 2005.

She completed her undergraduate degree at UNC-Chapel Hill, and obtained her law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law in Winston-Salem.