Redefining Success: Celebrating Historic Gains and Addressing Persistent Gaps in CMS Data
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
Meeting Summary - September 09, 2026
""Ownership isn't accepting blame for everything that happens; ownership is refusing to stop at an explanation." Board Member Charlitta Hatch - District 2
I. Call to Order
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) Board of Education meeting on September 08, 2026, was called to order by Chair Stephanie Sneed. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Harry Lightfoot III, a ninth-grader at Providence High School.
Third grade students from around the district were recognized for their achievements in English Language Arts (ELA).
II. Consent Agenda
What is a Consent Agenda?
A group of routine items, like past meeting minutes, standard bills, and minor personnel updates, that are combined and approved in a single vote. To ensure transparency, any board member can easily "pull" an item from the consent agenda to discuss and vote on it separately.
The consent agenda was adopted by unanimous consent (8-0)*.
The consent agenda included the appointment of Robert Allen to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission, operational contracts, and the approval of previous meeting minutes.
Consent Agenda Items
Meeting Minutes
Recommend Approval of Regular Meeting Minutes for August 11, 2026Public attachment
Recommend Approval of Closed Student Appeal Hearing Minutes for August 13, 2026
Recommend Approval of Policy Committee Meeting Minutes for August 18, 2026
Recommend Approval of Closed Student Appeal Hearing Minutes for August 21, 2026
Recommend Approval of IRC Committee Meeting Minutes for September 1, 2026Public attachment
Contract Approvals
Recommend Approval of 2026-2027 Expenditures against the Cadence Petroleum Master Contract for Bulk Fluid Deliveries - $365,000
DEF, anti-freeze, transmission fluid, and oil) for school buses/service vehicles
General Business
Recommend Approval of Board Appointment to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Commission
The Board appointed Robert Allen, the President Southeast Growth Strategies, and former Chairman of the Union County Planning Board.
"We can, we will, and we must.". Dr. Robert Weirich - Principal of Cochran Collegiate Academy Sharing the school motto that helped build culture and boost performance by 15 points
III. Public Engagement
41 individuals spoke during public comment. Schools Beyond Screens, net zero schools, and proposed redevelopment at Madison Central Park and the former Smith Middle School property were recurring themes during public comment.
Schools Beyond Screens
The local nonprofit chapter continues to advocate for the removal of Youtube from all 1:1 devices across CMS. Parents voiced concerns thats students are able to access inappropriate content using school devices both on and off campus.
Net Zero Schools
Students from JT Williams Secondary Montessori, community leaders, and representatives from Duke Energy presented financial and environmental data in support of adopting net-zero solar energy policies across the district.
Madison Central Park
Many Madison Park residents and Pinewood Elementary School parents strongly oppose a proposed agreement between CMS and the Dilworth Youth Sports Association (DYSA) to construct baseball fields on CMS-owned property at Madison Central Park. Residents voiced concerns regarding land privatization, lack of transparent board oversight, traffic congestion, lighting, stormwater flooding along Little Hope Creek, and the loss of open public green space
Former Smith Middle School
Parents from Collinswood Language Academy called for the demolition of the abandoned former Smith Middle School building adjacent to the Collinswood campus, citing severe safety hazards, illicit activity, and trespassing.
IV. Reports
Why are there reports?
The section of the meeting is dedicated to informational presentations by the superintendent, staff, or board committees on district progress, finances, and special projects. Votes are not always required for reports.
The District presented reports to the board on student outcomes around Goal 1 (K-2 Literacy) Financial reports and budget amendments for July 2026 were also presented.
Student Outcomes Focused Governance Guardrail 1.2 2025-26 End of Year Monitoring Report
Presented by Dr. Crystal Hill, Governance Guardrail 1.2 measures the difference or “gap” between the lowest and highest performing demographic groups on the ELA end-of-grade (EOG) test.
The goal is to reduce the gap from 41% (June 2024 baseline) to 30% by June 2029. The actual performance gap for June 2026 stood at 41%, missing the annual target of 37% .
Student Outcomes Focused Governance Goal 2 Interim Measure 2.1 and Interim Measure 2.2 End of Year Monitoring Report
Presented by Dr. Crystal Hill, Governance Goal 2 measures the percentage of 3rd through 8th grade students who achieve 4’s or 5’s on the reading EOG. For the 2025/2026 school year 35% of 3rd through 8th grade students scored at 4 or 5, missing the goal of 40% for the school year.
Board members questioned why targets were missed and sought reaccurance that resources and structural adjustments are reaching the students with the most need.
2025-26 End of Year State Accountability Student Achievement Results
Executive staff and select principals presented the state accountability results.
CMS outperformed North Carolina state averages in overall grade-level proficiency (GLP) and saw gains across reading, math, and science
80% of Kindergarten, 76% of 1st grade, and 72% of 2nd grade students ended the year at or above benchmark
3rd-grade reading proficiency via Read to Achieve reached 76.9%.
136 schools earned a performance grade of A, B, C, an increase of 12 schools from the previous year and a 33 school increase over two years. Only 2 schools in the district received an F grade
The cohort graduation rate rose to 87.9%.
2025-2026 Draft Plan in Response to the 2024 Comprehensive Review Phase 2
The upcoming completion of two Bond projects, Elbert Edwin Waddell High School and New Middle School #2, will require attendance boundaries to be redrawn. Dr. Melissa presented the district's timeline for community engagement and determining new boundaries.
Superintendent's Report
During her Superintendents Report, Dr. Hill congratulated 11 School Performance Area (SPA) Principals of the Year, celebrated the opening of three new facilities, Cato Ridge Middle, Dilworth Elementary, and JT Williams Secondary Montessori (all funded through the 2023 public bonds) and announced the launch of the 321 Family Weekly communication update for district families.
"The challenge for me is balancing when I should do a victory lap and when I should be holding people accountable... " Board Member Shamaiye Haynes - District 2
V. Action Items
What are Action Items?
Action Items are the are specific proposals that require the school board to take formal action by holding a public debate and casting a vote.
There were no action items on the agenda.
.
Closing
The meeting adjourned after at around 11:00 PM.
*Board Chair Stephanie Sneed was not present for the vote.
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