CHARLOTTE — Thousands of Charlotte-Mecklenburg students will head back to school for the first day of classes Tuesday morning.
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It’s an exciting day after a summer of uncertainty surrounding the district’s leadership. Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill spent two months on leave during an investigation, but the board has not publicly explained what prompted it or what it found.
The board is set to vote on a motion to release more details Tuesday evening. If passed, attorneys will share everything they legally can at the Sept. 9 meeting.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Board member: Vote expected Tuesday to release Crystal Hill investigation findings
- Questions remain after investigation into CMS superintendent
District leaders address media as buses roll out
Ahead of Tuesday night’s decision, Hill and Transportation Executive Director Delvico Dunn addressed the public Tuesday morning at a bus lot in Pineville. There, 750 school buses prepared to hit the road and welcome 140,000 students back to school.
As the district with the largest transportation system in the state, Hill said CMS buses travel over 100,000 miles and make 25,500 stops per day.
Dunn says the district is starting the year with some vacancies. Currently, he says CMS is down 98 bus drivers. There are also 161 teacher vacancies, but district leaders say they don’t expect it to impact students.
Despite these gaps, Hill remains optimistic about the school year ahead, largely due to to the staff she said kept the district moving forward while she was on leave. She says her “superpower” is hiring a good team.
“We have amazing team,” Hill said. “They have done everything that we’d planned on six months prior and delivered it with excellence without exception, so just so incredibly proud of our team.”
CMS opens 5 new schools this school year
Some students will attend brand new, renovated or converted schools this year. Five schools recently got major upgrades, including Cato Ridge Middle School, Dilworth Elementary, First Ward Creative Arts Middle School, Northwest School of the Arts and J.T. Williams Secondary Montessori.
Cato Ridge and Dilworth Elementary were made possible through the district’s 2023 bond package, which was approved by voters. The former Marie G. Davis campus has been successfully converted and is ready to welcome students as J.T. Williams Secondary Montessori.
Northwest School of the Arts is starting the new school year with a new life. The school got an $11.5 million makeover. Renovations include the addition of a recording studio, a dark room for photography students and the school’s Black Box Theatre got a facelift too.
Despite the renovations, the district made sure to maintain the historical integrity of the school by preserving the front of the school and its foundation.
Construction at the school is set to wrap next August. When renovations are complete, CMS will have a magnet elementary, magnet middle and magnet high school that are each dedicated to the arts.
ROLL CALL: Charlotte Mayor Rob Harrington welcomes CMS students back to school
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