Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools turnover becomes official as new board takes seats

Six new members were sworn in to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education Tuesday night after being elected Nov. 4.

Judge Faith Fickling-Alvarez, a North Carolina District Court Judge from District 26, swore in four new members and two incumbents.

New members included District 1’s Charlitta Hatch, District 2’s Shamaiye Haynes, District 5’s Cynthia Stone and District 6’s Anna London.

Hatch and Stone each unseated incumbents Melissa Easley and Lisa Cline, respectively. Haynes and London ran for open seats, after incumbents Thelma Byers-Bailey and Summer Nunn decided not to seek reelection.

Incumbents Gregory “Dee” Rankin of District 3 and Stephanie Sneed of District 4 were each reelected and were also sworn in. The board’s three at-large members – Lenora Shipp, Monty Witherspoon and Liz Monterrey Duvall – are not up for reelection until 2027.

The board voted Tuesday to reelect Sneed as its chair and Rankin as its vice chair.

After new members took their oaths, Sneed invited the audience to stand and applaud out-going member Byers-Bailey, who has served on the board for 12 years.

Sneed also honored the board’s out-going student advisor, Lucy Silverstein. The student advisor is not a voting member of the board but can ask questions and share student perspectives at board meetings. Silverstein is a senior at Providence High School, and in 2026, her seat will be filled by Inchara Gopinath, a junior at North Mecklenburg High School.

“Put your seatbelts on,” Sneed told the newest board members. “It’ll be a bumpy ride but an exciting one and one that you will have so much pleasure in.”

Each newly-installed member took an opportunity to speak, all thanking family, campaign teams and supporters. Another common refrain was a commitment to focusing on student outcomes.

“If it doesn’t lead to better student outcomes in some way, it’s just noise,” said London, new representative for District 6.

This story was originally published December 9, 2025 at 10:28 PM.

Rebecca Noel

The Charlotte Observer

Rebecca Noel reports on education for The Charlotte Observer. She’s a native of Houston, Texas, and graduated from Rice University. She later received a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. When she’s not reporting, she enjoys reading, running and frequenting coffee shops around Charlotte.