CHARLOTTE — Three members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education are asking for a motion to remove Stephanie Sneed as the board chairperson, Channel 9 learned Friday.
Multiple sources on the board confirmed to Channel 9’s Jonathan Lowe that an email was sent this week asking for a motion to remove Sneed as the chairperson. The email was sent by board members Cynthia Stone, Lenora Shipp, and Dr. Monty Witherspoon.
Channel 9 obtained the email sent by Stone, and it says, in part: “Based on information shared with the board over the past weeks and months, I no longer feel comfortable with the board’s current leadership and feel that a change must be made to preserve a positive reputation of the board and the district. This item is requested to allow the board to formally address these concerns and discuss necessary changes.”
Lowe learned that five board members are supporting Sneed and are prepared to respond to the motion.
Board member Liz Monterrey Duval said in a statement to Channel 9 that she’s still learning about what’s being requested, but she supports Sneed.
“What I can speak to is my own experience. Chair Sneed has been supportive of me as a Board member, and I have seen her consistently advocate for the progress of Black and Brown students in CMS.The Board holds leadership elections every December, so we are only a few months away from our normal process. At this point, I would need to understand what circumstances warrant disrupting that process and changing leadership now. My priority remains the same: closing achievement gaps, improving outcomes for our students, and representing the constituents who entrusted me with this role. I’m going to learn more before drawing conclusions about anything beyond that.”
Dr. Charlitta Hatch released the following statement to Channel 9: “I am aware of concerns regarding Board leadership and the possibility of changes being considered. I believe any action involving the leadership of this Board deserves a thoughtful, transparent, and fair process. I want to be clear that I support Chair Sneed and VC Rankin and their continued leadership of this Board. I have seen them lead during an extraordinarily difficult period for our district, and I believe they have remained focused on the Board’s responsibility to provide oversight, ask difficult questions, and act in the best interests of CMS. I do not believe a change in Board leadership at this moment would serve our students, employees, or community well. This is bigger than any one person or position. We have an obligation to protect the integrity of the Board as an institution and to ensure that disagreement does not distract us from our responsibility to govern effectively on behalf of students, families, employees, and this community. I am not going to speculate about the motivations of my colleagues or litigate internal Board disagreements through the media. I will continue asking the questions I believe matter: What is the governance concern we are trying to address? What problem are we trying to solve? Is the process fair and consistent? And will this action strengthen or weaken public trust in this Board? At a time when our district needs stability and confidence in its leadership, we should be especially careful that our actions demonstrate the transparency, accountability, and good governance we expect from the system we oversee. We can disagree with one another and still govern together. We need to get back to our why, remember why the community entrusted us with these seats, and get back to the work. Our children cannot afford for the adults to lose sight of them.”
The email comes just weeks after CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill returned to the job following an investigation by the board. Few details have been released in the wake of that investigation.
This is a developing story, and we’re working on getting more details. Check back for updates.
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