Sopona Eason

[Joe Bruno @JoeBrunoWSOC9]

Former CMS Board Member Melissa Easley on Crystal Hill’s departure:

Since the news of Dr Hill leaving CMS, I have been asked many times to share my thoughts, so here they are.

I won't miss her.

I won't miss the condescension.

I won't miss the dismissiveness.

And I certainly won't miss watching the teacher voice get systematically weakened while being told everything was fine.

I spent 15 years in a classroom before joining the CMS school board. A decade of which was in CMS. I know the difference between leaders who listen to educators and leaders who simply tolerate them.

For years, people talked about fixing the culture within CMS. When interviewing superintendents, I made sure to ask about what each candidate wanted to do about the culture of CMS. What they heard coming in and what they wanted to change.

What many experienced instead was a culture of fear.

Teachers stopped speaking up.

Principals stopped speaking up.

District leaders stopped speaking up.

Not because they suddenly agreed with everything.

Because they learned what happened when they didn't.

Constructive disagreement was too often viewed as disloyalty. People who asked hard questions or challenged decisions frequently felt dismissed rather than heard.

The message became clear:

Get on board.

Stay quiet.

Or get out of the way.
(This applied to the board members too 😉🤣)

One of the most frustrating things to watch was the slow erosion of teacher voice. Teachers were asked for feedback, but too often it felt like the decisions had already been made before bringing teachers involves or things would chanfe from what was orginally told. 3/4 of my final board report was about the systematic dismantling of the faculty advisory committee (school level FAC) Superintendent Teacher advisory committee ( district level STAC) by Dr. Hill herself.

At the same time, we were told over and over that we had the right leader. The visionary. The expert. The person uniquely qualified to move CMS forward in several different positions all across district leadership and their pay should reflect that.

Yet we still spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on outside consultants.

Not consultants working directly with students or directly with teachers

Not consultants serving entire schools.

Consultants brought in to work with a small group of principals or leadership positions while the district continued losing experienced teachers, experienced administrators, and institutional knowledge.

We had experts.

They were sitting in our classrooms.

We had people who understood our students.

They were working in our schools every day.

Too often their voices mattered less than the voices being paid to give presentations and leave and then take the credit for "growth" (which actually didnt happen by the way, but they made it look that way- ya I got receipts for that one)

At the same time, CMS leadership was constantly being reorganized.

Another restructure.

Another shuffle.

Another new organizational chart.

Another group of leaders moved, reassigned, repositioned, or simply gone.

At some point you have to stop asking whether the problem is the people and start asking whether the problem is the leadership.

Strong leaders don't surround themselves with people who fall in line.

They surround themselves with people willing to tell them when they're wrong.

What I saw was a culture where loyalty was rewarded more than honesty.

[Sopona Eason @MrsEason1978]

https://t.co/DEITs5qekS

[Holy Bible @Holy__Bible1]

PSALM 91:11

[Cindy @asheborn57]

@JoeBrunoWSOC9 That clown has never upheld the law! Isn’t he under investigation for all sorts of things? He’s the worst sheriff of Mecklenburg County has ever had.

[justadudeinthemountains @justadudeinthe1]

@JoeBrunoWSOC9 @DHSgov time to arrest this "Sheriff"

[Sopona Eason @MrsEason1978]

https://t.co/1X4VrEcpfs

[Sopona Eason @MrsEason1978]

Mecklenburg sheriff responds to damning reports: "I will not let somebody redefine me" https://t.co/ePtU9tuFm8 . He is not a "real" man, a poor excuse as a leader, a narcissist "Sheriff." He is a wanna-be and is only relevant to himself. Get rid of him.

[Sopona Eason @MrsEason1978]

Is Charlotte becoming unsafe? We asked the top 3 local law enforcement officers https://t.co/XGIp9ClMww. McFadden is not a reliable resource. He’s part of the problem.

[Sopona Eason @MrsEason1978]

Check out The Charlotte Observer's video! #TikTok https://t.co/crmTvxhcNH

[YouVersion Bible App @YouVersion]

Philippians 4:13

[Sopona Eason @MrsEason1978]

Check out The Charlotte Observer's video! #TikTok https://t.co/mxjnae3S0h

[Sopona Eason @MrsEason1978]

@theobserver Great story!

[The Charlotte Observer @theobserver]

New allegations against Mecklenburg sheriff affirm he is no longer fit for the role | Opinion https://t.co/EgMEpqAOEC

[Sopona Eason @MrsEason1978]

Check out The Charlotte Observer's video! #TikTok https://t.co/deMXew3o1B

[Fritz Baz @TheMattBaz]

@CedarPosts @SugarFreeTaIk @SugarFreeTalk @NCSHP @NCSheriffsAssoc PEASANTS... LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT MY FAKE WATCH........ BOW TO ME, BITCHES..... I AM GARRRRRY @cmpdchief @CMPD @MeckCounty @MecklenburgEMS @MeckSheriff @MeckDems @charlottefire @CharMeckSchools

[Fritz Baz @TheMattBaz]

@SugarFreeTalk @SugarFreeTaIk @CedarPosts @elonmusk @NCSheriffsAssoc @AwareOfTheNarc @wsoctv @WBTV_News @NaomiKowles @cmpdchief
This is the BS @CMPD created..... Racist and a Narcissist. Thank GOD ALMIGHTY he's not running again!! 🙏

[Cedar Posts @CedarPosts]

Charlotte Scammers using South Carolina Temporary tags to avoid:

Insurance requirements
Safety Inspections
Property Taxes

Many don’t have valid drivers licenses and some cars are even stolen. What a mess!

[Fritz Baz @TheMattBaz]

Thank GOD Garrrry @SugarFreeTalk isn't runnin again. This PATHETIC, RACIST MFer has DESTROYED a great Agency. The HNIC is PURE SHIT. @CMPD @cmpdchief FAILED by not firing him. @NCSheriffsAssoc @wsoctv @JamieBollWBTV @CedarPosts @NaomiKowles @WBTV_News

[Sopona Eason @MrsEason1978]

@Brett_Jensen @wbtradio Can we have Garry McFadden put his hand on the Bible and tell the truth! The whole truth and nothing but the truth! Oh wait, not possible. Everything he has said that was his “idea”, has been done before. He repeats himself because he can’t answer the questions directly.

[Sopona Eason @MrsEason1978]

@Brett_Jensen @wbtradio He sounds so dumb, it is like nails on a chalkboard. He spews lies and hatred on a dally basis. He does NOT hold himself accountable. Blames everyone at MCSO for the problem and not himself. When will he stop blaming the “prior administration?” He’s been “Sheriff” for years…smh