‘Top-down controlling’: CMS superintendent criticism spreads into public view
Teachers, parents and education advocates are calling for transparency and stability after Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Crystal Hill was placed on leave.
The CMS Board of Education announced Wednesday that it put Hill on paid leave pending an investigation into what it described as matters involving “administrative and operational oversight.” The board has released few details about the allegations, leaving the public searching for answers.
While reactions to the board’s decision varied, interviews with educators and community leaders revealed common concerns about Hill’s leadership style, frequent turnover within the district and the need for answers about what prompted the investigation.
Board Chair Stephanie Sneed told The Charlotte Observer the decision was driven by allegations that rose to a level requiring further review. An outside law firm, Brooks Pierce, is conducting the investigation, which Sneed said is expected to take at least several weeks. It’s unclear how much the investigation will cost, Sneed said, but the firm is being paid hourly. The Observer has submitted a series of public records requests stemming from the leave decision, including for the law firm’s contract.
For Steve Oreskovic, a middle school teacher with more than 30 years working in CMS, the news was not unexpected.
“Honestly, I was not surprised, and kind of relieved,” Oreskovic said. “Because I don’t think she’s been great for the system.”
Oreskovic said his concerns center less on the still-unknown allegations being investigated and more on what he described as a leadership style that discouraged feedback and sidelined teachers from decision-making.
“She’s very top-down controlling,” he said. “She does not like interaction, especially with teachers who will give her their honest opinions. (It’s) her way or the highway kind of thing.”
One of the most significant changes during Hill’s tenure was the weakening of structures designed to elevate teacher concerns to district leadership, Oreskovic said. A longtime participant in CMS teacher advisory groups, he described a process that once allowed teachers to raise issues through school, regional and district-level advisory councils but became increasingly ineffective.
The result, he said, was a growing sense among educators their expertise was not valued.
“We need a leader who is willing to work with the teachers, not do things to them, willing to work with principals, not do things to them,” Oreskovic said.
Former school board member Melissa Easley echoed many of those criticisms in a lengthy Facebook post Wednesday.
Easley, a former CMS teacher who served on the school board until last year, said she believed Hill presided over “a culture of fear” in which teachers, principals and district leaders became increasingly reluctant to speak openly. She accused Hill of weakening teacher advisory groups, relying too heavily on consultants and overseeing frequent leadership reorganizations that contributed to the loss of experienced educators and administrators.
One consultant contract drew particular criticism after the district approved an extension that paid consulting firm SYDKIMYL hundreds of thousands of dollars to coach school leaders. Some board members expressed concerns about family ties between the firm’s leader and a close advisor to the superintendent.
Easley also argued constructive criticism was too often viewed as disloyalty and that many employees felt safer remaining silent than challenging decisions.
“I won’t miss the condescension. I won’t miss the dismissiveness,” Easley wrote before the district confirmed Hill was on leave. “I did not support and will never support a leadership era that made fear a management strategy.”
Hill did not respond to Observer requests for comment Thursday. She said in a statement to media outlets Wednesday that she was disappointed in the board’s decision but would cooperate with the investigation.
Sneed stressed the investigation is intended to determine facts rather than reach a predetermined conclusion or spur “negative employment action.” Sneed declined to discuss the specific allegations under review but said the board felt concerns warranted an independent investigation. She said the board’s responsibility is to put students first.
“Stability is important in a district,” Sneed said. “Students are first, so… whatever steps they need to take to make sure that our district is intentional about putting our students and our educators first to achieve our goals, that’s the steps that the board will take.”
Not everyone responding to the news focused on Hill.
Greg Asciutto, executive director of the nonprofit CharlotteEAST and a former CMS teacher, said the bigger issue is the district’s continued leadership turnover.
“It’s the exact same story that we do every two years, every three years,” he said.
Asciutto said, if Hill were to ultimately depart from the district, it would mark the seventh superintendent he has seen since 2014. He also pointed to frequent principal changes across the district and said constant leadership transitions make it difficult for schools to build momentum. Asciutto said the district must find a way to provide greater consistency for students, families and employees.
“Stability is the biggest indicator of student success at the teacher level, the school level, and the superintendent level. Always has been.” Asciutto said. “You just cannot succeed when you’re changing at the top level, be it at an institutional level or at a school level consistently.”
CMS teacher and education advocate Justin Parmenter said he was surprised by the board’s decision, particularly because the board extended Hill’s contract in December, signaling confidence in her leadership.
“Every time CMS resets at the top, the people who actually run our schools have to start over with new leadership priorities and new expectations. That churn is highly disruptive,” Parmenter said. “If this board is moving us toward another superintendent search, the community deserves a clear accounting about what concerns led to this decision.”
