CMS board rejects superintendent’s budget, wants new draft in 2 weeks
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board decided in a split vote Tuesday night to reject Superintendent Crystal Hill’s $2.1 billion budget proposal for the 2026-27 school year. But it didn’t offer many specifics.
Eight board members voted to reject the budget. Board Member Monty Witherspoon was the lone member who did not.
With its 8-1 vote, the board directed CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill to bring forth an amended budget on May 12.
“Right now, we are operating within a funding structure defined by the state, which has demonstrated year over year that it does not fully prioritize public education, particularly in urban communities like ours,” District 1 Board Member Charlitta Hatch said. “Our community deserves a budget that reflects what it actually takes to deliver our goals.”
Board members brought up student mental health support and achievement gaps between student groups as areas that needed to be addressed in the next draft. Some also expressed concern about the lack of a budget from the state, while others said they needed more clarity on all of the CMS budget proposal’s contents before approving it.
“In the next draft, we want to make sure that we are particularly paying attention to closing educational gaps,” CMS Board Chair Stephanie Sneed told The Charlotte Observer. “We want to make sure we’re talking about social and emotional learning as well and making sure we have the right resources and avenues for our educators in the classroom.”
However, Sneed did not name specific programs or line items to be addressed in the next draft.
During the vote, Hill appeared to be blindsided. She asked for the motion to be read again.
“This is the first time I’m hearing it,” Hill said.
But when Hill asked for clarification on what in the budget needed to be amended, Sneed said that would be addressed at a later time and adjourned the meeting. By then, it was past 10 p.m. and the board room had largely emptied.
Hill pushed back.
“I feel very uncomfortable taking direction not at a board meeting,” Hill said. “And I do not have clarity on what needs to be amended.”
Board members declined to address Hill’s questions.
“Dr. Hill, we’re not doing this right now,” Sneed said. “We will address this after the meeting, and you will get further direction.”
The only board member who named a specific program to be examined was at-large member Liz Monterrey Duvall. She raised concerns about the district’s use of Capturing Kids’ Hearts, a social and emotional learning program. The district has used it since 2023 and spent millions of dollars on it in that time. Monterrey Duvall questioned its effectiveness at addressing students’ mental health and behavioral needs.
“I think that nailing social emotional learning is crucial to the advancement of our students,” she said. “We know that we’re a very large district that requires different social emotional learning and not just one size fits all. We have asked many times about Capturing Kids’ Hearts…and I still do not feel fidelity in it.”
What was in the budget proposal
Hill planned to request $25.1 million more from Mecklenburg County, toward a total operating budget of $1.97 billion. That’s a 0.8% increase over this year.
CMS’ enrollment decreased this school year by about 2,500 students, bringing its total enrollment to about 140,000. The decrease in students also means a decrease in state funding for next school year. That’s potentially a big deal since the district gets the bulk of its funding – about 54.6% – from the state.
The district’s solution was to hire about 10% fewer new employees over the summer than it typically does. That meant hiring around 1,800 new employees rather than 2,000.
The state legislature still hasn’t passed a budget for this fiscal year, which began in July – let alone for next school year. But even with the state budget in limbo, Hill projects the General Assembly will fund 3% raises for teachers in its next budget based on the average increase in teacher salaries over the past five years.
One of the district’s strategies was cutting spending outside the classroom, including central office positions, to the tune of $6.6 million. The district said the cuts would eliminate positions, not lay off employees, and most affected employees have been moved into other roles.
Hill didn’t make any specific recommendations for how to allocate any extra money.
“As we saw this year, the state doesn’t always do what we expect,” CMS Chief Financial Officer Kelly Kluttz said Tuesday. “So, it’s important that we have a plan and we are prepared for different scenarios that might happen.”
While CMS doesn’t have control over the state salary schedule, the locally funded supplement is the lever it pulls to adjust teacher pay. Hill wants a 5% increase in teacher supplements, which range from about $8,000 to $14,000.
Sneed told The Observer the next budget draft would still include increases to teacher supplements.
This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 11:41 PM.
