Outgoing CMS superintendent describes ‘internal issues,’ when student progress will come
Hugh Hattabaugh is a straight-shooter.
His board chair, Elyse Dashew, says Hattabaugh’s honesty is refreshing. The interim Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools superintendent helped stabilize a district reeling from the pandemic, in part, because of his refusal to accept nonsensical answers as excuses, Dashew said.
But for weeks he contemplated leaving the district because of family obligations that weighed heavily on his life — an ailing father in Indiana and a desire to get back to Florida with his wife. Hattabaugh said during a school board meeting Wednesday he plans to step down on Dec. 31 — six months before his contract expires.
In an exclusive interview with The Charlotte Observer, the 71-year-old Hattabaugh said he held off on announcing his early departure because of hotly contested school board elections. One day before his announcement, three incumbents on the board lost their bids for reelection.
“That’s why I was trying to wait,” Hattabaugh told the Observer. “There are a lot of challenges when you come in for any district and the role you have to play. You’re dealing with internal issues, outside people sending you crazy emails throughout the week. It’s to be expected.”
Hattabaugh admits he’s “not some young dude” and quoted Clint Eastwood in “Magnum Force,” saying “A man’s got to know his limitations.”
Discussions about remote superintendent
Hattabaugh was named the interim in April — the same day the board fired Earnest Winston. He signed a $265,000 contract that runs through June 30, 2023.
But the responsibility of taking care of his father, a 98-year-old World War II vet, his wife of 51 years missing life in Florida and the challenges of running a large public school district such as CMS pushed Hattabaugh to decide it’s time to go.
“There were discussions about doing this remotely, but with the day-to-day operations, I have to be here if I’m going to do a tough job and do it well,” he said. “School boards have been the political football of the day. Public education seems to be taking a lot of hits. We are expected to follow federal law and state statutes. Sometimes people don’t get that.”
CMS school board chair Dashew told the Observer board members tried to figure out a way for Hattabaugh to support his dad, get wife Kay back to Florida and lead CMS.
“Family always has to come first. He will always be a part of CMS,” Dashew said. “We will be reaching out to him for advice, I’m sure.”
Getting CMS focused on “the work”
When he stepped into the interim role, it had been nearly a decade since he ended an education career that spanned 34 years. It included stints in CMS in 2007 as area superintendent of the North Learning Community and chief operating officer from 2008-2011.
“I once had someone tell me you can never go back,” Hattabaugh said. “It’s better than what I anticipated. I think when you go through a lot of different leadership, different boards, it’s always a challenge. People are coming out of the pandemic. There are teacher shortages. I’m worried about principal shortages. You’re dealing with those issues.”
Hattabaugh says he didn’t have personality conflicts with current board members, whom he checks in with weekly. Some members occasionally get out of line and give instructions to staff, he said.
”Overall, they have a good governance model here,” he said.
Hattabaugh said he’s proud that he’s focused his executive team, including Chief of Staff Crystal Hill, on accountability and working with integrity and a sense of urgency for students and teachers.
“We’re working together. We’re gaining traction,” he said. “We won’t see the results of it (for about) two years. People think you can move the dial in student achievement right away, but you can’t. I feel like we’re making headway.”
Hattabaugh says he’s seen student attendance improve. When he arrived, chronic absenteeism was at around 36%-39%. Now he believes it’s decreased to about 15%, with a goal of getting it down to 10%.
He also expanded the installation of body scanners to the district’s middle and K-8 schools and increased its learning communities from six to nine for better high schools and feeder schools. Learning communities also provide stability for many students who can be in the same learning community from kindergarten until graduation, Hattabaugh said.
“We are so very grateful for all that he has done in his time with us,” the CMS school board said in a prepared statement. “Coming out of the pandemic, CMS has regained its footing. Hugh has brought a renewed sense of urgency to the district around the work of educating children.”
Hattabaugh lists strengths for CMS’ next leader
Hattabaugh said he believes the district can be an attractive place for a permanent superintendent.
“What you have in CMS is a more innovative, creative district than many others,” he said. “It’s one of the few places where the media is involved. That’s good. People are still engaged and concerned about public schools.”
Charlotte, he says, offers a lot of opportunities for an urban district, including higher learning institutions nearby and a corporate world that supports the public school system. In June, Hattabaugh and Mike Lamach, chair of the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council, announced a new partnership between CMS and the business community that includes the commitment of more than 1,000 volunteer tutors, a tutoring workshop and executives working in schools full-time at no cost to the district.
But a new superintendent and school board members need to understand their roles, too, he added.
“People get down in the weeds and they shouldn’t get down in the weeds. That’s what staff is for,” he said. “School boards need to focus on student achievement and learning. But they lose their focus. If the school staff can’t deal with the facilities and operations then someone needs to be fired.”
Hattabaugh is the fifth person since 2012 to take the helm of the district. Heath Morrison served as superintendent between 2012-2014, followed by Ann Blakeney Clark (2014-1017), Clayton Wilcox (2017-2019) and Earnest Winston (2019-2022).
Timeline for new superintendent on track
Dashew told the Observer new board members — elected this week — will have an opportunity to weigh in on naming an interim superintendent.
“Hugh has shared some thoughts with us,” Dashew said. “And with five new board members, it’s probably best not to get ahead of that board. We’ll get them caught up and figure it out.”
The new board, which will be sworn in Dec. 13, includes: Melissa Easley in District 1, Gregory “Dee” Rankin in District 3, Stephanie Sneed in District 4, Lisa Cline in District 5 and Summer Nunn in District 6. Thelma Byers-Bailey retained her seat in District 2, and at-large members Dashew, Lenora Shipp and Jennifer De La Jara were not up for reelection this cycle.
Dashew said the board is still on schedule to begin its permanent superintendent search in January with a goal of having someone in place prior to the 2023-24 school year.
“Hugh has a heart of gold, and he has this ability to walk into this storm of information and complexity and cut straight to the chase,” Dashew said. “He always said, ‘OK, I hear you. We’re going to make this happen.’ That’s a talent I’m going to miss.”
This story was originally published November 11, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
