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Legislation could also lead to a recall election for the school board, as CMS faces multiple investigations and leadership turmoil
Republican N.C. Rep. David Willis of Union County (inset) plans to introduce legislation to break up Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and force new school board elections, according to board members who were contacted by his staff. (Photos: Shutterstock, N.C. General Assembly)
by Michelle Crouch
A Republican state lawmaker from Union County is planning to introduce legislation that would break up Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools into smaller districts and force a recall election for the school board, two CMS school board members confirmed to The Ledger on Wednesday.
Board members Anna London and Cynthia Stone said a member of Rep. David Willis' staff called them Tuesday to let them know about the proposed legislation. They said other school board members received calls as well.
Stone said the staffer left her a voicemail with the information. London spoke to the staffer but said he provided no additional details, including how many districts would be created or when the legislation might be introduced.
London said she believes splitting up CMS into smaller districts would hurt the broader Charlotte community by deepening inequities.
“Breaking up the district would be harmful,” London said. “However, I am willing and very interested and eager to collaborate and have conversations to determine what they're trying to solve for.”
Stone also said she would oppose breaking up the district.
“As a large district, we can take advantage of resources that smaller districts may not be able to tap into,” she said.
Willis, who represents western Union County, could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday. He owns a private preschool in south Charlotte and is co-chair of the House K-12 Education Committee. He has served in the N.C. House since 2021 and won re-election last week.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is the state’s second largest school district, with 140,000 students, and there have been several pushes over the years to make it smaller, mostly from wealthier areas.
The latest proposal comes amid controversy and turmoil at CMS after the board’s 5-4 vote to fire Superintendent Crystal Hill in September and concerns about financial irregularities and conflicts of interest in contracting. The district is under investigation by the FBI, the State Bureau of Investigation and the state auditor.
Although Democrats won control of the N.C. House in the Nov. 3 election, Republicans are planning to head back for a final session before newly elected representatives are seated in January. Republicans hold a veto-proof majority in the Senate and are just one vote short of a veto-proof majority in the House, meaning they could override a veto from Democratic Gov. Josh Stein with the support of just one lawmaker or if enough lawmakers are absent.
The legislature has considered breaking up big school systems before. In 2025, lawmakers proposed studying whether the state’s largest districts were too big, and a 2017 legislative commission examined the issue and did not recommend dividing large districts, according to reporting by WFAE. It’s unclear if the full legislature would have the appetite to reconfigure CMS, and Republican leaders have not announced plans for the upcoming session.
The General Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on Monday.
Michelle Crouch is an independent journalist in Charlotte who has written for a variety of national outlets. Reach her at [email protected].
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➡️ You can read full coverage of The Charlotte Ledger’s reporting on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools investigations on our dedicated CMS webpage.
