The 5 highest-paid Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools employees in 2025
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For a transparent look at how your tax dollars are spent, Axios is publishing the salaries of the top five highest-paid employees within Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
Why it matters: The public school system tries to pay executives enough to keep them from leaving for the private sector, where they can often make more money.
By the numbers: A starting CMS employee — like a custodian or bus monitor — makes $20 an hour, while the lowest-paid teacher in Mecklenburg County makes $48,943.
- School board members make $23,413 annually, and the chair makes $29,265.
1. Crystal Hill, Superintendent
Salary: $318,270
- 2024: $309,000
Job description: She leads the nation's 16th-largest school district with about 141,000 students.
- Hill is the first Black woman to hold the position in CMS history.
- She started her career as a first-grade teacher in Guilford County Schools.
2. André Mayes, General Counsel
Salary: $289,430.00
- 2024: $289,430
3. Melissa Balknight, Deputy Superintendent
Salary: $241,262.09
- 2024: $241,262.09
4. Kelly Kluttz, Chief Financial Officer
Salary: $241,262.09
- 2024: $241,262.09
5. Anna Hehenberger, Deputy General Counsel
Salary: $225,000.00
- 2024: She was previously a senior associate, making $182,104.