Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is now under expanding state scrutiny as financial questions collide with months of leadership turmoil.
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and State Board of Education announced Thursday they will join the review of CMS finances.
The State Auditor’s Office is already examining district budgets, contracts and payments. Separately, the State Bureau of Investigation is conducting a criminal investigation.
Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather requested the SBI review after concerns surfaced over financial transactions during fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
No criminal charges have been filed, and investigators have not concluded that wrongdoing occurred.
The scrutiny follows a chaotic summer involving former Superintendent Crystal Hill and the school board.
Board members placed Hill on paid leave in June while outside attorneys investigated her leadership and management.
That investigation cost taxpayers at least $379,000 but reportedly found no evidence of misconduct or conflicts of interest by Hill.
Despite that finding, the board fired Hill in September by a narrow 5-4 vote.
Before her termination, Hill sent board members roughly 200 pages of documents raising questions about contracts, consultant payments and purchasing practices.
She specifically questioned payments involving consultant Raki McGregor, including a reported arrangement worth $30,000 per month.
Hill also accused board leadership of pressuring her to resign. Board members disputed portions of her account. Now, those internal disputes are unfolding alongside state and criminal investigations.
North Carolina law gives the State Board significant authority when school districts violate financial requirements.
In severe cases, the state can order corrective action or even assume control over a district’s financial operations.
There is no indication CMS has reached that point. However, the latest state involvement dramatically raises the stakes for the district.
CMS is now searching for another superintendent while facing an SBI investigation, a state audit and direct scrutiny from North Carolina education officials.
