Superintendent's Message - February 2024

Greetings, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Families!

We’ve turned the page on the calendar to a new month, and of course, it will be another busy one here in CMS.

February is Black History Month, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is proud to celebrate Black excellence and the richness and reach of Black culture and contributions to our community and our nation. Not only during the month of February, but all year long, we honor the legacies and heritage, celebrate the achievements and contributions, and respect the sacrifices and resilient spirit of Black Americans throughout history and today.

We also are celebrating Career and Technical Education (CTE) this month. CTE helps students explore possibilities, discover passions and prepare for success. Students enrolled in CTE classes develop technical, academic, and employability skills. Through partnerships with business and industry, they also can participate in valuable work-based learning experiences.

National School Counseling Week is Feb. 5-9 and focuses attention on the contributions of school counselors within our schools. The weeklong observance highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. We are grateful for our school counselors here in CMS and appreciate all that they do to provide support and guidance to our students. During this week, we also recognize our school counselors of the year. Congratulations to our 2023-24 honorees:

Shannon Kromer – Matthews Elementary School
Nina Franklin – Ridge Road Middle School
Sequoia Goodman – Myers Park High School

I am excited to invite you to participate in one of our upcoming Community Engagement sessions. These sessions will focus on the budget and our budget process. The sessions are scheduled for:

February 21 at Mallard Creek High School
March 6 at Olympic High School

Both sessions will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Last month, we hosted a Strategic Plan Think Tank with representatives from our community partner organizations and agencies, along with teachers, principals, parents and students. The purpose of the session was to obtain feedback and input for the development of the district’s five-year strategic plan. Last October, the Board of Education approved Goals and Guardrails which clearly outlines what we are to achieve in the next five years. The Strategic Plan is the roadmap to how we will achieve those Goals and stay within the Guardrails.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education (BOE) voted to change the 2023-24 academic calendar during a special work session on Feb. 5, 2024. With the approved change, March 5, primary election day in Mecklenburg County, will become an optional teacher workday instead of an instructional day. Students who attend schools that follow the traditional school calendar will not have school on March 5, 2024. The change is being made from an abundance of caution and safety as CMS schools are used as voting locations.

The BOE will meet for its regularly scheduled meetings on Feb. 13 and Feb. 27. As a reminder, Feb. 14 is an early release day for students, and on Feb. 19, schools and district offices will be closed for the Presidents Day Holiday.

As we continue our pursuit of excellence without exception, we are committed to finish the 2023-2024 school year strong. I am grateful for your partnership and support.

Sincerely,

Crystal L. Hill, Ed.D.
Superintendent