Crime & Public Safety
Charlotte-Mecklenburg superintendent dismissed amid probe into district finances
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools terminated Superintendent Crystal Hill and announced other leadership changes within the district in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County. The board voted to remove Hill “for convenience,” after a summer in which she was placed on paid leave and an internal review took place. The district spent nearly $380,000 on that review, according to invoices obtained during reporting on the matter.
The sequence began with Hill being placed on paid leave while officials reviewed concerns; she later returned at the start of the school year and was then nominated for a superintendent award shortly before the board voted 5-4 to end her tenure. Separate district documents and a memo from Hill raised questions about contracts connected to consulting work, including an advisory firm identified as Qonnect and an individual named Raki McGregor. The memo alleges a monthly payment of $30,000 to McGregor’s firm and details a second contract that funneled a portion of a compliance-assessment payment to that firm.
State and local authorities have responded: the North Carolina State Auditor announced an investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and the county district attorney requested the state probe. Those actions are into “alleged financial irregularities” in district transactions beginning in fiscal year 2026, per the auditor’s statement.
Board leadership also shifted amid the upheaval: the board chair stepped down from that role and the vice chair was elevated; several senior district executives announced departures and one cabinet member was arrested, according to district reporting. At this time, the termination is the board’s official action and the state auditor’s investigation is ongoing.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.