In a statement released Friday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Crystal Hill says she has “not been told” what specific concerns prompted the investigation that led to the CMS Board suspending her with pay this week.
She also said she has not been given information about “how the process will work or how long it is expected to take.”
“I am not raising that as a complaint; I trust the Board will share those details, but I want our community to have an accurate picture of what I do and do not yet know,” Hill wrote. “What I can say plainly is this: I welcome this review, I will participate in it fully and openly. I am not aware of any conduct on my part that falls short of the standards I have held myself to across twenty-eight years in public education, and I am confident that a thorough and objective process will reflect that.”
Hill is on paid leave after the board announced this week it’s conducting an investigation into “matters involving administrative and operational oversight,” which will be conducted by an outside firm. The board has said that because it is a personnel matter, it’s limited in what it can disclose, and details remain scant.
Hill said she respects the board’s responsibility to ask questions. But she also doubled down on her intention to remain in her position.
“The work we have done together over the past three and a half years, for our teachers, our staff, and most of all our students, has been the honor of my career,” she said. “That work is not finished, and the needs of our children do not pause for a process like this one.”
She added: “I look forward to the conclusion of this review and to continuing to serve the students, educators and families of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.”
Questions about Hill’s job status have been bubbling for weeks ever since the board voted down Hill’s budget proposal in April. A series of special budget hearings exposed friction between Hill and the board. And several closed session “personnel” meetings raised eyebrows.
Still, CMS told WFAE in May that Hill had “no intentions of resigning” and she remained in her position until the investigation was announced this week.
