CMS is state's No. 8 employer

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is North Carolina's eighth-largest employer,  down from seventh in 2002,  the Triangle Business Journal reports.  The 2011 list puts CMS just ahead of Wake County Schools,  even though Wake has more students.

Spokeswoman Tahira Stalberte says CMS has 18,120 employees this school year, including 8,890 full-time teachers. (Interim Superintendent Hugh Hattabaugh and former school board Chair Eric Davis have both told public groups this month that CMS has 9,300 teachers; I couldn't get an immediate explanation for the 400-teacher gain.)

Public bodies hold four of the top nine spots on the N.C. employer list, with state and federal governments in the No. 1 and 2 spots, respectively.  Charlotte's Carolinas Medical Center is fifth -- up from No. 9 on the old list.