The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education met behind closed doors for roughly four hours Wednesday, Aug. 5, receiving an update on the investigation into Superintendent Crystal Hill but taking no public action, according to a statement from board chair Stephanie Sneed reported by the Charlotte Ledger.
The special in-person meeting at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center had a single agenda item: a personnel closed session. It marks at least the sixth time the board has gone behind closed doors since placing Hill on paid administrative leave June 17, WSOC-TV reported.
No public action was taken.
Students at north Mecklenburg schools, including William Amos Hough, North Mecklenburg and Hopewell high schools, are scheduled to return Tuesday, Aug. 25. That leaves the board less than three weeks to resolve a leadership question that has hung over the district for seven weeks.
Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight has served as acting superintendent since Hill's departure, leading back-to-school preparations across the district. Board minutes from the June 23 regular meeting formally list Balknight in that role.
What the investigation costs
The district is paying an outside law firm $275 per hour to conduct the review, which CMS has described only as involving "administrative and operational oversight." Two additional consultants are billing $450 and $350 per hour, respectively, for public relations counsel, WBTV reported. Hill continues to receive her compensation package of more than $405,000 while on leave.
What comes next
A special board retreat is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 9, followed by the regular board meeting Tuesday, Aug. 11. The board has committed to sharing an update on Hill's status before students return Tuesday, Aug. 25.
"We are nearing an end but the more important thing the more confidence that I have is that we are going to be prepared and that leadership will be in place," Sneed told reporters July 24.
Depending on the investigation's outcome, Hill could return to work, resign or be terminated for convenience or for just cause, according to WBTV's reporting. Hill told WBTV she welcomes the review and that, to her knowledge, she has not done anything that falls short of the standard.
CMS has cycled through five superintendents in the past decade. The district has not said more specifically what the probe entails beyond "administrative and operational oversight."
