Who is Crystal Hill, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ new interim superintendent?
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Crystal Hill named CMS Superintendent
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education named Hill superintendent, removing the interim tag she held since January 2023.
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Who is Crystal Hill, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ new interim superintendent?
Crystal Hill is laser focused.
When the new interim superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools was asked Tuesday if she would seek the permanent superintendent position, she said: “I’m focused on the here and now.”
School board members on Tuesday unanimously approved Hill’s appointment to the interim position, replacing Hugh Hattabaugh. Her contract begins Jan. 1 and runs through June 30, 2023. She will be paid about $21,666 monthly.
“For the last 25 years in my service to public education in North Carolina, my next career move has never been top of mind,” Hill said, adding that she’s focused on the district’s day-to-day operations, the 2023-24 budget, student reassignment and a bond referendum.
The veteran educator is the first Black female leader of the school district, board member Jennifer De La Jara told The Charlotte Observer.
Hill previously was the district’s chief of staff — a job she took in May.
“She is extremely well positioned to carry this work forward,” CMS board chair Elyse Dashew said. “She’s been working side by side with Hattabaugh. She brings a really strong skill set and a tremendous ability to take the vision and the values we put out there (and) carry them from the board room to the classroom.
Dashew said Hill has the ability not only to “keep the train on the tracks” until CMS find a permanent superintendent, but also the ability to “increase the momentum toward improving student outcomes.”
A veteran leader
In August 2016, Hill joined Cabarrus County Schools as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, according to Independent Tribune. There, she also worked as the chief academic officer before coming to CMS.
She was personnel director for Cabarrus County Schools during the 2010-2011 school year. That position was bookended by jobs with Mooresville Graded School District — where she worked as principal of Rocky River and Park View elementary schools and as its director of elementary education and Title 1.
She began her career as a classroom teacher in Greensboro.
She currently serves on the Leading on Opportunity Council and, in 2020, co-chaired the North Carolina State Board of Education Literacy Task Force.
Hill earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from North Carolina A&T State University and a doctorate degree from Gardner-Webb University.
Women in leadership award
While working as elementary education and title 1 director in Mooresville, Hill received the Sara Haire Tice Women in Leadership Award at the 2015 MSI Business and Community Excellence Awards Luncheon.
Hill was selected for the award because of her “steadfast belief that every child has the ability to succeed and learn,” according to a post on the district’s Facebook page. In 2013-14, Mooresville Graded School District third grade students were ranked first in the state of North Carolina for their performance on the state’s end-of-grade assessments.
“Hill played a vital role in this success as the director of our elementary schools and the leadership she emulates to the administration, teachers, and students,” the post states.
She gave a speech to the Leading Education By Advancing Digital (LEAD) Symposium held at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in September 2012. There she spoke about closing the digital divide, moving forward with a digital conversion and the academic success of the district’s students.
“Serving as interim superintendent for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is a responsibility that I do not take lightly or for granted,” Hill said. “It’s often said ‘to whom much is given, much will be required’, and in this role, I remain committed to making the best decisions on behalf of our students, their families, staff and this entire community.”
This story was originally published December 20, 2022 at 6:55 PM.
