In the past 10 years, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) has gone through five different superintendents; not counting the current interim, Crystal Hill, who has been covering the job since December 2022 and onward, as a new search began February 2023. The last time CMS counted on a full-time superintendent was April 2022, when superintendent Earnest Winston was fired after just three years.
The CMS superintendent’s responsibilities include overseeing day-to-day operations of the school district and focus on improving overall student achievement. They involve community and family participation in student success, as well as advancing the success of staff members. They look closely at the opportunity gaps, such as race and income, within the diverse population of the students and work on closing them. The next superintendent will continue to handle the challenges and aftermath that CMS went through during the pandemic.
In the last year, Hugh Hattabaugh was expected to act as the interim superintendent until June of this year, but he left well before a full-time superintendent could be found. Hattabaugh was vocal after his departure from the district, wishing the next interim would “maintain stability, maintain the work that’s going on in the district and get us to the finish line when they’re ready to hand the reins over to the new superintendent”, according to his interview with Ann Doss Helms, a reporter from WFAE, Charlotte’s NPR news source.
Before Winston and Hattabugh, the superintendent office still struggled to have a long-term resident. Hattabaugh had been the superintendent many years ago, until Heath Morrison stepped into the office in 2012. Morrison then resigned in 2014 and Ann Clark was named the interim for two years. Clark was replaced by a full time superintendent in 2016 by Clayton Wilcox, who was suspended with a unanimous vote in 2019 with no explanation to the public, and then Winston entered the story.
Last year in April, Winston was fired for “unsatisfactory performance”, before his contract with CMS came to a close, making him the fourth superintendent to leave CMS before reaching the three year mark. A CMS board member, Ruby Jones, leaked a “confidential letter” alluding to a claim that the board had been acting indecorously and interfering with Winston’s ability to perform well in his position prior to his firing. In the letter, Winston’s attorney said that if the board was truly ready to let Winston go, they would have to satisfy his remaining two years salary, which he was later given.
With all the searches, interims, and full-timers, why is CMS incapable of finding a stable superintendent? Between each resignation and its matching statement to the public, there are a few common denominators.
When Morrison stepped down in 2014, his message read, “There are the anticipated challenges such as developing a budget, promoting the district’s interest in the upcoming legislative session, and exhausting every avenue to reward our employees for the work they do. There are also always unanticipated challenges, which is why this job demands full attention and focus”. Hattabuagh had a similar story to tell, stating that the weekend work demand and “the challenge of day-to-day operations” were all factors playing into his interim resignation last year, along with family matters in Florida.
However, the question has no concrete answer, leaving students, staff, and parents to wonder if it’s the school system to blame.
With the current search for the fifth superintendent since 2011, finding a new leader will be pricey. CMS hired a consulting firm, BWP & Associates to conduct the search under a $48,500 contract. BWP is searching for a group of qualified candidates from February to April, with the goal of carefully selecting the most qualified applicant for the position.
Until then, the district remains overseen by Hill, while fingers are crossed for a trusted superintendent to stay with the school system long term.