CMS board votes to make Crystal Hill the district’s interim superintendent
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board named Crystal Hill its interim superintendent Tuesday, more than a month after Hugh Hattabaugh announced he wouldn’t finish his contract.
Board members signed Hill, who is the first Black female leader of the district, to a contract that runs from Jan. 1 through June 30, 2023. She will make $21,667 monthly or a total amount of $260,000 per year. That’s roughly equal to Hattabaugh’s contact.
Hill, the district’s chief of staff, worked in Cabarrus County Schools as the chief academic officer and assistant superintendent before taking the CMS job in May.
“Thank you so much Dr. Hill for stepping into this role,” board chair Elyse Dashew said. “We look forward to working with you.”
Hattabaugh, whose last day is Dec. 31, was named interim superintendent in April after the board fired Earnest Winston. Board members signed Hattabaugh, 71, to a $265,000 contract that runs through June 30. He announced his departure in November, citing family obligations.
Hill will be the eighth person since 2011 to take the helm of the district. Peter Gorman left the job in 2011 and Hattabaugh then served for a year. Heath Morrison served as superintendent between 2012-2014, followed by Ann Blakeney Clark (2014-1017), Clayton Wilcox (2017-2019) and Earnest Winston (2019-2022).
Taking over
Hill held a pair of roles in Cabarrus County Schools prior to taking the chief of staff job in CMS. She was the assistant superintendent in Cabarrus County for nearly six years before being named the district’s chief academic officer in February.
She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from North Carolina A&T State University and a doctorate from Gardner-Webb University.
“I have a long-held passion for quality education for children and adult learners,” Hill writes on her LinkedIn page. “Recognizing strengths in others and nurturing their potential is my gifting. I enjoy working with teams of brilliant, out-of-the box thinkers while allowing authenticity and service to guide my work each and every day.”
When Hattabaugh announced Hill’s appointment as chief of staff at a board meeting in May, he said she would focus on the district’s Title IX office.
“She brings with her a plethora of experience — she has an elementary background,” Hattabaugh said. “With our issue in reading (low test scores), she will really give us a boost.”
Finding a permanent leader
Now that the new board is seated, it will work to find a permanent superintendent, whom they hope to have hired by summer. The school board held several community engagement sessions to get the public’s feedback on what it wants in a new district leader.
During the school board’s meeting earlier this month, officials said community members want a superintendent who has experience with improving student performance, particularly narrowing achievement gaps, can evaluate and revise systems so the district is efficient and transparent and is innovative and approachable, according to feedback results.
Also on Tuesday, the board unanimously approved the creation of the charter of the superintendent search ad hoc committee.
This story was originally published December 20, 2022 at 5:49 PM.
