Tuesday’s CMS meeting is first without Crystal Hill since leave. What to expect
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ Board of Education meeting on Tuesday will be its first since Superintendent Crystal Hill was placed on leave last week.
Hill was placed on leave with pay pending an investigation into matters of “administrative and operational oversight.” Hill said she is unaware of what prompted the investigation, but welcomes the review. Community members expressed concern about Hill’s“controlling” leadership in interviews with The Charlotte Observer after she was placed on leave.
In the interim, Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight assumed Hill’s responsibilities. During Tuesday’s meeting, that could include delivering a regular “superintendent report” with updates about what’s happening in the district.
The meeting will start at 6 p.m. at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center on 600 E. Fourth St.
Here’s what else to expect from Tuesday’s meeting.
No public comment
Tuesday’s board meeting will not have a public comment period. The board holds regular meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. Per the board’s policy, only the first regular meeting of the month has a public comment period.
The next opportunity for public comment will be at the July 14 meeting. Those who wish to speak must sign up by 5 p.m. the day prior.
Tuesday’s meeting will include a public hearing as part of its 2024 Comprehensive Data Review plan.
Every four years, the board must conduct a Comprehensive Data Review process. The board initially received a presentation about it on Nov. 12, 2024. Since then, the district worked on developing a plan for changes to CMS program choice, which includes magnet schools. The board most recently discussed it June 9.
Stakeholders will share their feedback about the proposed response plan at Tuesday’s meeting.
Student and educator performance review
The meeting will include multiple progress reports on workplace culture, student engagement and high school math outcomes. At each meeting, the board discusses data regarding at least one of the four goals CMS wants to achieve by 2029.
Tuesday’s presentations will focus on whether changes to annual targets are needed ahead of the 2026-2027 school year. The district will also introduce a calendar for consideration by the board to monitor the goals through 2029. The district is far behind its math goals, and learned during the June 9 meeting its progress is flat or even negative.
The board will vote on the proposed calendar that same night.
New i-Ready contract
The board will likely approve a contract with Curriculum Associates for the use of i-Ready, an individualized online learning platform, for the 2026-2028 school years. The use of the platform has garnered pushback from community members concerned about the overreliance on technology in schools.
This two-year contract totals around $9.7 million. It outlines spending around $4.4 million each year, slightly down from last year’s contract of around $4.6 million, with an additional $885,175.40 set aside as a safety net.
CMPD presence
The board is also set to approve a new contract with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for around $9.1 million.
CMPD already provides officers for schools. If the new contract is passed, CMPD will provide 54 officers to serve as school resource officers at middle and high school within CMPD’s jurisdiction. Three sergeants will supervise this program.
This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 1:29 PM.