CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Nearly 400 people so far have signed a petition calling for the resignation of the five board members who voted to terminate CMS Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill. “For five board members to decide that it was convenient for them to interrupt the flow of every single student i n classroom in this district is unacceptable,” Ann Margret Gidley Parent and Elementary PTA President said. Gidley says she was impressed with the historic student achievement gains made under Hill’s leadership. She says she started the petition to hold board members accountable for firing Hill “for convenience.” “It’s not convenient to the taxpayers,” Gidley said. “It’s not convenient to the principals and the teachers who now have to wait for the new leader, who will undoubtedly arrive. But then they will have their own goals, their own visions, their own policies, procedures.” Gidley says parents have to raise money to pay for basic classroom supplies in every school while the board spends more than $379,000 to investigate the superintendent. “Spending money on investigations that are fruitless, a fishing expedition, if you will, paying money for a severance for a superintendent who was doing a fabulous job, and now there’s going to be money spent recruiting someone,” Gidley said. The three at large representatives are up for re-election next year. The district representatives’ terms end in 2029. Gidley says she wanted to send them all a message. “Even if it doesn’t lead to any resignations, I need them to know that we are watching, and we are not going to accept anything less than putting the students in the schools first,” Gidley said. You can find the petition here. ...read more read less