CMS prepares for 2026-27 school year with updates to student support, safety, and instruction
Last week, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) held its annual media briefing regarding updates for the 2026-27 academic school year, which began on Aug. 25. The briefing was led by Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill, alongside members of the CMS executive cabinet, who provided updates regarding academics, technology use, mental health initiatives, and more.
After the CMS Board of Education placed Hill “on temporary leave with pay, pending an investigation into matters involving administrative and operational oversight,” according to a June 17 statement, Hill will continue serving as superintendent as CMS enters the 2026-27 school year, following her return to the position earlier this month. Hill said that the briefing event was not the place to discuss the investigation because their focus should be the opening of schools.
She and several other leaders emphasized confidence in the district’s preparedness for the upcoming year.
“A great deal of hard work has gone into preparing for the 2026-27 school year, and we cannot wait to get started, and we are excited about our students returning,” said CMS Deputy Superintendent Dr. Melissa Balknight.
Technology in schools
CMS leaders said students in grades K-2 will no longer be able to independently access YouTube from their iPads. Rather, YouTube can only be used during teacher-led instruction.
Upon further inquiry about the purpose of tablet limitations, CMS Chief Academic Performance Officer Dr. Kimberly Vaught said the district is less focused on a specific number of minutes that students use technology and more on whether technology use is a necessity for the daily learning that students engage in.
“Our focus is really on looking at making sure technology use at all levels is developmentally appropriate but that it is purposeful,” Vaught said.
Regarding personal devices, students and families were asked to follow guidelines for all personal technology, including the cellphone restriction bill signed into law by Gov. Josh Stein in July 2025. Families were also asked to review the student code of conduct to ensure that classrooms continue to have focused and supportive learning environments for students.
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Support for students
As part of the “I’ve Got Your Back” initiative, CMS students have the ability to receive mental health support from the district. Student ambassadors can also give their view on what students need, helping strengthen the support available to them.
The district is seeking proposals from community organizations that can provide additional mental-health support to students and families.
CMS will be hosting a mental-health summit in October to strengthen its connection with community partners, which will “support students’ social and emotional well-being,” said Balknight.
Throughout all CMS schools, breakfast will continue to be served at no cost for all students. However, lunch prices have increased by ten cents since the 2025-26 school year.
CMS Chief Operations Officer Tim Ivey noted there are 114 schools participating in Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) across the district, meaning all students at those schools will receive meals for free. Students at non-CEP schools are able to complete a meal application to be considered for free or reduced lunch prices. The application is available here.
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The educator workforce
During the press conference, leaders said 644 new educators are joining the district, all of which participated in the CMS teacher onboarding experience, Crown Academy. CMS now has over 18,000 employees, with over 98% of teaching positions are filled.
“My number one priority will be increasing teacher compensation,” said Hill.
The CMS-sponsored educator preparation program, or “CMS teacher residency,” is set to manage its largest cohort yet, with 228 teaching residencies for the 2026-27 school year. The program helps already CMS-employed teacher assistants or other staff to become licensed teachers or community members to teach career and technical education (CTE) classes.
The CMS teacher residency program helps fill gaps in the teacher workforce, and it creates a meaningful alternative pathway for “non-traditional candidates” to become licensed teachers.
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School safety
This year marks year two of CMS issuing the safety protocol “I Love U Guys,” which “provides clear, consistent expectations and language for schools to follow during the event of an emergency,” said Ivey.
Also, in partnership with local law enforcement agencies, CMS conducted a training and professional development day for CMS School Resource Officers (SROs). The SROs will be on site at K-8, middle schools, and high schools along with CMPD and CMSPD patrol officers who additionally patrol elementary schools daily.
This week, the system also provided an update on their response to the release of the individual who was criminally charged in connection with threats made against several CMS schools during the winter of 2025. In the statement, Assistant Communications Officer Tom Miner said the system and law enforcement “recognize that this news is concerning for many in our community.”
“The individual has been banned from all CMS properties, and any violation of that ban will result in immediate law enforcement action,” explained Miner. “Additionally, the court has ordered electronic monitoring. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) is actively monitoring the individual in accordance with the court order.”
Miner continued: “Our schools will continue to follow the safety procedures and security measures that are in place each day to protect students and staff. You can learn more about our commitment to safety in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools by visiting our School Safety page.”
Strategic planning and introducing new standards
CMS recently launched “Elevating the Student Experience,” an initiative to identify areas for improvement within the district. The initiative will include an internal review and collaboration with the CMS community.
CMS will also be implementing new state standards for English Language Arts (ELA) and math starting the 2027-28 school year. Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer Beth Thompson said the goal is to understand the potential impact of the changes on students before they are implemented.
Additional updates
- Students in grades 3-8 as well as high school students taking end-of-grade and end-of-course assessments will now take two benchmark assessments instead of three.
- There will now be a required approval process for any schools that wish to administer more assessments than included in the CMS balanced assessment system.
- Throughout the summer, over 5,400 students and 1,200 staff members engaged in summer learning experiences like literacy programs.
- The former Marie G. Davis site has been converted to J.T. Williams Secondary Montessori, which is ready for students to return.
- The new Marie G. Davis Middle School is planned to open for the 2027-28 school year on the former Dilworth Elementary School Latta Campus.
- Additionally, two new schools, Dilworth Elementary at Park Road and Cato Ridge Middle School, are opening this year.
Superintendent Hill also encouraged parents to meet with their child’s teacher, check their grades and schedule, and to ask questions. Hill requested that parents download Infinite Campus, ParentSquare, and AlphaPortal for schedules, grades, assignments, and back-to-school forms.
“Parents are always their child’s first and best advocate,” said Hill.