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Crystal Hill placed on temporary leave with pay; announcement follows speculation about her future, tensions with board over budget
by Lindsey Banks
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Crystal Hill has been placed on temporary leave with pay, pending an investigation into “matters involving administrative and operational oversight,“ according to a press release from the school board on Wednesday evening.
The announcement comes amid speculation that Hill was ousted as superintendent earlier today, including from former school board members.
Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight will assume responsibilities in the meantime, CMS said.
Hill has led the district since 2023, in which the board approved her four-year contract in a 6-3 vote with no discussion after she had previously been appointed interim superintendent. Her contract was extended to June 30, 2029, in December.
She first joined CMS in 2022 as chief of staff.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board met in a closed session on Monday to discuss personnel matters. This morning, word started traveling in CMS circles about a change in leadership. Several media organizations, citing unnamed sources, reported throughout the day that there were questions about her future with CMS or that she was out.
Several school board members did not return phone calls or texts from The Ledger on Wednesday.
The announcement also comes after weeks of speculation about her future following heated exchanges with school board members over the 2026-27 proposed budget, closed-door school board meetings on personnel matters and her absence from several recent public events, including graduations, WBTV reported.
According to her current contract, Hill would receive one year of her salary as severance pay — which was increased from $300,000 in 2023 to $340,770 in December — if terminated from her position. Her original contract required three months of her salary as severance but was also amended in December to say 12 months.
(Photo courtesy of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools)
CMS has a long pattern of leadership turnover, with multiple superintendents leaving the position before completing the length of their tenures. CMS’s last superintendent, Earnest Winston, was fired in April 2022 after less than three years in the position, The Ledger previously reported.
Lindsey Banks is assistant editor of The Charlotte Ledger. Reach her at [email protected].