After an emotional meeting in which the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board fired superintendent Earnest Winston on Tuesday, board member Sean Strain explained the decision in chilly, "just business" terms.

• Strain, whose background is in business and tech, called the superintendent an "executive" multiple times and talked about the public's "return on investment" for the district's nearly $2 billion budget.

Why it matters: The superintendent's job requires a mix of skills that are sometimes at odds with each other — knowledge of business, management, government, pedagogy and politics.

• And in our city built on banks and corporate deals, people often suggest CMS should find a businessperson to be its next superintendent.
• After all, the school system is the area's third-largest employer.

Yes, but: It's more complicated than plucking an executive from the top floor of an Uptown skyscraper.

By the numbers: Consider CMS' size...

• Student enrollment: 140,404 in 2021-2022 (down from a peak of 147,359 in 2017-18).
• Staffing: 19,000 or so employees, putting it behind only Atrium Health and Wells Fargo in total local employment.
• Budget: $2 billion, 48% of which comes from the state, 28% from the county and 23% from federal and grant money, according to the 2022-2023 proposed budget.
• Superintendent salary: Winston's base was around $288,000.

Now consider this: Atrium Health brings $11.3 billion in total revenue, according to the most recent CBJ examination of the largest employers.

• And Atrium's CEO hauls in almost $10 million annually, which makes Winston's salary, while exceptional to me and many of you, not so breathtaking.

Reality check: Executives would face at least one obvious frustration: The bulk of a teacher's salary is determined by the state government. (Local governments add supplements.)

• "While most businesses can work with their board to approve comp plans, the superintendent has to rely on decisions made by politicians to be able to attract the best and the brightest," school board member Jennifer De La Jara says.

The bottom line: Picking a superintendent is the most critical choice a school board can make. And more than any work history bullets on a resume, perhaps the most important skill now is the ability to rally a community around public education.

Full story: Analysis: The case for and against hiring a businessperson to run CMS

If you're on the hunt for a new job, here are 27 to get you started.

• Assistant Property Manager - Commercial at New Forum, Inc. Apply.
• Communications Manager at Sharonview Federal Credit Union. Apply.
• Director of Marketing & Communications at Classroom Central. Apply.
• Lifeguard at Charlotte Country Day School. Apply.
• Marketing & Graphic Design Specialist at Northwood Office. Apply.
• PR Manager at PIVOT PR. Apply.
• Executive Administrative Assistant at Northwood Office. Apply.
• Life Guards & Swim Instructors at Levine Jewish Community Center. Apply.
• Career Editor at U.S. News & World Report. Apply.
• Bicycle Mechanic at Bicycle Sport. Apply.
• Junior Engineer at Cloverhound. Apply.
• Sales Associate at Swoozies. Apply.
• Offsite Coordinator at UNC Charlotte. Apply.
• Upper School, Fine Arts Instructor – 3D at Charlotte Country Day School. Apply.
• Shop Manager at Varnish Lane. Apply.
• Copywriter at Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. Apply.
• Executive Stylist at OMJ Clothing. Apply.
• Staging Manager at Bella Staging & Design. Apply.
• Sales Professional at Bicycle Sport. Apply.
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• Early Career Talent: Digital Marketing Associate at Red Ventures. Apply.
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• Out of School Time Director at Heart Math Tutoring. Apply.
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• Sales Representative at Alternative Health Distribution. Apply.
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Want more opportunities? Check out all openings on our Job Board.

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Marketing & Graphic Design Specialist at Northwood Office. Apply.

• Company overview: A real estate investment and management firm providing a complete approach to fulfilling office space needs
• In this role: Implement marketing and branding initiatives and keep Northwood Office properties fresh to increase awareness 
• Must-have: A minimum of a bachelor’s degree with a major in communications, marketing, graphic design

• ⛪️ Charlotte could lose the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention meeting because the group needs more space than our convention center offers. (WSOC)
• 🎵 For the first time since the mid-1980s, vinyl record sales eclipsed $1 billion last year. (Axios Nashville)
• 🐄 A Chick-fil-A in Gastonia will close permanently by June 15, affecting 117 employees. (CBJ 🔒)
• 🎭 Swanky arts galas are back, and demand is higher than ever. (Ledger 🔒)

Last week, all of our Axios Local cities went hunting for Big Macs.

Why? Fast-food menu prices are up 7.2% year-over-year, according to the National Restaurant Association.

• That's the biggest jump since 1981, Axios' Karri Peifer reports.

The Big (Mac) picture: Data from what's known as the Big Mac Index shows that the price of the signature sandwich at McDonald's has risen 40% over the past decade.

• Where wages are higher, so is the cost of the Big Mac.

At the McDonald's on Central Avenue here, where the state's minimum wage is the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour, I found a Big Mac for $4.29.

• So we're on the lower end of that chart, especially compared to Seattle, where the minimum wage is $17.27 an hour and the Big Mac is $6.39, the priciest in our survey.

Special sauce memories: Back in the summer of 1997, actor Nicolas Cage was on top of the world with "Con Air," and I was making $4.25 an hour shoveling popcorn into cardboard boxes at a movie theater in Maryland.

• Across the parking lot was a McDonald's, golden and oh-so-tantalizing, and once a week I'd splurge and spend $3.19 on a Big Mac meal.