CMS Superintendent Heath Morrison Resigns

The news is official now: Heath E. Morrison will resign as superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools on Thursday, Nov. 6. The news definitely came as a shock. I had the pleasure of meeting Heath Morrison back in August at a press conference. I enjoyed talking with him about the successes and needs of CMS, testing, and in general the state of affairs in public schools in North Carolina. I felt he was genuine, and had nothing but the best interests of students and teachers in mind.

In Morrison’s full statement, he lists the need to care for his mother as his reason for leaving the position. As a mother and a daughter, I respect him putting family first. In his statement, he says “.. I must now rededicate myself to my family, most especially my mother. When I first started here in CMS, I was excited about having my professional career closer to her, however I can’t give my job the full attention it needs while making sure I address her needs at this critical time. During drives back and forth, I have been thinking about the demands of this position. There are the anticipated challenges such as developing a budget, promoting the district’s interest in the upcoming legislative session, and exhausting every avenue to reward our employees for the work they do.” 

I respect that he realizes the position of superintendent in this district, one of the largest in the nation, requires a lot of time without distraction. It’s not an easy job and with all the politics surrounding public school budgets in North Carolina, superintendents are traveling to and from Raleigh as well to speak up on behalf of their districts, teachers and curriculum.

All this said, I do believe there’s more to the story of his sudden resignation, and I’m sure somewhere down the line it will come out.

I have a child in CMS. I attended public school in CMS. A change in superintendent is huge, but the teachers and support staff that work with our students each and everyday will continue to give our kids their best. I believe it and believe we have to support them as they do. Until a new superintendent is selected, the district’s Deputy Superintendent Ann Clark will assume the responsibilities of superintendent as part of her duties as second in command. The school board will seek a replacement for the superintendent but has not made any plans to begin a search at this time.