‘Calm the chaos’: State auditor talks CMS probe

CHARLOTTE — The state’s watchdog took his message to the lobby of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district.

“The goal of being here today is quite simple,” State Auditor Dave Boliek said. “Help calm the chaos.”

State Auditor Dave Boliek says his office was already investigating financial irregularities for three weeks before Dr. Crystal Hill’s explosive memo calling into question contracts she says were issued by former Chair Stephanie Sneed without the Board’s knowledge.

His office is working with the State Bureau of Investigation.

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“We’re going to let the facts, and we’re going to let the data lead us to conclusions and answers, and we will deliver those results to the people of Mecklenburg County,” he said.

He says he’s read Dr. Hill’s memo and the financial irregularities extend beyond it.

When it comes to how the district spends taxpayer dollars, the actions of the board over the past 10 months raise plenty of questions.

Taxpayer questions can date back to December 2025, when the board voted to extend Hill’s contract by a year, give her a pay increase of more than $22,000, and give her three more months of severance if fired for convenience.

Six months later, the board voted to place Dr. Hill on paid leave. The investigation cost more than $379,000. Only for, in August, the board voted, 5-4, in closed session to bring her back.

That lasted for a month. On Tuesday night, the board voted, 5-4, to fire her for convenience. That new contract she signed in December 2025 ensures she will be paid her salary for a year of $340,000.

More funding questions could be coming. There will be costs associated with hiring a superintendent search firm and perhaps a pay bump for the new Acting Superintendent, Melissa Balknight

Boliek declined to share specifics about his investigation and couldn’t give a timeline, but his office has plenty of experience with audits of this nature.

In 2025, he probed the Winston-Salem Forsyth County School system after it revealed a $46 million deficit and found off the books budgeting and accounting practices that contributed to financial misconduct.

“We’ll take a look at everything across the board to get to answers to solve what seems to be an issue here at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System about some financial transactions that have certainly caused a lot of consternation,” he said.

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