CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will keep Dr. Melissa Balknight as acting superintendent beyond her planned Jan. 1, 2027, retirement date while the board searches for a permanent leader, the district announced Thursday, Oct. 8.
Balknight has served as acting superintendent since the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education fired former Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill on Sept. 22. She had been deputy superintendent before that appointment.
Only days earlier, on Sept. 14, the district confirmed Balknight’s retirement plans set for Jan. 1, 2027. In an Oct. 8 news release, the board said Balknight would stay on as acting superintendent beyond Jan. 1 after she agreed to postpone retirement amid the search for a permanent replacement.
Board Chair Gregory Dee Rankin said Balknight is a leader who can keep Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools on track to continue year-over-year growth in student achievement, and that her experience and historical knowledge will be invaluable while the board searches for its next permanent superintendent.
The school board took the first step toward finding the next leader on Sept. 29, when a charter allowing a superintendent search committee was approved. Balknight will remain until the district hires a replacement for Hill, CMS said.
The leadership change lands as CMS also faces overlapping state and federal financial investigations. Those probes are separate from the acting-superintendent announcement but form the backdrop for the board’s stability pitch.
Mayor Rob Harrington’s city government and CMS share Charlotte residents who watch both City Hall at 600 E 4th St and the school board for continuity during the search. Rankin thanked Balknight for staying on to lead the district through that period.