Chalkbeat

Exit interview: Former MSCS board member calls for leadership stability

2026-09-17T21:01:43+00:00

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Amber Huett-Garcia began her term on the Memphis-Shelby County School Board four years ago during a superintendent resignation scandal and ended it last month amid threats of a state takeover of the district.

That’s left her with one key takeaway as she transitions to her new role on the Shelby County Commission: Stable leadership is the foundation for meaningful change.

“If your top position has a lot of turnover, it’s very hard to have that, I don’t want to say accountability, but it is,” Huett-Garcia said in an exclusive exit interview with Chalkbeat Tennessee. “I worked with four different visions in four years. You can’t even get through a performance cycle in that.”

Huett-Garcia took her seat as District 8 representative in 2022, right after former Superintendent Joris Ray quit amid misconduct allegations. She was one of three board members who voted against the January 2025 ousting of former Superintendent Marie Feagins.

Huett-Garcia says she’s optimistic that the current school board and Superintendent Roderick Richmond are on the right track to improving outcomes for Memphis students. But a state-appointed board of managers, currently tied up in federal court, could upend district leadership again this year by usurping power from the elected school board.

The state and MSCS leaders should collaborate more, Huett-Garcia said.

“But my line in the sand is removing elected officials’ power,” she added. “My concern with the overall plan is, where do you go from there if it doesn’t work? We want to do it all at once. But the danger in that is if it fails, how do you identify what went wrong?”

Huett-Garcia said she ran for a seat on the Shelby County Commission to influence larger systems such as public health and housing opportunities that are deeply interconnected with education.

“When I was on the school board, the number one concern wasn’t academic achievement; it was the way our buildings looked and the safety of our buildings,” she said. “And a lot of what I learned on the school board is that long-term affordable housing is our number one challenge.”

Huett-Garcia told Chalkbeat that MSCS officials and the county commission need to collaborate to better utilize and allocate physical resources. But that’s not the only way they can work together to help students and families, she said.

Editor’s Note: The following responses have been edited for length and clarity.

You mentioned that your time on the school board made you realize affordable housing is the biggest issue in Shelby County. How did you see that playing out in education?

Chronic absenteeism. Our students are highly transient. We have identified, I think, roughly 3,000 students who are experiencing homelessness, and those are the ones we know about. There are levels of homelessness that don’t get reported, like sleeping on a friend’s couch permanently is also not a permanent home, right?

So, how do we build wealth for individuals so they do have the opportunity to buy a home? I hope, and I believe the whole commission will do this: create a strategic plan. I think I knocked on 20,000 doors over the last year. The number one thing I heard was not feeling like you could get ahead. ‘I have three kids. My husband and I both work with $82,000 a year, and we live paycheck to paycheck.’ Everybody feels like everything is rising except for their income.

Do you think there are ways that the commission could be better interacting with the district and vice versa?

Absolutely. I think the biggest opportunity is, as the funding body, to look at how we can bring in additional dollars, particularly to help with the huge capital need. I think the biggest conversation that we need to have ongoing is our footprint. Shelby County is facing this too, and MSCS knows this, but we have too many buildings.

And that’s not just a brick and mortar challenge. Open teacher positions will also be significantly reduced. I’m not worried about teachers losing jobs. We have open jobs, right? But the fastest way to get to improved educational outcomes, the most significant thing you can do, is put a highly qualified teacher at the front of the classroom.

We just don’t have enough money to go around, and that infrastructure conversation and how we’re maximizing state funding, I think, should be our two priorities.

I often hear from advocates for the state takeover that local boards aren’t equipped to make school closure decisions because of political and constituent pressure. Do you think that’s true?

My last year on the board was the first time we really faced any closures and consolidations, and we made hard decisions. We put a real estate plan together and sold millions of dollars worth of land and empty buildings, and that money goes right back into additional capital.

The majority of the school district’s budget is fixed and mandated costs, and so if you can’t reduce the number of people you employ or your building footprint, you’re really not going to save meaningful money. But you’re also going to struggle to get a lot of things better for kids because it’s not just about the building — it is about what you’re able to offer and give them access to outside of curriculum.

So I felt like the board got it, and really those decisions had been delayed for years. But there comes an urgency, right? And declining enrollment is part of it.

Let’s talk about the state takeover and its role in the next iteration of the MSCS school board. Do you think there are ways the state can help the local district, outside of the current takeover model?

I think modernization of systems would be an excellent state support, looking at our internal processes, the things that were cited in the (state) audit. And a lot of that was related to turnover.

Retaining teachers and supporting teachers would require significant support from the state. Whatever survey you do, you ask high-performing teachers what matters the most, and it’s pay. It’s pay and benefits. That’s how you retain great teachers.

And we have a structure where it does not matter how good you are at your job, you do not make more money at it. There are very few other professions through which your outstanding performance is not rewarded. So how do we figure that out?

And then I do think there is a facilities component. We, in Shelby County, not just for our school system, we need a massive cash infusion from state and federal sources. It’s school buildings, it’s hospitals, it’s jails, and the math doesn’t make sense without suddenly a huge infusion of external private or public dollars.

You served on the school board through a pretty significant period of mistrust. What do you think the current board can and should do to win back the public’s trust?

I think it’s radical transparency, and I think they’re doing it. I think this is a small example, but Dr. Richmond presented on why we closed schools on Monday. And that gave the really nuanced version of all of the operational decisions that led up to that decision.

And I think something to practice after committees and business meetings is giving a recap of what happened. And you want people to have every incentive to not sit through your four-hour meeting. So give them a preview, and if they have thoughts, they can come share them. Like ‘Here’s what’s coming in committees next week. We will be voting on them the following Tuesday.’ Make it easy to engage in the process.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Should Tennessee fully fund special education pre-K programs?

2026-08-25T19:48:10+00:00

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A top committee of Tennessee educators wants lawmakers to include special education prekindergarten students in the state’s public school funding formula.

The recommendation follows pleas from school boards and superintendents who say they’ve been saddled with the price tag of an unfunded mandate because federal and state laws require local school districts to serve students with disabilities as young as 3.

“The problem is, they’ve legally compelled us to serve kids for whom they’re not proportionally funding us,” said Bob Nardo, the executive director at the Libertas School, a Memphis charter school, during a TISA Review Committee meeting this month.

Lawmakers established the committee last year. Made up of top education officials and public school leaders from around the state, the committee is tasked with recommending revisions to the state’s overarching K-12 funding formula and will issue its first report later this fall.

A survey completed this summer showed the majority of committee members ranked special education pre-K funding as a top priority, in addition to revising how the state identifies economically disadvantaged students.

“Early childhood education is widely recognized as an important factor in long-term academic success,” committee member Ron McPherson said in the summer survey. McPherson serves as the finance director at Knox County Schools.

Reworking TISA, the state’s funding formula, would require legislative action. The formula currently only funds Tennessee K-12 students.

“Change the rules about who we’re required to serve, or fund us for the kids we’re required to serve,” Nardo said, noting that his school has an “acute population” of special education students with “severe” needs.

It’s not clear how much weight the TISA Review Committee’s recommendations will carry with state lawmakers.

A previous legislative effort to fold these pre-K students into public school funding stalled in 2025, likely over funding concerns. The legislature estimated that fully funding the programs could cost the state more than $159 million annually.

On Thursday, state Board of Education Chairman Bob Eby sent a formal list of TISA recommendations to Gov. Bill Lee.

The pre-K funding recommendation wasn’t included in the official list, but Eby noted it at the end of the letter.

“This topic, being outside the K-12 formula, was omitted from the list, as it is not necessarily authorized by the statute creating this Committee; however, we wanted you to know of this high level of interest from the committee members,” Eby wrote.

West Tennessee school leaders said last year that they’ve encountered “fundamental” misunderstandings of how special education pre-K programs work and are funded, even among state officials responsible for education oversight.

Tennessee has an $18 million grant fund for special education pre-K costs. But district leaders say the grant program is less stable than recurring funding streams, and it’s still not enough to cover the costs of their special education pre-K classrooms.

“Yes, the grant program exists, and I’m very grateful for it,” Nardo said. “But it’s not actually proportional to the need.”

Special education costs for pre-K classes can balloon quickly, school leaders say.

Lakeland School System in Shelby County currently has 29 special education students to whom it is federally required to offer pre-K services, including specialized teachers and therapies.

But these students must also be educated alongside general education peers to meet federal and state class size and inclusivity regulations. Lakeland is serving an additional 30 general education students in those pre-K classrooms as peer models for its 29 special education students.

Lakeland’s 59 students are spread across four classrooms, each with a special education teacher and two special education assistants.

The cost to run those classrooms? More than $621,000, according to data provided by the district. The district is receiving $15,058 in federal funding and another $124,660 from the Tennessee special education preschool grant, which together cover about 22% of Lakeland’s total costs.

That means Lakeland must dip into its TISA funding — calculated and intended for K-12 students — to pay the remaining $481,282.

Other district officials said the existing funding models do not factor in the costs of peer students and the enrollment increases they bring.

“That’s where we’re getting in a bind,” said TISA Review Committee member Eddie Pruett, the director of schools at Gibson County Special School District. “We have to provide this, and don’t have the funding we need to do it with.”

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Frey, Harris elected to Memphis-Shelby County school board

2026-08-07T03:11:27+00:00

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Memphis voters have elected longtime lawyer Tanya Frey and anti-violence program leader T.L. Harris to serve on the Memphis-Shelby County school board, according to unofficial results from the August 6 election.

In the district’s first partisan school board election, Harris and Frey ran as Democrats in the Districts 6 and 8 races against independent challengers. Two Democratic incumbents — Michelle McKissack in District 1 and Joyce Dorse Coleman in District 9 — ran unopposed.

No Republicans were on the ballot.

New board members take office on Sept. 1 and will inherit a significant legal battle over control of the district. The local officers could be constrained by a nine-member oversight board that Tennessee Republicans appointed under a state takeover law passed this spring.

The state-appointed board is temporarily blocked by a federal court order pending a decision on a Memphis-Shelby County Schools lawsuit challenging the takeover law as unconstitutional.

If reinstated by the court, oversight board members would have final approval over MSCS budgets and vendor contracts. They could also choose a new superintendent and close local schools.

Harris won the District 6 Democratic primary in the spring by fewer than 200 votes. He’s lived in the Whitehaven neighborhood for more than 30 years and spent three years leading community centers for the Memphis Gun Down summer program.

Harris pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge in 2006 while working as a Memphis police officer. He served time in federal prison and later had his voting rights, and right to hold public office, restored. Harris said that background makes him more able to connect with local youth facing poverty and other hardships. Chalkbeat was unable to confirm his current place of employment.

Harris said literacy is the most important issue for the MSCS board to address, with less than a third of Memphis students passing state reading tests.

He will replace District 6 incumbent Keith Williams on the board.

Frey runs Terra Firma Consulting, an organization that advises nonprofits on leadership decisions. She worked as a lawyer for 21 years for companies including Autozone and ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

She said she’ll be focused on improving board governance during a year when the district has to respond to state audit findings that revealed ineffective operations and potential spending abuse.

Frey will replace current board member Amber Huett-Garcia, who was elected on Thursday to serve on the Shelby County Commission.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis school board election comes as legal battle continues over state takeover

2026-07-17T10:00:00+00:00

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Early voting is underway for the Memphis-Shelby County election that will seat two new local school board members as the legal battle over district control continues.

Voters will head to the polls on Aug. 6. Two incumbents, Michelle McKissack in District 1 and Joyce Dorse Coleman in District 9, are running unopposed after winning the Democratic nomination in MSCS’ first partisan school board primary in May.

But the Democratic nominees for the District 6 and District 8 seats, T.L. Harris and Tanya Frey, will each face an independent challenger. Local pastor and former teacher Frederick Tappan is running against Harris, and MSCS librarian Leigh Ann Scarbrough will face Frey.

Harris, who led a youth violence prevention program for three years, beat four other Democratic candidates by fewer than 200 votes. He was convicted on a felony drug charge 20 years ago while employed as a Memphis police officer. Frey, a longtime Memphis lawyer, won her race against one other candidate by a wide margin.

It’s unclear what the newly elected members’ role will look like after they assume office on Sept. 1. The state takeover law passed this spring by Nashville Republicans authorizes a new oversight board to seize control of key district decisions, including approval of the budget and school closures.

A federal judge temporarily blocked the state-appointed board two weeks ago, an early win for MSCS and Shelby County leaders who are suing over the takeover law. But earlier this week, Tennessee officials filed a request to lift that block, challenging the district’s claims of unconstitutionality.

As the lawsuit plays out in court, find out which local school board district will appear on your ballot, and learn about candidates’ stances on key issues below. Early voting ends on Aug. 1.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis schools takeover blocked by judge in temporary order

2026-07-01T17:30:43+00:00

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A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Memphis school takeover board’s authority after school officials said it could delay the start of the school year or even force building closures as the district prepares to welcome students back to class in less than five weeks.

Memphis-Shelby County school board members and local officials asked a federal judge Tuesday to temporarily halt the oversight board or, at minimum, block its power to disrupt contract payments and fire top district officials ahead of the 2026-27 school year, which begins Aug. 3.

Hours later, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw Jr. granted the temporary restraining order, ordering the state and MSCS to “maintain the STATUS QUO before” the new takeover law took effect. The temporary order is an early win for the district and Shelby County officials, who sued over the new oversight board last month.

Under the takeover law, the oversight board – which took control July 1 – must approve every purchase over $50,000. Previous district policy allowed the superintendent or a designated deputy to approve contracts under $100,000, while school board approval was needed for larger contracts.

The new oversight board control could significantly hinder MSCS’ ability to respond quickly to start-of-school emergencies, including HVAC failures, creating “immediate operational deadlock” during one of the district’s busiest times of year, the district alleged in Tuesday’s court filing.

“School cannot be conducted in buildings that do not have functioning air conditioning,” the court filing says. “A lapse of up to three weeks while these expenses are submitted to and approved by the Oversight Board will be detrimental to student instruction.”

Oversight Board Chair Billy Orgel told Chalkbeat that the board’s full meeting set for this afternoon is cancelled, delaying votes on an executive director contract and initial steps for the board’s expected assessment of MSCS operations. The takeover’s board work will now be paused indefinitely pending a full federal court hearing, which has not yet been set.

The nine-member oversight board of political appointees has sweeping authority over the state’s largest school district, but the board was formed with no existing infrastructure to support its new work just weeks before a new school year.

The board has yet to meet in Memphis. It held its first meeting in June in a Nashville conference room at the state Capitol and was in the process of hiring staff and legal counsel when the temporary restraining order was issued.

In their Tuesday court filing, MSCS leaders argued the lack of infrastructure leaves the district without a clear process for obtaining timely contract and purchase approvals needed to keep the school year on schedule. With classes beginning in about a month, they wrote, “there has not even been the suggestion of a plan for such a process.”

That leaves the district without a designated point of contact for emergency purchases, according to the court filing. District leaders argued the oversight board could backlog contracts the school board approved Monday night that are essential to district operations, including school bus transportation services and online information systems.

“Based on my experiences in prior years, the School District’s inability to respond efficiently to HVAC outages or other emergencies will likely require school closures or interrupt instruction at the start of the school year,” Tito Langston, the district’s chief academic officer, said in an affidavit filed Tuesday.

The oversight board also has the ability to veto MSCS’ proposed budget, which totals more than $1.7 billion and includes bonuses for veteran teachers and facilities costs. The budget has not yet been approved by the Shelby County Commission, so it’s unclear whether the board could stop it from being adopted.

This story has been updated to include information about a cancelled state board meeting.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools sue Tennessee over state takeover

2026-06-19T13:05:57+00:00

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Memphis-Shelby County school leaders are suing top Tennessee Republicans in an effort to stop a new takeover law from diverting power away from the locally elected school board to a new board of political appointees.

The district, alongside the Shelby County Commission and all nine individual MSCS board members, filed a lawsuit in federal court late Thursday night – hours after the Republican-appointed oversight board met for the first time in Nashville.

Gov. Bill Lee, who’s named directly in the lawsuit, signed the takeover legislation into law in late May.

“Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed, and throughout the Lee Administration, we’ve made significant investments to ensure students in Shelby County receive a quality education,” a Lee spokesperson said Friday. “Gov. Lee remains committed to strengthening outcomes and expanding pathways to success for students and families.”

With the law in effect, top Republican lawmakers appointed a nine-member oversight board that will seize control of key district decisions. That intervention “dismantles” local education systems and strips the county government of its authority to approve school budgets, MSCS argues in the lawsuit.

It also violates the Fourteenth Amendment and the Tennessee Constitution, according to the new filing. Local leaders are seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the takeover board from making any decisions once their term starts in less than two weeks.

“Once the Oversight Board is constituted and acts, the consequences cannot be undone,” the lawsuit says. “The democratic right of Shelby County’s voters to elect representatives who actually govern cannot be restored through damages or retrospective relief.”

House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, who chose the other four oversight board members, are also named in the lawsuit, alongside the state education commissioner.

Board members and local residents have criticized the MSCS takeover for usurping power from the local school board elected by Memphis voters. The new oversight board will have final say over superintendent and staff contracts, along with MSCS’ annual budget.

The local board approved a $1.7 billion budget draft in late May, but it’s unclear whether that will be subjected to the oversight board’s intervention. The new oversight board plans to meet again in less than three weeks, and they’re waiting for full results from a billion-dollar forensic audit that may guide their initial decisions in the district.

Not all Memphians are opposed to the state takeover. Intervention advocates cite years of academic underperformance and leadership instability in the district, which some say came to head after the local school board suddenly fired former Superintendent Marie Feagins in January 2025.

MSCS has had four superintendents in the past five years. And while the district has earned the highest score in state measures of student growth for the past four years, over 75% of Memphis students failed to achieve proficiency in reading and math last year.

Some community members told Chalkbeat they are doubtful a lawsuit will succeed in reversing the takeover legislation, a sentiment echoed by GOP lawmakers who sponsored the effort. The Shelby County Commission will front the cost of the lawsuit because of a law passed in late April that prevents the school district from funding a lawsuit against state accountability measures.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Former Memphis-Shelby County school board chair will lead new oversight board

2026-06-18T17:41:40+00:00

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Former Memphis-Shelby County school board chair Billy Orgel will chair the new Memphis schools oversight board as it prepares to take over most major decisions from the locally elected school board.

The oversight board met for the first time at the state Capitol in Nashville on Thursday to elect officers and form standing committees. The board’s work officially begins on July 1, marking a new era in Tennessee public education where political appointees will control budgets, leadership, and broad academic controls in certain underperforming school districts.

Orgel said Thursday the new oversight board can demand change from the school system, which “will have to answer to us.”

“We answer to the students of this community and our responsibility to them,” Orgel, who served on the MSCS board between 2011 and 2022, said.

Memphis, the state’s largest school district, will now operate under two governing bodies, the new oversight board and the existing, elected school board. But the oversight board has the authority to essentially overrule the elected board on most major decisions, in addition to exerting control over the superintendent’s contract and other staffing decisions.

Though the first meeting was largely procedural, Orgel signaled the board may consider accelerating school closures in the district, noting underenrolled schools are limited at what they can offer their students.

Current Superintendent Roderick Richmond has spearheaded an ongoing plan to close 15 schools by 2028.

“That’ll be up to us to decide if that’s quick enough,” Orgel said.

Richmond’s plan is a more conservative approach to underenrollment and languishing facilities issues than some district leaders, including new oversight board member Dorsey Hopson, have recommended. Hopson, who served as superintendent of the district while Orgel was on the school board, recommended the district close almost 30 schools. That plan was never implemented after Hopson left the district.

Two recent state takeovers in Texas, which Tennessee proponents have often said they want to use as models for MSCS, led to early school closures.

The new board will soon have a comprehensive plan to make needed changes in the district, according to Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower. The Tennessee-funded external audit of district finances and governance is nearly finished, Mumpower said Thursday, and he expects the full 700-page audit to be released in the coming weeks.

Mumpower and Republican lawmakers released interim findings this spring from the ongoing audit, in part to accelerate the pending state legislation that established the new oversight board.

The audit, which was only 25% complete when the interim results were released in April, found more than $1.1 million in contract and payroll transactions that auditors say are “consistent with waste or abuse.” Another $1.7 million in transactions violated district policies but did not rise to the level of waste or abuse, according to the comptroller’s office.

That total is less than 1% of the Memphis district’s operating budget over the three-year period the audit covered.

A lingering question for the new oversight board is whether it is considered a state board or a local board, which will affect certain rules around meetings. State officials did not have an answer at Thursday’s meeting, though it mirrored a state board meeting in a Tennessee Capitol conference room.

Supporters of the new board, including Lee and other Republican lawmakers, have argued the new board represents local intervention into the state’s largest school system. All but one of the new board members are longtime Memphis residents, and at least four members have teaching or administrative experience within the school system.

The oversight board members can be removed from the board at any time, for any reason, by the governor and two legislative speakers. The governor and lieutenant governor are both leaving office next year.

The board committed to holding future meetings in Memphis, making them more accessible to MSCS families. It is eyeing July 7 as the next meeting date, though the board has several large administrative tasks to tackle to become fully operational.

The board has the authority to hold its meetings in the MSCS district office building. Nisha Powers, who was named the board secretary, questioned if it was “appropriate” to begin meetings on district property, a nod at potential tensions between the new board and an elected school board that has vowed to sue over the takeover.

Still, the new oversight board was applauded on Thursday by several community groups including parent advocacy organization Memphis Lift .

“Y’all are going to have to get rid of some folks, point blank,” Memphis Lift Executive Director Sarah Carpenter said. “Y’all need to know the community is going to cover y’all.”

The new oversight board members are:

Chair Billy Orgel, a local developer and former Memphis-Shelby County school board member.
Vice-Chair Shanea McKinney of Cigna, who is a member of the University of Tennessee’s board of trustees.
Secretary Nisha Powers, who leads a Memphis civil engineering firm and has served on the Tennessee board of regents.
Dorsey Hopson, a former district superintendent.
Dedrick Brittenum Jr., a Memphis lawyer and former councilman.
Beverly Robertson, a marketing executive and former president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce.
Tyrone Burroughs, a Memphis CEO who sits on the Tennessee Lottery Commission and the Youth Villages board of directors.
David Mansouri, the sole board member who is not a Shelby County resident. Mansouri is the Nashville-based leader of one of Tennessee’s most influential education advocacy organizations.
Karen Vogelsang, a former Memphis teacher and 2014 Tennessee Teacher of the Year who now runs a literacy nonprofit.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Former Teacher of the Year tapped for Memphis schools takeover board ahead of first meeting

2026-06-16T20:15:11+00:00

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Former Tennessee Teacher of the Year Karen Vogelsang was appointed Tuesday to the final seat on the incoming Memphis schools oversight board, which will soon wield sweeping authority over the state’s largest school district for the next four years.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton selected Vogelsang, a former mortgage banker turned educator, two days before the board is scheduled to hold its first meeting Thursday.

Vogelsang received the state’s top teacher honor in 2014, when she was teaching at Keystone Elementary School. She taught in Memphis-Shelby County elementary schools for 15 years, ending her tenure in 2018.

“The first time I had the opportunity to teach it was electrifying; I knew then I had made the right decision to become a teacher,” Vogelsang told Chalkbeat in 2015.

She now works as a self-employed early childhood literacy consultant and served as director of the Memphis tutoring nonprofit ARISE2Read in 2024.

Vogelsang is the third appointee to the board that has direct experience working with Memphis-Shelby County Schools in the classroom or at the administrative level.

The nine-member board, appointed by the state’s top Republican lawmakers, will soon take decision-making power from the locally elected school board on district issues ranging from the superintendent’s contract and overall budget to curriculum decisions.

The oversight board also includes:

Billy Orgel, a local developer and former Memphis-Shelby County school board member.
Dorsey Hopson, a former district superintendent.
Dedrick Brittenum Jr., a Memphis lawyer and former councilman.
Shanea McKinney of Cigna, who is a member of the University of Tennessee’s board of trustees.
Nisha Powers, who leads a Memphis civil engineering firm and has served on the Tennessee board of regents.
Beverly Robertson, a marketing executive and former president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce.
Tyrone Burroughs, a Memphis CEO who sits on the Tennessee Lottery Commission and the Youth Villages board of directors.
David Mansouri, the sole board member who is not a Shelby County resident. Mansouri is the Nashville-based leader of one of Tennessee’s most influential education advocacy organizations.

All but one of the appointees live in Shelby County, as required under the law Tennessee General Assembly Republicans passed this year creating oversight boards for districts with academic performance and administrative issues.

Republican supporters of the plan have argued it is not a state takeover of the local school district because most of the board’s members are local residents. Still, lawmakers have repeatedly pointed to Houston’s state takeover as a model for Memphis.

The Memphis-Shelby County school board earlier this year vowed to sue the state over the effort. Opponents argue the General Assembly has unfairly targeted Memphis by seizing authority from local elected leaders to give to political appointees.

Republican lawmakers say they hope to solve Memphis’ low academic achievement with the takeover. Last year, over 75% of Memphis students failed to achieve proficiency in reading and math, though the district earned high marks in academic growth, a measure of improvement over time.

One of the oversight board’s first responsibilities will be conducting a comprehensive assessment of MSCS staff, students, and buildings to develop a transformation plan. It’s unclear whether the new board will have any control over the 2026-27 budget, which has been approved by the school board but has not been finalized by the Shelby County Commission.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Federal lawsuit over Tennessee religious charter school ban will move forward

2026-06-11T19:33:07+00:00

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A Tennessee lawsuit challenging the Knox County Board of Education over the state’s religious charter school ban is heading to trial after a federal judge denied the board’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

The Wilberforce Academy of Knoxville sued the school board last year after the local district asked it to affirm it planned to open a non-religious school, per state law.

In federal court filings, the school board argued Wilberforce never actually submitted a charter school application, nor has it targeted state officials in its lawsuit, despite the school board following state law enforced by the Tennessee Department of Education. The board had asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit entirely.

But U.S. District Judge Charles E. Atchley, Jr. in late May ruled Wilberforce didn’t have to submit an actual application to challenge an “allegedly unconstitutional barrier” to applying.

Neither party has commented on the lawsuit.

Tennessee officials have left the Knox County board on its own to defend the state law, which Atchley noted in his May opinion.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti declined to intervene in the lawsuit earlier this year, months after he published a legal opinion that argued there was “no compelling interest” in excluding religious charter schools from participating in a “public benefit.”

Skrmetti’s office is also currently paying Wilberforce’s main attorney $400 per hour in a separate case to help Tennessee defend its criminal abortion ban against ongoing legal challenges.

The legal fight over religious charter schools in Tennessee – and the lack thereof from state officials – signal major changes may be on the horizon for the state’s charter landscape.

This spring, lawmakers signed off on a new state law that now allows religious colleges and universities to operate public charter schools. Though the new law currently blocks those institutions from providing religious curriculum in their charter schools, it opens the door to a new class of charter operators in the state that could quickly stand up religious charters if the state’s religious charter ban law were to fall.

And now public dollars are flowing to private religious schools through Tennessee’s voucher program, which is paying millions in private school tuition.

In its lawsuit, Wilberforce focuses in part on this program, arguing the public education funds now funding private religious tuition support the case that religious charters should be included in public funding.

“This enshrined hostility to religious charter schools stands in marked contrast to Tennessee’s recent support of religious schools through its Education Freedom Scholarship Program,” a Wilberforce attorney argued in court documents last year.

A full trial on the lawsuit is scheduled for January 2027, and a group of Tennessee parents and non-religious charter school officials have also intervened in the lawsuit to oppose Wilberforce’s claims.

They have argued opening the door to religious charter schools will result in charter schools being “classified and treated as private schools,” which could effect on things like Tennessee’s public school funding formula and disability protections.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Are more Memphis school closures on the horizon? The state takeover could mean yes.

2026-06-09T19:53:00+00:00

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The state takeover of Memphis schools could lead to more school closures as seen in other seized local districts Tennessee lawmakers are using as a blueprint.

A state-appointed board of managers is set to take control of key decisions for Memphis-Shelby County Schools in the coming weeks. Its members include a former MSCS superintendent who introduced a plan to close almost 30 schools during his tenure that never came to fruition.

School closures have also been an early move for state-selected leadership in Houston and Fort Worth, the sites of two recent state takeovers that Tennessee proponents have often said they want to use as models for MSCS.

The Houston oversight board voted to close 12 schools this summer. And only two weeks after Fort Worth Independent Schools received a letter announcing its takeover last May, the new board voted to shutter 14 schools over the next four years. Seven are set to close by the end of the month.

Both Texas school districts are facing declining enrollment and aging school buildings, issues that MSCS leaders have also zeroed in on this year. Fort Worth has lost over 13,000 students since 2019. MSCS enrollment dropped by 10,000 students in the past decade.

That’s why Mark Sturgis, a longtime Memphis education advocate who leads the nonprofit Seeding Success, said closing schools should be one of the oversight board’s top priorities. He said “seismic” enrollment drops and challenges with high-quality teacher recruitment mean MSCS buildings are often underresourced.

“You have a system that has 200 district-run schools and 95,000 kids. I mean, the math is pointing out that there is a structural challenge there,” Sturgis said. “As you move resources from a school that’s underenrolled and underutilized and you concentrate that, you can actually offer families a really good option when they do transfer.”

MSCS leaders have already started that work. In February, the local board approved Superintendent Roderick Richmond’s plan to close five schools at the end of this school year. Richmond plans to close up to 10 more in the next two years.

Those decisions were met with some backlash from Memphis families and educators, which caused the district to transfer one neighborhood school into a different building last month. But district leaders argue there’s no way to sustain buildings with dwindling enrollment numbers and high facility costs totaling over $1.6 billion districtwide.

Dorsey Hopson, who will take a seat on the new MSCS oversight board, rang the alarm on those issues during his tenure as superintendent from 2013 to 2019. During those six years, Hopson closed 17 schools.

He also presented a plan to close 28 more the month before he stepped down as the district leader for a job at insurance giant Cigna. More than two-thirds of those schools are still open today.

“It’s no secret. We have too many schools,” Hopson told Chalkbeat in 2018. “We just have too many schools whether it’s Shelby County, ASD, charter schools.”

Hopson said then that his main driver for school closures was academics, targeting schools that have failed to reach sufficient proficiency levels. But Chalkbeat found that low enrollment was the common denominator between schools historically shuttered in MSCS, with most of those also falling on the state list of lowest-performing schools.

Hopson did not respond to Chalkbeat’s requests for comment about whether he would bring back plans to shut down dozens of buildings. But Sturgis said the oversight board has the capacity to handle large-scale projects like widespread school closures, unlike the local district. And it’s free from the political pressure of an elected board that often stifles school closure plans.

“We know where a lot of these schools are — it’s where population density is dropping and it’s usually concentrated in a couple board members’ districts,” he said. “It must not feel good if you’re the elected representative to close 10 schools in your neighborhood.”

Domingo Morel, who studies school district takeovers at New York University, said the oversight board is still influenced by politics. But instead of catering to what local voters want, state board members are beholden to the people that appointed them — in this case, top Tennessee Republicans.

“All of these things that communities don’t want, the takeover is going to do,” Morel told Chalkbeat. “And you can impose these decisions on the community without any, at least immediate, repercussions, because the community doesn’t have the ability to vote.”

Recent research shows that state takeovers can also contribute to dropping district enrollment. Houston Independent School District was already experiencing declines before the takeover, but those losses have increased since the 2022-2023 school year, according to a University of Houston report.

Sturgis said he hopes the oversight board spends its first year developing a robust closure plan that includes insight from district and local government leadership. That should also include plans for revitalizing shutdown school buildings, he said, and focusing resources on students who need support most.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Tennessee SCORE president to join Memphis schools oversight board

2026-05-26T20:48:19+00:00

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The Nashville-based leader of one of Tennessee’s most influential education advocacy organizations will soon have a significant role in guiding the state’s largest school district.

David Mansouri, president and chief executive at Tennessee SCORE, has been appointed to the new nine-person oversight board that will seize control of Memphis-Shelby County Schools in a state-led takeover.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton appointed Mansouri to the board on Tuesday, one of the speaker’s two appointees on the board. Sexton has not announced his final pick.

Mansouri will be the only member of the new board who is not a Shelby County resident after Sexton negotiated for the opportunity to appoint a non-resident when Republicans passed the takeover legislation earlier this spring.

“This is an opportunity to take a comprehensive look at the public education system and make certain it delivers what every student and family in Memphis deserves: a world-class education, strong outcomes, and a clear path to success,” Mansouri said in a statement to Chalkbeat.

He joined SCORE soon after it was founded by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist in 2009. The organization has significant influence with policy makers and is often credited for producing a roadmap for school improvement when Tennessee schools ranked among the worst in the nation.

The top elected Republicans in the state are appointing the new oversight board, which will control key district decisions for the next four years. Both Gov. Bill Lee and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally announced their appointments in recent days.

The oversight board also includes:

Billy Orgel, a local developer and former Memphis-Shelby County school board member.
Dedrick Brittenum Jr., a Memphis lawyer and former councilman.
Shanea McKinney of Cigna, who is a member of the University of Tennessee’s board of trustees.
Nisha Powers, who leads a Memphis civil engineering firm and has served on the Tennessee board of regents.
Beverly Robertson, a marketing executive and former president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce.
Tyrone Burroughs, a Memphis CEO who sits on the Tennessee Lottery Commission and the Youth Villages board of directors.

Under the state takeover bill signed into law last week by Lee, the GOP-appointed board will have final say over MSCS’ budget and contracts over $50,000, as well as the hiring and firing of the superintendent.

The school board has signaled it may sue over the politically appointed takeover board, which will significantly dilute the authority of the locally elected board.

Republican lawmakers have argued the oversight board does not amount to a state takeover of Tennessee’s largest school district, because the majority of the board will be local residents. However, the political appointees will serve at-will terms and can be removed and replaced at any time, for any reason.

Lawmakers frequently pointed to a state takeover of Houston schools as a model for Memphis success.

Bill sponsors hope to solve Memphis’ low academic achievement with the takeover. Last year, over 75% of Memphis students failed to achieve proficiency in reading and math.

Still, the district earned the highest possible score in academic growth, or student improvement on state tests, for the fourth year in a row.

One of the first responsibilities of the oversight board will be to conduct a comprehensive assessment of MSCS staff, students, and buildings to make a “transformation plan.” It’s unclear whether the new board will have any control over the 2026-27 budget, which is set for a final vote from the elected school board on Tuesday night.

The oversight board can direct or prohibit the superintendent to take any action and can fire the school leader with cause if they refuse. It can require the same of local board members and act on behalf of the MSCS board if they refuse to follow instructions.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Former Memphis school board member, local lawyer tapped for new schools oversight board

2026-05-26T16:36:27+00:00

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Former Memphis-Shelby County school board member and local businessman Billy Orgel has been appointed to the nine-person oversight board that will seize control of Memphis-Shelby County Schools in a state-led takeover.

On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally appointed Orgel and Memphis attorney Dedrick Brittenum, Jr. to the board, joining five appointments Gov. Bill Lee made last week. Their official appointment letters state their terms on the board begin immediately.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton will make the two remaining appointments.

Orgel, the president and CEO of Tower Ventures, began serving on the newly merged Memphis-Shelby County school board in 2011, at one time chairing it. He held the East Memphis District 8 seat for more than a decade before deciding not to seek reelection in 2022.

Orgel’s time on the board overlapped with the tenure of then-Superintendent Dorsey Hopson. The governor appointed Hopson, who served as Memphis superintendent from 2013 to early 2019, last week to serve on the board. Hopson is a partner at the City Fund, an organization founded in 2018 to promote the portfolio model of running schools that promotes school choice and charter school expansion.

Brittenum has been a Memphis business and property lawyer for decades and opened his private practice in 2012. He served as the District 4 representative on the Memphis City Council from 2005-2007 and led the Memphis Light, Gas and Water board of commissioners in 2012. He was also the chair of Memphis’ Civil Service Commission.

The governor’s other four appointees are Shanea McKinney of Cigna, who is a member of the University of Tennessee’s board of trustees; Nisha Powers, who leads a Memphis civil engineering firm and has served on the Tennessee board of regents; Beverly Robertson, a marketing executive and former president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce; and Tyrone Burroughs, a Memphis CEO who sits on the Tennessee Lottery Commission and the Youth Villages board of directors.

Those oversight board members will control key district decisions until June 2030, when their terms are set to expire. Under the state takeover bill signed into law last week by Gov. Bill Lee, the GOP-appointed board will have final say over MSCS’ budget and contracts over $50,000, as well as the hiring and firing of the superintendent.

The school board has signaled it may sue over the politically appointed takeover board. But Rep. Mark White, a Republican from Memphis who sponsored the takeover bill, said he’s confident that legal action will fail.

The state-appointed board can also fire any MSCS employee with or without cause, including tenured teachers and principals, without giving them proper due process.

The oversight board appointments come as Memphis voters are in the middle of a local board election, with incumbents Michelle McKissack and Joyce Dorse-Coleman winning their seats in a May 5 primary. The Democratic nominees for Districts 6 and 8, T.L. Harris and Tanya Frey respectively, will face an independent challenger in an Aug. 6 general election. Their terms begin Sept. 1.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Gov. Bill Lee taps former superintendent, UT trustee for Memphis schools takeover board

2026-05-22T18:14:33+00:00

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Gov. Bill Lee announced his five appointees for a new Memphis schools oversight board that will have sweeping authority over Tennessee’s largest school district for the next four years.

The choices came on Friday just after Lee signed the oversight board legislation into law, which authorizes the governor and the top two Republicans in the General Assembly to appoint the nine-person board.

The governor’s appointees include at least one member with intimate knowledge of the district’s inner workings: Dorsey Hopson, who served as Memphis superintendent from 2013 to early 2019. Hopson is now a partner at the City Fund, an organization founded in 2018 to promote the portfolio model of running schools that promotes school choice and charter school expansion.

The other four appointees are Shanea McKinney of Cigna, who is a member of the University of Tennessee’s board of trustees; Nisha Powers, who leads a Memphis civil engineering firm and has served on the Tennessee board of regents; Beverly Robertson, a marketing executive and former president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce; and Tyrone Burroughs, a Memphis CEO who sits on the Tennessee Lottery Commission and the Youth Villages board of directors.

The board will have nearly unlimited power to dive into district records, from teacher evaluations to curriculum reviews. It also will control the district’s largest financial decisions, the operating budget, and superintendent’s contract. Its power even extends to the Shelby County Commission, which will be blocked from approving the MSCS annual budget until the oversight board gives its approval.

The oversight board must begin its work by July 1, per the new law. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, both Republicans, get two picks each in addition to Lee’s appointments.

A spokesperson for McNally said he planned to make his appointments in “the very near future.”

Eight of the nine oversight board members must be Shelby County residents under the law. However, Sexton negotiated an arrangement that the House speaker can appoint one oversight board member who does not reside in Shelby County, as long as they live in the state. Political leaders can remove and rename board members at any time, for any reason.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Tennessee governor signs Memphis schools takeover into law

2026-05-22T15:58:09+00:00

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Gov. Bill Lee has signed legislation that will give political appointees sweeping authority over Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

The new law is an unprecedented effort to seize local control of Tennessee’s largest public school district through a nine-person oversight board appointed by the state’s top three Republicans, including the governor.

Lee announced his appointments shortly after signing the legislation, tapping five Shelby County residents, many of whom already sit on Tennessee governing boards.

The governor’s appointees include at least one member with intimate knowledge of the district’s inner workings: Dorsey Hopson, who served as Memphis superintendent from 2013 to early 2019.

The takeover effort now goes into effect just weeks after Memphis voters cast their ballots in the 2026 school board primary, an election for four contested board seats that now have significantly less power. And expected legal challenges to the takeover will also collide with another Republican supermajority effort to seize Tennessee’s last Democratic congressional district through a controversial redistricting measure that now significantly dilutes Memphians’ voting power.

The takeover oversight board has been tasked with conducting a comprehensive review of the district’s academic challenges. Republican supporters of the takeover have argued that progress is unacceptably stagnant after years of academic underperformance in the district that serves more than 100,000 students.

Last year, more than 75% of Memphis students failed to achieve proficiency in reading and math based on state standardized tests. However, Memphis schools earned the highest possible score in academic growth, or student improvement on state tests, for the fourth year in a row.

Opponents of the takeover have pointed to systemic socioeconomic issues in Shelby County as an inextricable factor in MSCS academic performance. Democrats have also argued the district has been harmed by the whiplash of state-imposed policies over the years, such as the failed Achievement School District, a previous state takeover of Memphis’ lowest performing schools.

The new oversight board will have nearly unlimited power to dive into district records, from teacher evaluations to curriculum reviews. It also will control the district’s largest financial decisions, the operating budget, and superintendent’s contract. Its power even extends to the Shelby County Commission, which will be blocked from approving the MSCS annual budget until the oversight board gives its approval.

The effective takeover of the district comes amid increasing tensions between Tennessee Republicans, a majority-white party with supermajority power in the state, and local leaders in Memphis, a longtime Democratic stronghold with a majority-Black population. Last year, Republicans imposed a state and federal law enforcement surge because of immigration and crime concerns, and GOP lawmakers in May rushed to split the county’s congressional district to better favor Republican candidates.

A Memphis school board member in April called the oversight law “racist” as Tennessee Republicans, all of whom are white, will seize control from the locally elected school board, the majority of whom are Black. Memphis parents have expressed concern about funding and support for a predominantly Black school district.

The school board is considering its legal options to challenge the takeover and a companion law that effectively blocks them from using district funds to pay for legal action.

Not all Memphians are opposed to an oversight board after years of academic underperformance and leadership instability, which some say came to head after the local school board suddenly fired former Superintendent Marie Feagins in January 2025. There have been four MSCS superintendents in the last five years.

The school board last month finalized a permanent contract for then-interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond, potentially saddling the district with a nearly half-million dollar payout if he is fired without cause, often a first step in district takeovers.

But the oversight board law may provide the new board a loophole to avoid a payout. The oversight board can fire MSCS’ superintendent and appoint a new one with up to a four-year contract if they find any example of him contributing to “deficiencies in the management, accounting, or internal controls” of the district.

Per the new law, the oversight board must begin its work by July 1. The governor will appoint five board members, the majority of the board. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, both Republicans, will get two picks each.

A spokesperson for McNally said he planned to make his appointments in “the very near future.”

Under the law, political leaders can remove and rename board members at any time, for any reason.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

As Memphis schools takeover looms, city faces further voting power struggle

2026-05-08T21:52:33+00:00

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The Tennessee supermajority’s redrawing of its Congressional districts to siphon Memphis Democrats into Republican seats came days before the Memphis-Shelby County school system takeover is expected to be signed into law. It’s an unprecedented confluence that could dilute the voting power of Tennessee’s largest majority-Black city.

This week, Memphis Democrats decried an onslaught of Republican measures they say are aimed at Black Memphians, who will see their locally elected school board neutered by GOP political appointees just as they lose a Memphis-centered Congressional district aimed at protecting minority voting power.

Senate Democratic Caucus Chair London Lamar, a Memphis Democrat, called the sweeping effort “an absolute power grab.”

“You didn’t like our school board, you took that over,” Lamar said Thursday prior to the redistricting vote. “You didn’t like our airport authority. You took that over. And now, you don’t like the way Memphis votes. You’re going to take that away from us, too. You cannot claim local control while stripping Memphis voters from meaningful representation. You cannot claim to respect democracy while changing the rules.”

Now, one of the main architects of the Memphis-Shelby County schools takeover wants to capitalize on the redistricting effort.

Sen. Brent Taylor, the Memphis Republican who sponsored the Senate version of the takeover, announced Thursday he would run in the redrawn 9th Congressional District just minutes after the redistricting effort was signed into law. Taylor and other Republicans have denied the effort was tied to Memphis’ racial makeup but say they’re now able to further consolidate Republican power in Tennessee due to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

“This is about allowing Tennessee to maximize its partisan advantage,” said Sen. John Stevens, a Republican from Huntingdon, in a Senate debate this week.

Taylor’s partner in the schools takeover, Memphis Republican Rep. Mark White, was one of the few Republicans who did not support the redistricting effort. White opted to not cast a vote in favor or against the measure alongside a handful of other Republicans who serve in more competitive districts in Shelby and Knox counties.

The state takeover legislation awaits Gov. Bill Lee’s signature to become law.

The law would shift control of the state’s largest public school district to a nine-person oversight board appointed by Tennessee’s top three Republicans, including the governor. The new board will diminish the authority of the local school board, which is in the middle of an election cycle that drew the largest voter turnout in over two decades for county-wide May 5 primary elections.

Takeover advocates argue years of academic underperformance and district management drama necessitated the intervention, which accelerated after the school board in 2025 quickly fired a new superintendent.

It also follows years of rising tensions between Tennessee Republicans, a majority-white party with supermajority power, and local leaders in Memphis, a longtime Democratic stronghold with a majority-Black population. Last year, Republicans imposed a state and federal law enforcement surge because of immigration and crime concerns.

The Republican supermajority has given the oversight board nearly unlimited power to dive into district records, from teacher evaluations to curriculum reviews, and control the district’s largest financial decisions.

It will also have final say over the district’s operating budget and superintendent contract. Its power even extends in part to the Shelby County Commission, the county’s local governing body, which will be blocked from signing off on the MSCS annual budget until the oversight board gives its approval.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Tennessee Republicans vote to take over Memphis-Shelby County schools

2026-04-23T00:13:59+00:00

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Tennessee Republicans have passed an unprecedented intervention of the Memphis-Shelby County school system that gives political appointees sweeping authority over the locally elected school board and the state’s largest school district.

The appointed oversight board will have four years to address what Republicans argue is untenable academic underperformance and administrative instability in the district, which serves more than 100,000 students.

The new law gives the oversight board, which could be appointed at any time and must convene for the first time before July, broad latitude to set performance metrics for the district. It could also control everything from firing and hiring a superintendent to textbooks and classroom curriculum. The new body would have final say over the district’s $1.7 billion budget and major decisions like school closures and zoning.

Tennessee Senate and House Republicans voted on the measure Wednesday. Gov. Bill Lee must sign the legislation into law before oversight board members can be appointed.

A Memphis school board member on Tuesday called the law “racist” because Tennessee Republicans, all of whom are white, will seize control from the locally elected school board in a majority Black and Democratic county.

The school board is considering its legal options, though Memphis Republicans pushed a new law to block school districts from funding lawsuits against accountability measures.

Takeover advocates argue intervention is needed to move the needle on Memphis test scores. Last year, more than 75% of Memphis students failed to achieve proficiency in reading and math. But the district earned the highest possible score in academic growth, or student improvement on state tests, for the fourth year in a row.

Democrats argue academic underperformance is affected by systemic socioeconomic realities of MSCS students and the whiplash of district changes over the years, like the failed Achievement School District enforced by the state.

Though Memphis takeover advocates say the new law is aimed squarely at MSCS, it could affect other Tennessee school districts down the line. The law will apply to any schools that meet four of six criteria: academic underperformance, chronic absenteeism, D or F school grades, and priority school status, financial mismanagement as determined by the Tennessee education commissioner, and leadership instability.

Officials from the Tennessee Department of Education this week testified 80% of Tennessee schools already meet two of the academic underperformance standards, with less than 50% of students scoring proficient or higher on state English and math tests.

In addition to MSCS, six other school districts meet three out of the six criteria, including two school districts operated by the state.

“This bill is not about any one district, any one city or county,” Memphis Republican Rep. Mark White, the bill sponsor, said. “It’s an important component in our statewide accountability framework that applies uniformly to every local education agency in the state of Tennessee.”

For now, only MSCS meets the leadership instability and financial mismanagement criteria, in large part due to an ongoing state-funded audit that hasn’t yet been completed.

A legal challenge of the bill will likely hinge in part on these provisions. House Democrats on Wednesday argued the targeted legislation violates the Tennessee Constitution.

“While this bill is written like it applies broadly, in fact it narrows and narrows until it lands on Memphis-Shelby County schools. It is targeted application,” Memphis Democratic Rep. Antonio Parkinson said.

Parkinson proposed a pared-back advisory board that would maintain local governance while providing an accountability structure, though it was voted down by Republicans. Parkinson called the politically appointed oversight board “complete unchecked power.”

Before the vote Wednesday night, MSCS General Counsel Justin Bailey said the district was waiting for a final bill decision to move forward with a lawsuit.

Bailey said the law that prevents the district from using its own funds to legally challenge state-imposed accountability measures doesn’t clearly define “accountability” — so the parameters it applies to are unclear.

Bri Hatch contributed to this report. Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

5 key takeaways from the Memphis schools takeover bill

2026-04-21T22:54:37+00:00

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The Memphis-Shelby County Schools takeover legislation is expected to get its final sign off from Tennessee Republican leaders on Wednesday, ushering in a state-appointed oversight board to control the district.

After two years of deliberation, state lawmakers advanced a unified plan Monday to create an MSCS board of managers that would control local budget and staffing decisions. Memphis school board members voted unanimously Tuesday to hire a lawyer to challenge that legislation.

But it’s unclear whether their effort will be stumped by a pending bill that would prevent districts from using public funds to sue over state accountability measures.

The takeover bill could ensnare other Tennessee school districts in state interventions. But right now, MSCS is the only local district that meets all six of the bill’s criteria focused on academic underperformance and management issues.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Senate leader Randy McNally need to approve the drafted legislation before it can go to the governor’s desk for signing.

In the meantime, here’s what you need to know about the takeover bill:

Oversight board would have sweeping power over district

The politically appointed oversight board would have sweeping authority over practically every aspect of Tennessee’s largest school district, from school building to textbook and curriculum issues.

It also could access student disciplinary records, annual teacher evaluations, and employment contracts.

The board could close or consolidate schools and would have final say over charter school decisions.

Lawmakers want the board to conduct a “comprehensive needs assessment” that would include evaluating district textbooks, curriculum and other teaching materials. This assessment would be used to set performance goals, which the legislation does not explicitly set for the board.

The oversight board would also have veto power over the district budget and the ability to craft its own budget for the district under certain circumstance.

Board members could shift with political winds

The legislation currently allows Tennessee’s top three elected Republicans to choose the entire board. Gov. Bill Lee would appoint five members of the board, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally would appoint two members, and House Speaker Cameron Sexton would appoint two members.

But those appointments are tied to the political offices, not the politicians themselves. Lee and McNally are both in their final months of office, with McNally retiring and term-limited Lee leaving office.

A new governor and lieutenant governor could decide to make their own appointments. The legislation allows board members to be replaced at any time for any reason.

New board could be appointed immediately

The oversight board could be appointed almost immediately.

In 2023, lawmakers vacated the Tennessee State University board of trustees over financial mismanagement concerns. Within hours of signing the legislation into law, Gov. Bill Lee appointed a new board.

A similar timeline could play out in Memphis, which could muddy ongoing school board races as voters determine who will hold exactly what power over Memphis-Shelby County schools. Early voting is ongoing in four school board district primaries ahead of the May 5 election day.

Lawmakers this week indicated they already have a list of board members in mind.

While lawmakers initially required all oversight board members to reside in Shelby County, that is no longer the case.

House sponsor Rep. Mark White requested that Sexton get an exception for one of his picks. While eight members of the board must be residents of Shelby County, Sexton would get to appoint one member from anywhere in the state of Tennessee.

White argued Sexton needed the flexibility to appoint outside of Shelby County in case there was an expertise gap to fill.

Superintendent Richmond’s contract could be on the line

The takeover bill gives the oversight members the power to fire MSCS’ superintendent with or without cause and appoint a new one with up to a four-year contract. That was the first step taken by state education leaders in Houston, a 2023 school takeover that Tennessee Republicans have frequently cited as a model.

Superintendent Roderick Richmond earned a three-year contract from the current school board on March 31. If he is fired without cause, MSCS would be forced to pay him nearly half a million dollars.

But the takeover legislation would make it easier for the oversight board to fire Richmond with cause, nullifying any required payout. The board could cite as cause for termination any refusal to follow their directives, or any example of him contributing to “deficiencies in the management, accounting, or internal controls of the LEA.”

State control could last up to six years

According to the takeover legislation, the state-appointed oversight board would be established by July 1.

Republican Governor Bill Lee would appoint five of the nine members, with the House and Senate speakers choosing two members each. An amendment added during the conference committee Monday allows one of those members to be a non-Shelby County resident, contradicting previous claims from takeover advocates that the oversight board would be made up of only district residents.

Those nine members will hold district authority for four years. But the takeover bill says that if MSCS continues to meet four or more of the criteria for intervention, lawmakers will choose a new set of nine representatives to lead MSCS for two more years.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis schools takeover push could target other Tennessee districts

2026-04-20T19:11:13+00:00

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Tennessee Republicans took one step closer to seizing major controls from the Memphis-Shelby County school district on Monday in a takeover effort that could eventually affect other school systems across the state.

The legislation would install a politically appointed oversight board in any Tennessee school district that meets four of six criteria of academic underperformance and management instability.

Republicans on Monday approved a conference committee bill, which will now move to full House and Senate votes this week.

The nine-person oversight board would be empowered to fire any district employee, including the superintendent, with or without cause. It would also have veto power over the district budget.

The bill would become law immediately if passed, meaning Tennessee Republicans could appoint an oversight board amid ongoing school board elections in Memphis.

Memphis takeover advocates have argued intervention is needed due to consistent academic underperformance in the state’s largest school district. But Tennessee Department of Education officials testified on Monday that a majority of school districts meet the same academic underperformance criteria, and seven school districts meet three of four performance standards.

Those districts include Campbell, Cocke, Madison, Lewis, and Shelby counties, in addition to the state-run Achievement School District and the Tennessee Public Charter School district.

Under draft legislation proposed by a conference committee this week, the state could install an oversight board in school districts where:

fewer than 50% of students earn proficient scores on state standardized math tests.
fewer than 50% of students earn proficient scores on state standardized English language arts tests.
25% or more of schools in the district earn a D or F letter grade from the Tennessee Department of Education.
and a 25% or higher chronic absenteeism rate.

Rep. Mark White, a Memphis Republican who is co-sponsoring the effort to intervene in Memphis schools, noted MSCS is the only state district that meets all of those criteria.

The final two designations include the commissioner of education, a political appointee, determining whether an audit shows deficiencies in district management, and whether the local board of education has employed more than two superintendents or directors of schools in the last four years.

Memphis is the only district in the state with an ongoing state-funded forensic audit managed by the Tennessee’s Comptroller audit, though school districts are routinely examined in lower-profile audits.

“It highlights that this legislation was written very surgically to apply only to Memphis and Shelby County schools,” said Sen. Raumesh Akbari, a Memphis Democrat who called the intervention effort “heavy-handed.”

Takeover or intervention?

Memphis Republicans pushing for intervention argue the effort is not a state takeover of Tennessee’s largest district, as lawmakers or the Department of Education would not directly control decisions within the district. The majority of the oversight board members must be residents of Shelby County.

However, the new legislation gives elected Republicans in Tennessee broad authority to craft or even trigger an oversight board, given the commissioner of education authority included in the legislation. The governor would appoint five oversight board members, and the House and Senate speakers would get two appointees each.

The oversight board would seize major financial controls from the Memphis-Shelby County school board, whose primary authority is to set the district’s operating budget and manage the district’s superintendent.

Under the draft legislation, the school board would have to submit its proposed budget to the oversight body for approval. The oversight body could veto any or all line items in the budget.

The oversight board could even rewrite the entire district’s budget under certain circumstances, if the school board doesn’t meet the oversight board’s timeline for revising the budget.

The draft legislation also inserts some control over the local legislative body, which in Memphis’ case would be the Shelby County Board of Commissioners. It would block the local body from signing off on the district’s budget without the oversight board’s approval.

Tennessee Republicans frequently point to the 2023 state takeover of Houston public schools as a model for MSCS’ intervention, where state education leaders immediately fired and appointed a new superintendent.

The current MSCS board unanimously approved a three-year permanent contract for Superintendent Roderick Richmond on March 31. That contract puts the district on the hook for a nearly half-million dollar payout if the new state board decides to fire Richmond without cause.

But the new bill would make it easier for the oversight board to fire Richmond with cause. The board could cite as cause for termination any refusal of the superintendent to follow their directives, or contributing to “deficiencies in the management, accounting, or internal controls of the LEA.”

The legislation calls for the oversight board to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment that would essentially audit teacher staffing levels, including reviewing results of annual teacher evaluations. The board would be authorized to review any and all records from the district, including teacher evaluation records and student disciplinary reports.

The oversight board would then be tasked with developing a “transformation plan that identifies performance and operational goals” in the district.

The board could hire a contractor to draw up those assessments and plans.

The oversight board would be subject to Tennessee’s open meetings and public records law. No other criteria are outlined in the draft legislation. Oversight board members could be removed by the governor and legislative leaders at any time, for any reason.

Oversight board members must be compensated at the same rate as school board members under the legislation. They can hire up to three staff members total, in addition to reassigning a staff member from the district office. The district must pay for those salaries, but they can petition the Department of Education for some funding.

“It would almost be like you’re paying for two school boards,” Akbari said.

Costs rise for audit, intervention model

Intervention advocates, led by Memphis Republicans and party leaders like House Speaker Cameron Sexton, have funneled even more state dollars into the audit effort. Gov. Bill Lee is directing another $1.7 million to complete the audit in next year’s budget, which grows the total price tag of the audit to $8.7 million.

And it’s possible lawmakers could direct another $1 million to help fund a new oversight board.

The nearly $10 million in state funds far outpaces the potential fraud and waste findings revealed by the audit thus far. The ongoing financial audit, which covers a three-year period, revealed around $1.1 million in funds that auditors said could be potential waste and abuse. Another $1.7 million was flagged as spending misaligned with district policies that didn’t rise to waste and abuse thresholds.

That amounts to less than 1% of the district’s operating budget over the three-year period being audited.

Tennessee Republican leaders suggested the early findings were among the worst audit findings they had ever seen, pointing to mismanagement of employee paperwork and alleged cooperation issues with district officials.

Democrats on Monday pushed back on these assertions. Akbari, the Memphis Democrat, pointed to previous school audits in Maury and Polk counties, which found millions in mismanaged funds and major control failures. Neither of those audits triggered a state-funded forensic audit or state intervention.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Voter guide: Here are the Democratic Memphis school board candidates running in District 6

2026-04-16T22:57:40+00:00

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Five candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination for the District 6 seat on Memphis-Shelby County’s school board this May, as state lawmakers continue to push for a district takeover that would usurp local authority.

All are running to fill the seat held by former teachers union leader Keith Williams since 2022. Five candidates will compete in the district’s first political primary on May 5. The winner of that race will go up against independent candidate Frederick Dewayne Tappan, a longtime pastor at Eureka Truevine Baptist Church, in the Aug. 6 general election.

Early voting in the primary begins on April 15.

Marinda A-Williams is a former private school and Germantown teacher who has experience in state-level politics. Juliette Eskridge taught in MSCS for 20 years, and Stacey Kelly works as a college advisor for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. T.L. Harris, who served prison time for a felony drug conviction, led a youth violence prevention program for three years and now advocates for cameras in MSCS classrooms. Contessa Humphrey, the final candidate, did not respond to Chalkbeat’s survey.

District 6 covers 28 schools and around 12,000 students in Southwest Memphis, a region that MSCS leaders say will likely be targeted for school closures in the next few years due to chronic underenrollment and aging buildings.

At most schools, Black students make up more than 95% of the student population, and almost 70% of students are considered economically disadvantaged.

Students in District 6, which includes Whitehaven High School and Havenview Middle School, test slightly below MSCS’ districtwide averages on state reading and math tests. That ranges from a 60% proficiency rate for both subjects at John P. Freeman Optional to a 6% proficiency rate at Geeter K-8.

Use our interactive map to see if you’ll be voting in this district based on your home address. And read full responses from District 6 candidates to a Chalkbeat survey here:

Marinda A-Williams

A-Williams is a former teacher assistant and educator in local private schools and the Germantown suburban school district. She represented Memphis on the Tennessee Democratic State Executive Committee when she was 23 years old, setting policies and goals to manage local parties.

A-Williams ran for a position on the Memphis City Council in 2019, but did not win the seat. She believes there should be a third option between a state takeover of MSCS and complete local control. Her collaborative governance model mirrors a local accountability plan passed by current board members in March.

“The state should allow potentially newly elected leadership the opportunity to demonstrate improvement and reconsider any takeover after elections so the community has a voice in the future of its schools,” A-Williams said.

She also believes the district should expand its career and technical education programs to boost student attendance by establishing a connection between school and future jobs.

Most important MSCS issue to address: Literacy and public trust

“Too many students are not reading at grade level, and families are concerned about transparency, contract oversight, and the responsible use of resources. I would prioritize evidence-based literacy instruction starting in early grades, expand tutoring and targeted support, and align curriculum investments with proven learning science. At the governance level, the board must enforce strong financial transparency and contract oversight.”

Juliette Eskridge

Eskridge taught in MSCS for around 20 years, serving as a teacher and project manager for multiple schools including Hamilton Elementary and Mitchell High.

She now works at Project STAND, a school-based mentoring program for at-risk students established in 2017 that operates in MSCS.

“I’m such a team person,” Eskridge said. “My ambition would be (the board) as a team, and being cohesive and wanting to work through whatever our challenges are.”

Eskridge says she wants the board to be proactive in seeking feedback from parents and the community before making decisions and be more transparent about issues early on.

Most important MSCS issue to address: State takeover

“The most important thing right now, and I think that’s being missed from the state level, are the students. That’s what this needs to be about: making sure our children are equipped. I haven’t really heard any deep concern or details about our students. And I’m concerned because the state has had opportunities to take over our schools before, and they sent them back to us. And they didn’t really improve anything.”

T.L. Harris

Harris has lived in the Whitehaven neighborhood for over 30 years. Federal court records show that in 2006, he pleaded guilty to a felony drug charge while working as a Memphis police officer. He’s since qualified to run for office after having his civil rights restored.

For three years, Harris led five community centers for the Memphis Gun Down summer program in neighborhoods such as Frayser and Raleigh. He was in charge of providing the entertainment and security for those gathering places in an effort to reduce youth crime rates.

“I know what it feels like to not have anything. I understand the mindset of those individuals,” Harris said. “You have to have a candidate that’s not afraid to walk in some of the roughest parts of Memphis and go there with intention to say, ‘Let’s pull these children out. Let’s give them an opportunity.’”

Harris previously told Chalkbeat that he works as the chief financial officer of Wallhaven Family Healthcare. But that business does not have an online presence, and Chalkbeat has been unable to locate any related records.

Harris wants to pilot putting cameras in MSCS classrooms to increase school security and identify “blind spots” in teaching practices.

“Why wouldn’t you have a camera in the classroom if you want to know what’s really going on?” he said. “Because fights do happen in classrooms. We all know this. People get hurt in classrooms; people steal stuff.”

Most important MSCS issue to address: Literacy

“Too many children are leaving third grade without strong reading skills, and when students cannot read well, every subject becomes harder. To address this, I support strengthening early literacy instruction, expanding tutoring and intervention programs, and providing teachers with the resources and training they need to help struggling readers.”

Contessa Humphrey

Humphrey did not return Chalkbeat’s candidate survey in time for publication.

Stacey Kelly

Kelly has nearly 14 years of experience working in the corporate sector for First Tennessee Bank and another 14 years working as a third-party partner in MSCS schools.

She served as project manager for RISE Memphis, facilitating financial education classes for middle and high school students across five local schools. Then she became a college advisor at Overton High School, her alma mater, to help students with FAFSAs and applications through the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, work she still does.

“Working within the school system for 14 years, I’ve been able to see the gaps,” Kelly told Chalkbeat. “I’ve been able to see things that students may need, that the faculty and staff due to budgeting are not having.”

Kelly said she’s also seen the need for more transparency between school system leadership and staff, plus the community at large.

Most important MSCS issue to address: Academic achievement

“Too many of our students are not reading on grade level or performing at proficiency in math, which directly impacts graduation rates, college readiness, workforce development, and long-term economic stability in Memphis.”

Note: This story has been updated to include information about T.L. Harris’ 2006 federal drug conviction and inconsistent employment information.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis school board candidate pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge 20 years ago, court records show

2026-04-16T22:26:57+00:00

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A candidate for the Memphis school board was convicted on a felony drug charge while serving as a city police officer two decades ago, court records show.

T.L. Harris, who is running in the Democratic primary to represent District 6 on the Memphis-Shelby County School Board, pleaded guilty to attempting to possess with the intent to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine in 2006. Federal court records show that Harris, who was 32 at the time, was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison.

The Shelby County Election Commission confirmed that Harris qualified to run for office after having his civil rights restored in a local court. Harris says he is a candidate dedicated to student safety with a history of working with at-risk youth at local nonprofit organizations.

“Every time I tell my story, I feel like I’m saving a young Black male or female,” Harris told Chalkbeat. “Because I’ve been in the belly of the beast, and I’ve come out of it, and that’s where I am now.”

Harris posted a video to social media this week discussing his criminal history after details of the federal case were posted on social media. While Harris told Chalkbeat he has long been open about his criminal history, he has not mentioned it in his campaign materials and called the resurfacing of his 2006 conviction a “campaign smear.”

Federal investigators began probing Harris’ financial records in 2004, when he was a Memphis Police officer, after receiving tips from Shelby County jail inmates about alleged narcotics trafficking, according to federal court records.

Harris was indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts in February 2006 after being caught helping a federal informant deliver a cocaine purchase in a sting operation, court records say. In October 2006, Harris pleaded guilty to a single count of attempting to possess with the intent to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine after helping federal prosecutors build a case against another Memphis cop.

Federal court records show that Harris was sentenced in 2007 to serve 51 months in prison and 60 months on supervised release after his prison sentence. His supervised release term was terminated early in 2013 after a supportive report from probation officials, who said Harris posed “no identifiable risk to public safety,” according to court records.

Harris says that voters in his district “respect and understand redemption.” Since he’s been out of prison, Harris said, he’s dedicated his life to serving children who grew up in poverty and facing hardships like he did.

“I can speak to these kids that are thinking about committing crimes, or they have committed crimes, to say, ‘Let’s get you back on track with your life,’” Harris said. “Who else can talk about that?”

Chalkbeat reporting also revealed inconsistencies in information Harris has provided to media and voters about his professional background and campaign endorsements.

While Harris initially told Chalkbeat he works at Walhaven Family Healthcare, he has alternatively called the business Whitehaven Family Healthcare and Memphis Family Healthcare in interviews and campaign posts on social media.

On Wednesday, Harris declined to provide details about the community healthcare center he says he leads as the chief financial officer. Businesses by those names do not have an online presence, and Chalkbeat has been unable to locate any records. Harris has not responded to follow-up questions.

Harris’ campaign has been endorsed by the teachers group Memphis-Shelby County Education Association, city council member Pearl Eva Walker, and labor union Memphis AFSCME Local 1733.

Maurice Spivey, a senior staffer at the local union, told Chalkbeat that Harris did not discuss his criminal conviction in interviews with AFSCME before receiving the endorsement. Charlotte Fields, president of M-SCEA, said the same. Walker did not reply to Chalkbeat’s requests for comment.

Harris’ social media campaign accounts also cite an endorsement from Keith Williams, the incumbent District 6 board member who is not seeking reelection. In a video posted last week on Facebook, Williams called Harris his “successor” at a campaign event. But Williams told Chalkbeat in a call Thursday that he hasn’t endorsed any candidate in the race.

Chalkbeat Tennessee Bureau Chief Melissa Brown contributed to this story.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Early voting is underway for Memphis’ first partisan school board primary

2026-04-15T11:00:01+00:00

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Memphis voters begin choosing today among 15 Democratic candidates vying for four open school board seats in the district’s first political primary.

Early voting has started for the May 5 primary race in Districts 1, 6, 8, and 9. No Republican candidates qualified to run this year, but two independents will challenge the Democratic nominee in Districts 6 and 8 in the Aug. 6 general election.

That means the Memphis-Shelby County Schools representative for Districts 1 and 9 will be decided by the Democratic primary. Both elections include incumbents who have been on the school board since 2018: Michelle McKissack and Joyce Dorse-Coleman, respectively.

The other candidates, ranging from seasoned MSCS teachers to a local lawyer and parents’ rights advocate, are joining the pool during a time of looming shifts in district leadership.

Senate Republicans are expected to take the next step in advancing their state takeover plans for MSCS in the coming days. Republican leadership appears set to adopt a version close to Rep. Mark White’s 2025 proposal that would create a board of managers that would take away key responsibilities from the local board, including budget and superintendent decisions.

Republican lawmakers launched the takeover effort last year after the controversial firing of former Superintendent Marie Feagins last January. Current board members voted unanimously to hire Roderick Richmond, a 30-year district employee, as the new permanent leader late last month.

Check out our interactive map tool to find out which MSCS board district you’ll be seeing on your ballot. And before casting a vote, read all about the candidates in our comprehensive profiles here:

With so much at stake, we want to hear from you about who you’re voting for and why. What do you think is important about these elections? What questions do you still have that we can help answer?

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Voter guide: Here are the Democratic Memphis school board candidates running in District 8

2026-04-14T14:43:36+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

Two Democratic candidates will compete for the Memphis school board District 8 nomination in the first district political primary this spring.

Ayleem Connolly, a former MSCS teacher and language department chair, and Tanya Frey, who’s spent over 20 years as an employment and nonprofit lawyer, will appear on the May 5 primary ballot. A third independent candidate, MSCS school librarian Leigh Ann Scarbrough, will challenge the Democratic nominee in the Aug. 6 general election.

Early voting in the primary begins on April 15.

The District 8 seat will be vacated by Amber Huett-Garcia as she makes a bid for county commissioner. The winning candidate will likely face the effects of an impending state takeover led by Tennessee Republican lawmakers to strip the local school board of its main responsibilities.

District 8 covers 10 schools, including the White Station and Kate Bond buildings, that serve around 9,500 students. Less than half of those students come from low income families, which is a rarity in Memphis-Shelby County Schools, and less than 60% are Black.

The region is split in two, encompassing East Memphis and Shelby Farms along with the Northeast corner of the county above Bartlett and Lakeland. Its schools significantly outperform district averages in reading and math proficiency at around 40% proficient for each. Only one school, the Dexter School, falls below the district proficiency averages by a few percentage points.

Use our interactive map to see if you’ll be voting in this district based on your home address. And read full responses from District 8 candidates to a Chalkbeat survey here:

Ayleem Connolly

Connolly taught in MSCS from 2015 through 2023 as a Spanish teacher in Oakhaven, Trezevant, and East high schools. She served as East High’s language department chair for two years.

As someone who grew up in the Dominican Republic before moving to Memphis in 2014, Connolly is passionate about expanding access to postsecondary education, especially for immigrant students and families.

“A lot of students approached me as a teacher looking for secondary education, but because they were undocumented, they didn’t have access to it,” she said.

Connolly wants to make a comprehensive guide listing scholarships and programs that support immigrant families. She also wants to invest more in student support services, including mental health interventions, and expand paid parental leave for teachers from six to 12 weeks.

“It personally affected my family. It put financial constraints,” she said. “You need to use your sick days and disability to cover for the remaining time.”

Most important MSCS issue to address: Student well-being

“I would focus on serving the children: improving children’s personal well-being, including nutrition, mental health services, and protection from overzealous federal law enforcement. Teachers cannot teach a child who is in distress — and psychological distress is all too common today.”

Tanya Frey

Frey has worked as a Memphis-based lawyer for 21 years, with time spent at Autozone and ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

She now runs Terra Firma Consulting, an organization that advises nonprofits on leadership decisions. That means she advises boards in her daily role.

“And I’m advising CEOs on how to hold members of boards accountable, build their boards to make them better,” she said. “Those are skills that matter when you are serving on a board, particularly of this capacity.”

Frey has three sons who went to Richland Elementary school, one of whom is a junior at East High. The eldest graduated from Middle College High School, and the youngest attends a Germantown public school called Houston High.

She says it’s important for the school board to set clear academic goals and funnel money into the classroom.

“Every decision should come back to one question: Does this lead to better outcomes for students?” Frey said.

Most important MSCS issue to address: Board governance

“We have strong educators and real progress, but not enough clarity or consistency across the system. The board’s role is to set clear priorities, align resources, and stay focused on what

improves results for students.That’s the work I do every day — helping boards stay focused, make clear decisions, and staying accountable to the organizations they serve.”

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Voter guide: Here are the Memphis school board candidates running in District 9

2026-04-14T14:43:27+00:00

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The five candidates running for Memphis’ District 9 school board seat range from a longtime incumbent and former board chair to the sole state takeover advocate on the 2026 ballot.

All are running in the district’s first school board Democratic primary on May 5 to fill the seat held by current vice chair Joyse Dorse Coleman since 2018. This election comes as state lawmakers are moving to create a board of managers that could take away local authority and key board functions.

Early voting begins on April 15.

The five District 9 candidates include Coleman, a former board chair, and Damon Curry Morris, a vocal parent advocate and pro-state takeover candidate. Jonathan Carroll is a local Democratic party leader running as a school system outsider, and Louis Morganfield is the building engineer at Ida B. Wells Academy. Tamara Jordan has more than a decade of experience teaching in and leading local charter schools.

District 9 covers around 12,000 students and their families living between Memphis’ Cooper Young neighborhood and Germantown. The 24 schools, including Overton High and Colonial Middle, educate a student group that is 60% economically disadvantaged. Around one in three students is Hispanic, and 65% are Black.

Elementary students in District 9 slightly exceeded MSCS average math proficiency rates on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, or TCAP, last year. But they lagged behind the district average for literacy by a few percentage points.

Use our interactive map to see if you’ll be voting in this district based on your home address. And read full responses from District 9 candidates to a Chalkbeat survey here:

Jonathan Carroll

Carroll has served on the executive committees of the Shelby County and Tennessee Democratic Party since 2013 and 2022 respectively. He’s the four-year president of the neighborhood association in Normal Station, where he’s lived since 1995, and works for an apartment safety nonprofit called SafeWays.

Carroll doesn’t have any ties to MSCS, a distinction that he says separates him from his running mates.

“I have never taken a paycheck directly or indirectly from the school system or worked for a contractor that does,” Carroll told Chalkbeat. “I can bring that outsider perspective and look at things and see how they can be improved.”

Caroll led his son’s Parent-Teacher Association at Middle College High School for over three years and volunteered on the statewide PTA as the legislative affairs chair for one year. He’s a graduate from the University of Memphis.

In the face of an impending state takeover of MSCS, Carroll says it’s important for school board members to commit to working together and put vendettas aside.

Most important MSCS issue to address: Lack of public trust

“I would work to rebuild that trust by working with disparate groups across the city, holding multiple town halls with other school board members and city and county leaders where we will listen to the needs of the parents and students, and showing that the school system we deserve is here for them.”

Joyce Dorse-Coleman

Dorse-Coleman has a long-running tenure on the Memphis-Shelby County school board, beginning in 2018 as a member and serving as the chair last year. She also introduced the resolution to fire former Superintendent Marie Feagins last January, which sparked backlash from community members and state leaders.

She says she sticks around on the board to counter false perceptions of the district and its leaders.

“We have amazing people in our district,” Dorse-Coleman said. “We just also have a few naysayers that make things seem like we’re the worst of the worst. And I know that’s not true.”

She grew up in Orange Mound and attended Melrose High School, which is part of District 9. Dorse-Coleman is an advocate for local, state, and federal education leaders to help fund school initiatives including teacher recruitment and retention.

Most important MSCS issue to address: Lack of funds

“If we had more funding, we wouldn’t have to worry about closing schools. Buildings could be fixed up…We would be able to hire more teachers and pay the teachers that we have, because they seriously deserve more.”

Tamara Jordan

Jordan has been an educator for 15 years, working in charter school systems including Gestalt Community Schools, which participated in the now defunct, state-run Achievement School District. Gestalt was the first network to pull out of the state-run ASD in 2017 by closing the two schools it managed.

She also taught at Freedom Preparatory Academy, and eventually served as dean through 2023.

Jordan says she wants to run an audit on MSCS’ curriculum to make sure it’s aligning with state standards and assessments. That could help better reflect students’ literacy abilities, she said.

“Think about a student that’s been taking tests and doing work all year, and they get a test that they‘ve never seen, like they don’t know how to answer the questions,” Jordan said. “We’re not teaching to the test, but we do want (students) to be familiar with the test.”

Most important MSCS issue to address: Facility deficits and state takeover

“I would address the facility deficits by pushing for a proactive approach to the deferred maintenance budget. An audit of all assets with fidelity would need to happen, so that repairs can be prioritized based on risk ROI. Also, I would push for routine inspections of critical systems: such as, HVAC and plumbing. As far as the State takeover threats, I would suggest pushing a plan that is catered to each individual school to present to the Tennessee General Assembly.”

Damon Curry Morris

Morris is the only candidate across all four district races who’s in favor of an impending state takeover of MSCS. He says he’s advocating for parents and students who support the intervention and has met with the Republican lawmakers sponsoring these efforts in Nashville throughout the last year.

“I was heavily involved in it, and no other candidate can say that,” he told Chalkbeat. “My strength is diplomacy. Once they fired (Feagins), the only thing that the district continued to do, the board members continued to do, was fuel the fan of those fights. Now my job was to go up there to minimize the impact.”

Morris is a regular speaker at Memphis school board meetings, often criticizing decisions that he says lead to a lack of trust in the district. In August, Morris was arrested outside of the school board building, The Daily Memphian reported, for allegedly violating a restraining order against him by current member Stephanie Love.

Morris called the incident a “ploy” to keep him from running on the school board.

“Let’s be fair here, I’m not the most popular candidate amongst the elite, the people who have been [in the district] for 20 or 30 years,” he said.

Morris told Chalkbeat that the restraining order is still active, but Love, the Shelby County Public Defender, and Morris’ lawyer did not respond to requests for confirmation.

Morris worked as a substitute teacher in Memphis City Schools starting in 1999. He also was a behavioral specialist at Treadwell Middle School in 2005 for 12 years and now home-schools and tutors students.

Most important MSCS issue to address: Lack of public trust

“We have to be real about how we got here and the contributing factors. The enrollment has plummeted because of some of the board’s actions and this opened the door for a state intervention.”

Louis M. Morganfield III

Morganfield serves as the building engineer for Ida B. Wells Academy, a beloved school in South Memphis that board members voted to close at the end of this year. He told Chalkbeat Tennessee that the school should serve as a model for the district because of its small class sizes, which he says could help improve the district’s low literacy rates.

“You can’t continue to do the same thing over and over again that you have been doing for the last 30 years, and scores only improve by an inch or a half an inch at a time,” Morganfield said. “With small class sizes, you’re able to meet the children where they are.”

He said reducing class sizes would mean hiring more teachers and assistants, an issue that MSCS already struggles with.

“We need to change the culture,” Morganfield said. “We need to listen to our teachers.”

Most important MSCS issue to address: Literacy

“We can’t do what we want to do to raise the scores if you don’t engage with the parents, to teach the parents how to help their children.”

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Voter guide: Here are the Memphis school board candidates running in District 1

2026-04-14T14:43:21+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

The three candidates running to represent District 1 on the Memphis school board have deep ties to the school system as teachers and key leaders.

All will be on the May 5 primary ballot as Democrats, including incumbent Michelle McKissack, who’s been on the board since 2018. Dolores Missy Rivers, former head of a local teachers union, and Hailey Marie Thomas, an early career educator, are running as challengers.

Early voting begins on April 15.

This is the first political primary election for the Memphis-Shelby County school board and the last chance for members elected in 2018 to serve again under new term limits. The 2026 race also comes as Republican lawmakers in Nashville push forward a state takeover of MSCS that would strip the board of some key responsibilities.

District 1 spans downtown Memphis and Cooper Young, covering 24 schools with more than 10,500 students. At most of the schools, Hispanic students and English learners are less than 5% of the student body. And while the district’s literacy and math proficiency rates slightly exceed MSCS averages, there’s a wide range of school performance.

Only 7% of A.B. Hill Elementary students achieved proficiency on last year’s Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, or TCAP, and less than 5% did the same for math. But at Idlewild Elementary, those proficiency rates were 71% and 62% respectively.

Use our interactive map to see if you’ll be voting in this district based on your home address. And read full responses from District 1 candidates to a Chalkbeat survey here:

Michelle McKissack

McKissack has served on the Memphis school board representing District 1 since 2018. She was one of three members who voted against the controversial firing of former Superintendent Marie Feagins in January 2025.

McKissack is a graduate of White Station High School, as are her three sons. Her daughter is a ninth grade student there.

“And so I’ve just got all of this positive association with our public school system,” she told Chalkbeat. “I did debate whether I would continue for one more term. But I felt there was more work to do … I wasn’t ready to pass the torch.”

McKissack started her advocacy in 2003 as a parent at Downtown Elementary, where she wrote the bylaws for the school’s Parent-Teacher Organization. She currently serves as the vice president of the Tennessee School Board Association.

“I was in the trenches as a regular person, as a parent, just wanting to give back,” she said. “But then I didn’t stop there. I didn’t stop with our local school board. I wanted to see how things were happening across the state of Tennessee.”

Most important MSCS issue to address: Literacy

“My biggest concern is continuing to stay student-focused and improving literacy among our students, especially ensuring that students are reading on grade level by the end of third grade.”

Dolores Missy Rivers

Rivers started her work in MSCS as a teacher on a provisional license at Doubletree Elementary School. She stayed in the district as an educator for 26 years, spending most of those years at Ross Elementary, and retired in 2023.

Rivers then served a one-year term that ended in February as the interim director of the Memphis-Shelby County Education Association, one of two teachers groups in the district.

“People understand my work and they know my work in the community,” she said. “Teachers know what I have done. I didn’t just wake up and just say, ‘Hey, I’m gonna run for school board.’ I’ve always done this work.”

Rivers is an advocate for increasing teacher pay and offering tuition support, especially to Memphis students, to become educators. She thinks MSCS should expand its Innovation Zone approach, which targets low-performing schools by placing strong principals in struggling schools and providing more practical teacher training.

Most important MSCS issue to address: Teacher recruitment and retention

“When teachers are paid fairly and feel respected for their profession, districts are better able to attract strong candidates and retain experienced educators who know how to help students succeed. However, pay is only part of the solution. We must also improve working conditions by protecting instructional time, reducing unnecessary testing and paperwork, and ensuring teachers have the resources and support they need in their classrooms.”

Hailey Marie Thomas

Thomas is an early career educator who started working at Larose Elementary, a District 1 school, in 2021. She’s now a literacy instructor at MSCS charter school Beacon College Preparatory.

Thomas says she has a realtime perspective into what teachers and students need to succeed, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m seeing the issues that are impacting people daily,” she said. “All of the issues that educators have been complaining about for years have stayed the same, but with this group of children, all of those issues have been exacerbated.”

Thomas says teachers need better pay and more support in handling classroom discipline. She’s also against school closures and consolidations because class sizes are too big and unmanageable already.

Most important MSCS issue to address: Low enrollment

“A lot of our money from the public schools are being transferred to the charter schools when our numbers go down. And a lot of parents want to go to charter schools. They want to go to private schools, because they’re not satisfied with the results that MSCS is providing. Once we do things to improve our numbers, we get access to more funding.”

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

What’s next for the Memphis schools takeover plan?

2026-04-09T23:53:35+00:00

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The clock is ticking for Tennessee lawmakers to agree on an intervention plan for Memphis-Shelby County schools as the General Assembly looks to finish its session before April 30.

Republican lawmakers released interim Memphis schools financial audit results last week. These results were expected to inform the supermajority’s plan to effectively take over major controls of the state’s largest school district, though the intervention plan did not advance this week.

Early voting in the Memphis-Shelby County school board elections begins on April 15, before Memphis voters have a clear understanding of who will actually have authority over the school district by next fall.

So, what’s next for the Memphis schools takeover plan?

The Tennessee House and Senate have each passed separate versions of the legislation, which means leaders of both chambers will have to call a conference committee before the end of session. Both lawmakers have indicated they plan to do so, and that could happen as early as April 13.

The conference committee, which is expected to include Memphis lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, can hash out a compromise on the bill. This committee can make significant changes to the legislation very quickly, and legislation often rapidly advances toward the end of the session.

Memphis Republicans Mark White and Brent Taylor, who are sponsoring the legislation, have both said in recent months that they want to align with White’s original bill.

White’s plan would install a board of managers, handpicked by elected state Republicans, that would have significant authority over the Memphis-Shelby County school district. Appointment powers would be given to the governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker, all Republicans who are not from Memphis.

It’s not clear how quickly an oversight board would be appointed if Tennessee Republicans finalize the plan. However, a similar situation played out in 2024 between Republicans and Tennessee State University, the state’s only HBCU, after a financial audit and mismanagement concerns. Gov. Bill Lee appointed a new board of trustees within hours of legislation passing, so state leaders could be poised to appoint a Memphis schools oversight board immediately if a compromise is agreed upon.

The plan would allow the oversight board to seize control of major financial decisions from the elected school board, including hiring and firing superintendents.

In March, the Memphis school board officially hired interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond. His new contract means the district could be on the hook for a nearly half-million dollar payout if a new state board decides to fire Richmond.

Lawmakers have repeatedly pointed to the 2023 Houston school takeover, where the superintendent was quickly replaced, as a model for MSCS intervention.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, a Crossville Republican who has been among the more vocal critics of Memphis schools this year, said Thursday he doesn’t want to be “the one to hire and fire directors of schools.”

“That’s not what we want to do. This is not a state takeover,” Sexton said, arguing the board of managers would be made up of local Memphians. “The board of managers needs to have the capability to make that decision for themselves based on internal reviews, the different processes that are going to be laid out in the bill.”

District officials in recent days have also argued that years of leadership turnover have led to issues within the district. A new website launched this week in response to the state audit said MSCS has made significant progress in the past year to correct missteps made during the tenures of four superintendents in the past five years.

Tennessee Republicans, meanwhile, have argued fraught management at the board level has led to leadership turnover, as well as years of academic underperformance.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Early Memphis schools audit findings ‘consistent with waste or abuse’

2026-04-01T16:03:07+00:00

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An ongoing financial audit of Memphis-Shelby County Schools revealed “clear evidence of management failures,” Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower said Wednesday after releasing interim results.

Tennessee Republicans pushed to release the incomplete audit report on the state’s largest school district as leadership plans to advance a state takeover effort in the coming weeks.

The audit, which is only 25% complete, revealed more than $1.1 million in contract and payroll transactions that auditors say are “consistent with waste or abuse.” Another $1.7 million in transactions was found to violate district policies, though it did not rise to the level of waste or abuse, according to the comptroller’s office.

That total is less than 1% of the Memphis district’s operating budget over the three-year period the audit covers.

Mumpower cited an “absolute culture of apathy and carelessness” within district leadership, though there has been notable turnover in the district since the time period audited.

Citing the audit, Memphis Republicans say they will move forward immediately to finalize legislation that would significantly intervene in Memphis district governance rather than wait for final results.

“It’s such a failure that at some point, do you need more information to understand what needs to happen,” House Speaker Cameron Sexton said, though he noted he supported a state takeover before the interim audit results.

Though details could change quickly in the coming weeks, Rep. Mark White’s initial plan would install an oversight board of managers.

This board, which would be appointed by Republican leaders, would seize significant authority from the elected school board through major financial decisions like the superintendent’s contract.

The early audit results revealed significant record-keeping breakdowns. The district couldn’t provide employment verification records for 100 of 250 employees requested for review, and auditors found employee records poorly maintained and secured.

“With the high level of leadership and staff turnover — coupled with the lack of documented policies and procedures, and the erosion of institutional knowledge — resulted in a systemic challenge with record keeping and documentation, a challenge that we faced throughout this engagement,” said Folashade Abiola-Banjac, an attorney with the CliftonLarsonAllen auditing firm that is conducting the external audit.

Mumpower on Wednesday accused district officials of being uncooperative with auditors. He said the audit raises “serious questions about whether the current leadership structure is capable of ensuring accountability.” It’s not yet clear when the audit will be complete, though the audit firm’s contract runs through early 2027.

In an emailed statement, Superintendent Roderick Richmond said district leaders are still working through the preliminary findings and will present a report responding to each claim on Monday.

“We are grateful for the preliminary audit and recognize the importance of fiscal and operational responsibility,” he said. “We also recognize that when systems or processes fail, whether past or present, trust is damaged. It is now our responsibility to repair that trust.”

Richmond said he’s requested a meeting with Rep. White and Sen. Brent Taylor, the other sponsor of state takeover pushes, to discuss a plan moving forward. Board chair Natalie McKinney praised the superintendent’s compliance with auditors’ requests over the past eight months.

She also said in the same emailed statement that while the preliminary findings are meaningful, they represent “less than one-tenth of one percent of the district’s approximate $2 billion annual budget over three years.”

“This context does not diminish the need for corrective action; rather, it underscores that the primary issue is control effectiveness, not systemic financial collapse,” she said.

Richmond last month presented a plan to MSCS board members to strengthen internal controls and modernize document systems in anticipation of audit findings. That includes making sure over 80% of the district’s employee files are complete in the next 90 days and reducing paper-based work.

“We will be looking at some of these systems to see if we should try to improve upon them or if we should look at doing something totally new,” Richmond said. “As the [forensic audit] starts to come out, we’d like to already be moving forward in addressing some of those things that may be in that report.”

Board member Amber-Huett Garcia said she was “surprised” to hear about systems that the district doesn’t have already in place, such as a checklist for human resources documents. Richmond chalked up a lot of those gaps to high turnover in district leadership positions and the merging of the city and county school systems that happened over 10 years ago.

He said CLA, the audit firm, has also cited turnover as a barrier in recent meetings with district leaders.

“We’ve really tried to be responsive to things that they’ve asked for,” Richmond said about CLA. “But we’ve also partnered with them in relation to having discussions about some of our systems.”

Richmond said these changes, including his proposal to hire a district inspector general and an outside firm to help address audit findings, could cost around $2 million.

Note: This story has been updated to include a response from district leaders.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org. Bri Hatch contributed to this story.

Tennessee state board committee recommends ‘corrective action’ for underperforming Memphis schools

2026-03-24T22:58:49+00:00

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Memphis-Shelby County schools that have received D or F school letter grades for at least two years are heavily reliant on unlicensed teachers, district officials testified Tuesday at a state accountability hearing.

More than half of the teachers at 14 schools that have received either a D or F in Tennessee’s school grading system are working on emergency or temporary permits, mirroring an ongoing state trend showing a rapid rise in non-credentialed teachers.

Memphis officials testified before a three-person committee of the Tennessee State Board of Education, which is holding a week of accountability hearings for 18 districts with schools that have received failing letter grades for at least two years in a row.

The committee recommended a “corrective action plan” for Memphis schools, a plan that could include state monitoring, needs assessments made by external third parties, and set performance targets. Details on the plan won’t be finalized for months as the accountability process plays out.

The district is already implementing “scripted” lesson plans and curriculum guides, in addition to deploying regional superintendents for curriculum “fidelity” checks in an effort to address student learning gaps at underperforming schools.

“The scripted lessons are particularly vital for supporting our influx of permit teachers, which are notably higher in these schools,” the district said in a strategic planning document submitted to the state board.

The hearing committee praised Memphis officials for their preparation and school-level data informing issues like chronic absenteeism and academic underperformance.

“Of all the districts we’ve interviewed so far, this district has presented its root causes better than any other we’ve heard,” State Board of Education chair Bob Eby said. “I think you understand what your challenges are.”

The MSCS schools facing a corrective plan include:

A.B. Hill Elementary, dropped from a D to an F
Carver College and Career Academy, two years of F grades
Douglass K-8, two years of F grades
Geeter School, dropped from a D to an F
Grandview Heights Middle, dropped from a D to an F
Hickory Ridge Middle, dropped from a D to an F
Kate Bond Middle, dropped from a D to an F
Kingsbury Middle, two years of F grades
Mt. Pisgah Middle, two years of F grades
Raleigh Egypt Middle, dropped from a D to an F
Robert R. Church Elementary, dropped from a D to an F
Sherwood Elementary, dropped from a D to an F
Treadwell Elementary, two years of F grades

Though Chickasaw Middle School was also on the list, board members voted earlier this year to close the school amid a long-term facilities restructuring in the district.

If the full Tennessee State Board of Education signs off on corrective action recommendations in May, local districts will work with the Tennessee Department of Education to design and implement corrective plans.

School districts will face more severe consequences, including audits and investigations, if they are called for subsequent accountability hearings.

“These conversations are not meant to be punitive in nature, not a ‘gotcha’ conversation,” said vice-chair Darrell Cobbins. “It’s more of a conversation about how do we get these schools off the list that they’re on and on an upward trajectory ensuring the students are successful and served well.”

Cobbins on Tuesday told Memphis officials the accountability committee had one of two options, either take no action or recommend a corrective plan. He appeared satisfied with the strategies Memphis officials shared and hoped the corrective plan would guarantee they were “codified” into district plans.

“Today’s hearing was a productive and important step forward,” MSCS board chair Natalie McKinney said in a Tuesday statement. “We appreciate the State Board’s thoughtful questions, their focus on students, and their willingness to work alongside Memphis-Shelby County Schools. Our Board is committed to strong accountability, strategic investment, and ensuring that every decision we make is centered on improving outcomes for our students. We are aligned on the urgency of this work, and now, the real work continues.”

It’s the first year schools have been subject to the hearings under a 2022 law establishing a state board-level accountability mechanism tied to its student funding formula and a 2016 state law that established the school grading system, which is tied to student performance on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program.

The grading system was initially plagued by pandemic delays and systemic testing issues before it was completely revamped in 2023. In a controversial decision, state education officials chose to emphasize academic achievement, or proficiency, over academic growth.

Accountability hearings will continue through the week for Metro Nashville Public Schools, Hardeman County Schools, Fayette County Public Schools, Jackson-Madison County School System, Haywood County Schools, Robertson County Schools, Cocke County School District, Carter County Schools, Hamilton County Schools, Polk County Schools, Monroe County Schools, Knox County Schools, Sevier County School System, and Union County Public Schools.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

With audit looming, Memphis board delays superintendent contract

2026-03-18T20:25:33+00:00

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The Memphis-Shelby County school board delayed finalizing interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond’s permanent contract on Wednesday in an emergency meeting days before state lawmakers expect to receive the results of a forensic audit of the district.

The board in early February voted unanimously to tap Richmond for the permanent job pending the approval of a full-time contract.

But board members voted 7-2 on Wednesday to instead maintain the interim contract, which runs through July, amid a larger debate about whether findings from the impending audit should be baked into a permanent superintendent contract.

The audit is expected to drive Tennessee legislative decisions in the coming weeks on whether to effectively seize major district controls from the elected school board.

“Our decisions should be about stability, not about what the state may or may not be doing,” board chair Natalie McKinney said Wednesday.

Maintaining the interim contract means the district would not be on the hook for a pricey payout if the superintendent is fired because of the state takeover. That has often happened in similar takeovers across the country.

Richmond would be owed $487,500 — 18 months of salary — if he were fired without cause in his first year, according to a draft of the permanent contract. The payout would drop to a 12-month salary lump sum if he were fired in the second year.

“There is a lot of queasiness, quite honestly, in the community regarding a lot that is about to be revealed,” board member Michelle McKissack said. “People are still making commentary regarding some large payouts the district had to make.”

Though takeover legislation has remained dormant so far in the legislative session, the effort could rapidly accelerate in the final weeks of session in March and April.

Republican lawmakers argue that years of fraught board governance and languishing academic outcomes necessitate state intervention. An oversight committee would be made up by Shelby County residents, but those residents would be handpicked by Republican leaders at a time of increased tensions between the state and locally elected officials.

Republican leadership have said the audit will uphold the need for a takeover, though there has been significant leadership turnover in Memphis since the time period being audited. The auditors’ contract runs through January 2027, but legislators pushed for an interim report earlier than expected to coincide with the 2026 legislative session.

“In the last 15 years, this is only the second time our office has contracted for a forensic audit,” Comptroller communications John Dunn said in response to Chalkbeat Tennessee questions about the timing.

“Therefore, there aren’t many precedents for something like this. The legislature asked for an interim report to be produced so that they could evaluate the school system while they are still in session. Since the general assembly appropriated $6 million for this audit, that is certainly their prerogative.”

The Tennessee Comptroller’s office received the audit last week, but it has not yet been released to lawmakers pending final review, according to multiple sources.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis board proposes ‘accountability’ plan amid looming state takeover threat

2026-03-06T19:38:07+00:00

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Memphis school board members on Friday announced plans to develop a local accountability oversight council in an effort to stave off a looming state takeover threat that could quickly progress in the coming weeks.

Under the new proposal, a new group made up of some board members, community stakeholders, and elected officials would focus on governance, academic outcomes, long-term facilities planning, and district stability and financial transparency.

The effort was offered as an alternative to a state takeover plan currently being considered by Tennessee Republican lawmakers and spearheaded by two Memphis’ lawmakers unhappy with years of fraught board governance and academic outcomes in the district.

“Our district has faced real challenges, but over the past year, we have begun to see stability, accountability, and forward movement under local leadership,” MSCS board chair Natalie McKinney said at a Friday press conference announcing the plan. “That progress belongs to this community.”

MSCS’ full board would still have to adopt the proposed plan. McKinney and other board members were joined by Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, and other elected officials.

Memphis Superintendent Roderick Richmond was not present at the Friday announcement.

Though a state takeover effort stalled last year, Sen. Brent Taylor and Rep. Mark White have repeatedly said over the last year they will move forward with the plan, which would install an oversight committee of political appointees that would wrest almost all financial controls from the locally elected school board. Supporters of the plan have argued the oversight board, whose appointees would be Shelby County residents, would not amount to a state-run takeover.

The board’s proposal on Friday comes just weeks before a preliminary report is expected in an ongoing Memphis schools financial audit. GOP lawmakers last month received an early, confidential briefing of the audit, which they said reiterated the need for takeover legislation.

After the confidential briefing, the Tennessee Comptroller’s office said auditors would release an early report sometime in March. The Comptroller’s still did not have a firm publication date when asked this week.

Neither Taylor nor White have responded to a Chalkbeat request for comment, though Taylor told the Commercial-Appeal on Friday he would not withdraw his legislation in favor of the board’s proposed accountability plan.

McKinney said she hoped the board will adopt their own accountability plan even if the state takeover moves forward.

Republicans point to Memphis’ low proficiency rates and board drama in recent years as their main concerns with the district. Last year, over 75% of Memphis students failed to achieve proficiency in reading and math.

However, the district earned the highest possible score in academic growth, or student improvement, on state tests for the fourth year in a row.

McKinney on Friday also pointed to significant progress the district has made in its Ready Graduate rate and in school test grades.

“These actions show that progress is already underway,” McKinney said. “That progress deserves full and fair consideration by policy makers and the public.”

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Which Memphis school board candidates will be on your 2026 ballot? Use our interactive map to find out.

2026-03-02T12:00:00+00:00

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Memphis voters will choose from a pool of 17 candidates to serve on the local school board next year, starting with the first ever partisan primary on May 5.

Two races, for Districts 1 and 9, will be decided with the primary since all registered candidates are Democrats. Districts 6 and 8 will vote in a general election on Aug. 6 between the Democratic primary winner and an independent candidate. No Republicans qualified to run.

To find out which school board candidates will be on your ballot this year, plug your home address into our interactive map below.

While the MSCS board votes on decisions as a group, each elected member represents one of nine specific regions in the district. And some are more likely to face changes in the coming years, including 10 more potential school closures.

Memphis residents vote on the school board seat that corresponds with their home address, which could be different from the district where your school is zoned. You can use the map to see which board member is responsible for your school by searching its name.

Here’s a full list of candidates who will appear on the ballot:

District 1

Incumbent Michelle McKissack (Democrat)
Dolores Williams Rivers (Democrat)
Hailey Thomas (Democrat)

District 6

Juliette Eskridge (Democrat)
Terrance Harris (Democrat)
Marinda A-Williams (Democrat)
Contessa Glorianna Humphrey (Democrat)
Stacey Kelly (Democrat)
Frederick Dewayne Tappan (independent)

District 8

Ayleem Connolly (Democrat)
Tanya Frey (Democrat)
Leigh Ann Scarbrough (independent)

District 9

Incumbent Joyce Dorse Coleman (Democrat)
Jonathan Carroll (Democrat)
Damon Curry Morris (Democrat)
Louis Morganfield (Democrat)
Tamara Debrand Jordan (Democrat)

The 2026 election has gone through a series of lawsuits and redesigns since the summer. County commissioners originally pushed through a mega-election that would have put all nine seats on the ballot in May. But a Shelby County judge ruled that move unlawful on Feb. 9, stopping five district races that would have cut short current board members’ terms.

MSCS board members still face an uncertain future as Republican lawmakers advance a bill to establish a state-appointed board of managers that would take over the district. That board could take over key responsibilities from the local board, including setting the budget and hiring superintendents.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Tennessee AG won’t intervene for Knox County school board in religious charter lawsuit

2026-02-27T12:00:01+00:00

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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti will not intervene in an ongoing lawsuit over the state’s religious charter school ban, leaving the Knox County Board of Education to defend a state policy against claims of religious discrimination.

The Wilberforce Academy of Knoxville, represented by an attorney currently working for Skrmetti’s office in a different case, sued the school district late last year in federal court.

The case could bring a fresh challenge to the religious charter issue that deadlocked the U.S. Supreme Court in 2025.

Though Wilberforce is not suing the state of Tennessee, it is challenging the constitutionality of Tennessee’s longstanding charter school law. Under federal regulations, state attorneys general must be notified and given the option to intervene in lawsuits with constitutional challenges.

Skrmetti declined to intervene earlier this month, according to court filings. His office did not comment on the filing but pointed to a November legal opinion Skrmetti wrote that questioned the constitutionality of Tennessee’s own law.

Skrmetti argued there was “no compelling interest” in excluding religious charter schools from participating in a “public benefit.”

In its lawsuit, Wilberforce focuses in part on Tennessee’s new voucher program, essentially arguing that the public education funds now flowing to private religious schools support the case that religious charters should be included in public funding.

Gov. Bill Lee, who pushed for the voucher program to allow private religious schools to receive public dollars, demurred on Thursday when asked if he believes state law should be changed to allow religious charters.

“The Attorney General has the role in determining what’s constitutional, what should be law in the state,” Lee said. “I’d defer to him on that.”

Nonprofit sued days after registering with the state

Days after Skrmetti’s November legal opinion was published, Wilberforce sued the Knox County Board of Education in federal court, alleging explicit religious discrimination over local and state rules banning religious charter schools.

On Nov. 25, just four days after it registered as a nonprofit with the state, Wilberforce submitted a letter of intent to the Knox County Board of Education to indicate interest in opening an “explicitly Christian school” in 2027.

The board would not accept the letter, according to court documents, because Wilberforce would not affirm the state requirement that it be a nonsectarian and non-religious school.

Knox County attorneys say Wilberforce never completed a charter application, and therefore they haven’t been denied anything.

Last week, a federal judge denied Wilberforce’s request for a ruling that would immediately block the Knox County board from enforcing the state ban on religious charters. A trial on the issue is scheduled for January 2027.

Despite Skrmetti’s hands-off approach to the lawsuit, an attorney working with the attorney general’s office is currently representing Wilberforce in its lawsuit against the Tennessee school district.

In 2023, Lee appointed Cameron Norris, a Virginia-based attorney with the conservative law firm Consovoy McCarthy, to help defend Tennessee in a lawsuit over the state law banning gender transition treatments for minors.

Skrmetti’s office has continued to hire Norris as outside counsel in two cases since, according to records reviewed by Chalkbeat Tennessee. Norris currently earns $400 per hour, paid by public funds, to help Tennessee defend its criminal abortion ban against ongoing legal challenges.

A group of Knox County parents have joined the Knox County board to oppose Wilberforce’s lawsuit.

“I believe that public education is part of the common good and that maintaining the integrity of public education ensures that public schools remain appropriate for and welcoming to students of all faiths and backgrounds,” said Amanda Collins, a retired school psychologist whose three children either attend or attended Knox County public schools. “These fundamental tenets are at odds with a religious school.”

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis’ first partisan school board election draws no Republican candidates

2026-02-23T21:23:01+00:00

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Memphis Democrats will choose from a crowded candidate pool for the first partisan school board primary in May, but no Republicans will be in the race.

After months of back-and-forth votes and legal debates, the could’ve-been mega-election for the school board is no longer. Only four races will be on the ballot after the Shelby County Chancery Court ruled on Feb. 9 that putting all nine seats up for election, as the county government intended, is against state law.

The open board seats for Districts 1 and 9 will be decided by the May 5 primary, since only Democratic candidates met the qualifying petition deadline last Thursday. Districts 6 and 8 each have one Independent challenger, meaning voters will have to choose between them and the Democratic candidate in a general election on August 6.

The Shelby County Republicans voted last spring to usher in a partisan primary, hoping to capitalize on growing frustration with the current school board. Vice Chairman Luke Cymbal said in the fall that he expected to win at least two board seats by backing candidates who supported the state takeover of MSCS.

It’s still unclear what authority the Memphis-Shelby County school board will hold over the district next year. Tennessee Republicans are continuing to push for a state takeover of MSCS that would establish a state-appointed board in charge of key decisions on the budget and superintendent hirings.

Candidates for districts 1, 6, 8, and 9 had until Thursday at noon to submit qualifying petitions with 25 valid signatures. Once the Shelby County Election Commission officially certifies those petitions, candidates will officially be in the May 5 race.

As of Monday, the election commission gave initial approval to 17 candidates:

District 1

Incumbent Michelle McKissack (Democrat)
Dolores Williams Rivers (Democrat)
Hailey Thomas (Democrat)

District 6 (Incumbent Keith Williams will not be running for re-election.)

Juliette Eskridge (Democrat)
Terrance Harris (Democrat)
Marinda A Williams (Democrat)
Contessa Glorianna Humphrey (Democrat)
Stacey Kelly (Democrat)
Frederick Dewayne Tappan (independent)

District 8 (Incumbent Amber Huett-Garcia will not be running for re-election.)

Ayleem Connolly (Democrat)
Tanya Frey (Democrat)
Leigh Ann Scarbrough (independent)

District 9

Incumbent Joyce Dorse Coleman (Democrat)
Jonathan Carroll (Democrat)
Damon Curry Morris (Democrat)
Louis Morganfield (Democrat)
Tamara Debrand Jordan (Democrat)

Candidates who no longer wish to run in the school board race can withdraw their names by noon on Thursday.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis board appoints Roderick Richmond as permanent superintendent after contentious debate

2026-02-12T02:05:39+00:00

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Memphis schools interim leader Roderick Richmond will serve as the district’s permanent superintendent after contentious debate among board members Wednesday.

The Memphis-Shelby County school board voted unanimously to appoint Richmond as the full-time superintendent after his temporary contract expires at the end of July. That came after a split board argued over whether a full superintendent search was feasible and necessary for transparency, or whether immediate stability was the most important factor.

“There’s a crisis of inconsistency here,” said board member Amber Huett-Garcia, who voted to appoint Richmond. “We have four colleagues here who had rooms full of people begging you not to make a decision last January. But the community voice didn’t matter back then.”

Last January, the MSCS board voted to suddenly fire former superintendent Marie Feagins. They immediately appointed Richmond as the temporary leader. Richmond is the fourth leader MSCS has had in four years.

Board members pushing for Richmond’s appointment Wednesday said the context of an impending state takeover puts urgency behind the decision.

“We are under attack by the state,” said chair Natalie McKinney, who voted to appoint Richmond. “Our continued kicking the can down the road in making a decision about a permanent superintendent puts us possibly in the crosshairs with the state.”

Richmond’s promotion comes as Tennessee Republicans are working to pass bills for a state takeover of MSCS. Bill sponsors Sen. Brent Taylor and Rep. Mark White, who both represent the Memphis area, are pushing to establish a state-appointed board of managers that would strip the local school board of most powers, including the hiring and firing of superintendents.

While neither will confirm whether the new board would immediately replace the district leader, Taylor said in a Friday interview that decisions made by MSCS now — including Richmond’s appointment — are “irrelevant.”

Three board members – Tamarques Porter, Sable Otey, and Towanna Murphy – originally voted against the appointment process, and to delay naming an appointee until Feb. 24.

“I do appreciate Dr. Richmond for bringing us stability,” Porter said. “I don’t see a need to rush right now.”

The terms of Richmond’s new contract are undecided. MSCS General Counsel Justin Bailey will enter immediate negotiations with Richmond to decide how long he will stay on and what his salary will be, among other details. Richmond receives $325,000 per year as interim, the same rate paid to former superintendent Feagins.

Bailey is expected to present Richmond’s contract after at least 14 days.

Richmond has said in previous interviews that he’s focused on restoring trust and stability to the district. After the meeting, Richmond told reporters that he’s excited to lead MSCS towards being the “number one urban district in the country.”

“Having retention in our district is one of the most important things we can do now,” he said. “We’ve stabilized the district. Now, what I want us to do is provide the continuity necessary for us to turn it around.”

Board members praised Richmond for delivering on the responsibilities they gave him earlier this year. In the last 11 months, Richmond helped develop a long-term facilities plan that includes closing up to 15 schools in the next three years. The MSCS board will vote on five of his recommendations this month.

He also created a new regional superintendent model for MSCS and brought back district-wide testing. Under Richmond’s leadership, teacher vacancies were cut in half to 226 in the beginning of the school year. Richmond has said he wants that number down to 50 by August.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Shelby County judge says 2026 school board reset election is unlawful

2026-02-09T23:28:26+00:00

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Five Memphis school board members will not have to seek reelection in May after a Monday court ruling invalidated the monthslong push from the county government to put all nine seats on the ballot.

A Shelby County judge ruled that the September resolution passed by the county commission is invalid and void because it would cut five Memphis-Shelby County school board members’ elected terms short.

Chancellor Melanie Taylor Jefferson said the Shelby County Commission “exceeded their authority” by adopting a resolution that specified changes needed to happen in the next election cycle and across all districts. Those details were not included in the 2025 state law that authorized local governments to restructure election dates.

In an emailed statement, MSCS praised the court for making a “measured and thoughtful” decision.

“The court’s decision upholds both the letter and spirit of the law and reinforces the principle that locally elected officials should serve the full terms to which they were duly elected,” the statement said.

MSCS sued the Shelby County Election Commission in December for implementing the county’s resolution and won a temporary restraining order to stop candidate filing for districts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7. Current MSCS board members filling those seats had called the move retaliation for firing former Superintendent Marie Feagins last January.

The initial lawsuit didn’t include the county commission. But on Jan. 15, the board amended its complaint to include the county government as a defendant and then dismissed the entire election commission a week later.

Lee Whitwell, the lawyer representing the Shelby County Commission, argued Thursday that those moves were “procedurally problematic,” giving the commission no time to prepare a legal argument. The MSCS team also hasn’t filed an updated complaint against the commission at large.

“We’re backed into a corner because of the way the plaintiffs handled this case,” Whitwell said Thursday. “Because they didn’t comply … they’re really not entitled to the relief that they’re seeking today at all.”

The judge agreed that MSCS didn’t follow proper procedure. But she said she couldn’t allow a technicality to result in the abridgement of elected terms. The court also was running out of time to issue a ruling, with candidate filings for 2026 races due in less than two weeks.

Taylor Jefferson declined to rule on whether the county commission’s resolution violates the Tennessee constitution, another claim alleged by MSCS in its initial lawsuit. Whitwell confirmed that those issues could be argued in an appeal to a higher court. But he declined to say whether the Shelby County Commission will appeal Thursday’s ruling.

Wade said the constitutional questions are a moot point, because the county exceeded what state law authorized.

“That alone is enough to disqualify,” he said. “You don’t have to have a constitutional basis.”

As of early last month, 22 challengers had completed the first step to run against incumbents in the May 5 primary, which this year is a partisan race for the first time. Districts 1, 6, 8 and 9 will still be on the ballot according to the usual four-year election schedule.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis rehires custodial company to begin cleaning services after a monthlong gap at over 30 schools

2026-01-22T23:37:33+00:00

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After two votes rejecting a contract last month, the Memphis-Shelby County school board is bringing back a controversial custodial company to restore cleaning services to Northwest schools.

For the past three weeks, nearly 35 MSCS schools have been without janitorial services because of the stalled contract. The board voted 8-0 in an emergency meeting Thursday to rehire ABM Industries starting Feb. 1 through the remainder of the calendar year. Board members Stephanie Love, Tamarques Porter, Sable Otey, Keith Williams, and Joyce Dorse-Coleman changed their votes to get the contract through.

Several parents from Idlewild Elementary school, one of the buildings left without custodial services since the beginning of the year, pleaded during Thursday’s meeting for the board to adopt the contract. One parent said her son missed seven days of school in January because of unclean conditions during flu and virus season.

“He had the flu, and the flu turned into pneumonia,” Shelby Pearson, who has a 5-year-old at Idlewild, said Thursday. “Hold yourselves accountable. We are tired. We are fed up. This is deplorable.”

The MSCS board voted 5-2 to reject ABM’s contract in December and doubled down on that rejection weeks later, citing concerns about service quality from the company 10 years ago. It isn’t the first time cleaning contracts have caused issues for the district. The board had to fire the Northwest janitorial company in 2024 due to delayed worker payments and contract violations.

Board member Towanna Murphy, a critic of ABM, said she doesn’t want a repeat of that mistake. Murphy abstained from voting Thursday after listing at least nine school districts, including at least one in Tennessee, that fired ABM for poor performance in recent years.

“We have to make the right choice,” Murphy said. “That doesn’t mean we come from one incompetent company to another.”

Michelle McKissack, who represents a Northwest district where all schools were affected by the lapse in services, said she pushed the board to reconsider the contract after hearing multiple complaints from parents and teachers.

During public comment, Idlewild parents asked why the district didn’t have a backup option during the December votes. Pearson said the district should rely on MSCS employees to clean schools instead of having to adopt annual contracts with outside vendors.

“Why are we not providing permanent solutions to the problems we have?” she said.

In a meeting Tuesday, Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond said administrators followed the contract policy correctly, offering a bid to ABM after a full search process in October. The board paid 50 building engineers and 123 cafeteria workers who volunteered to clean schools this month as a stopgap after the two contract rejections.

Board members said Tuesday that they want to change district policy to shift the timeline to the summer months so contract debates don’t happen in the middle of the school year. Several board members also pressed for more options in the beginning of the contract process.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include a line of context about the repeated contract vote.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis school board sues Shelby County Commission over 2026 election reset

2026-01-21T17:47:48+00:00

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The Memphis-Shelby County school board is now suing the county commission in its fight against the 2026 election that could cut short five board members’ terms.

The MSCS board filed an initial lawsuit against the Shelby County Election Commission in December, blaming the local entity for unconstitutionally shortening terms by putting all nine board seats on the May 2026 ballot. That original filing didn’t mention the Shelby County Commission, which voted in September to enact the state law that allows for the election reset in the first place.

Commissioner Michael Whaley, who sponsored the final version of the reset bill, said then that he hoped omitting an official start year in the bill language would protect the county commission from a lawsuit.

But the MSCS lawyer filed an amended complaint last week with the Shelby County Chancery Court, saying the commission acted “wholly outside the scope of the local government’s authority” by enacting the September resolution.

“The Shelby County Board of Commissioners has no authority under the Tennessee Constitution to remove any elected school board member or to abridge their terms of office by any means,” the Jan. 15 amended complaint states.

A 2024 Tennessee law permitted local governments to realign election cycles to put school board races on the same ballot as other county offices. But it did not “expressly authorize” the Shelby County Commission to remove “duly elected, qualified and acting school board members” from office or shorten their terms, the lawsuit says.

A spokesperson for the Shelby County Commission said the body does not comment on ongoing litigation. The county attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

The revised lawsuit also claims that board member Tamarques Porter, who represents District 4, will suffer “unique harm that will be immediate and irreparable” by being forced to run again in 2026. Porter works as a federal employee in the Department of Treasury, which means he cannot participate in partisan elections under the Hatch Act.

The local Republican and Democratic parties voted this year to make the May 5 school board primary a partisan race for the first time.

Porter is the only member among the five facing shortened terms – including Board Chair Natalie McKinney, Stephanie Love, Sable Otey, and Towanna Murphy – who did not vote to fire former Superintendent Marie Feagins in January. Board members have called the election changes retaliation for that decision, a claim the lawsuit echoes.

The Shelby County Chancery Court issued a temporary restraining order to pause 2026 candidate petitions in the five contested districts – 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 – earlier this month, marking an early win for the MSCS board.

A hearing is set for Jan. 26.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

The Memphis school board election looks different this year. Here’s why it matters.

2026-01-05T18:47:42+00:00

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Memphis voters will choose an all-new school board this year in an unprecedented mega-election that comes as state lawmakers push to dilute the power of the locally elected board.

For the first time, the 2026 ballot will include candidates for all nine Memphis-Shelby County school board seats. And those vying for the open positions will also compete in a partisan primary in May.

These changes are part of what some state and local officials say is a plan to increase voter turnout and school board accountability. But others argue the moves are unconstitutional and retaliatory.

The MSCS board filed a lawsuit in December against the local election commission to stop it from holding races for Districts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7. Those races would cut short five members’ terms, a move the lawsuit calls “legislative punishment masquerading as election reform.”

Memphis school board members have faced heavy backlash from some parents and community leaders, in addition to government officials, since voting to fire former Superintendent Marie Feagins last January. Some say the 2026 election changes are a reaction to that decision.

But there’s much more at stake, including school closures and a new superintendent hire. And in the midst of the district’s upheaval, the board’s own authority could be usurped by the state in the coming months.

Here are four reasons why the 2026 board election is so important.

For some, it’s a long-awaited reckoning for Marie Feagins’ ouster

During months of back-and-forth votes from the county commission, some MSCS parents and community members testified that the school board needed to be held accountable for abruptly firing Feagins, who they say was making good progress.

Board members have said the mega-election is retaliation for that decision. Four of the five members who will lose two years of their elected terms voted to oust the former superintendent.

Others say Feagins is a factor in the election upheaval, but not the driving force.

“The firing of Feagins is a symptom of the problem, but it was not the only problem, and it wasn’t necessarily the triggering problem,” said Luke Cymbal, vice president of the Shelby County Democrats. Cymbal said it’s more about low literacy and high absenteeism rates in the district, academic underperformance issues that have long plagued the district.

Mauricio Calvo, a former MSCS board member and director of Latino Memphis, said Feagins’ firing sparked a lot of anger in some parents.

“People were really upset, but they didn’t care enough to go and vote last year,” he said. “Suddenly they’re like, ‘I want to recall board members; they should be fired,’ and that’s not a thing.”

Rep. Torrey Harris, a Democrat from Memphis, has already filed a bill that would allow voters to recall local elected officials — including school board members — in the upcoming legislative session.

Significant state intervention could be coming

Two Republican Tennessee lawmakers, Rep. Mark White and Sen. Brent Taylor, say they will revisit an effort to establish a state-appointed board of managers in MSCS. If White and House GOP leaders get their way, the board would have significant decision-making authority, diluting the power of the elected school board.

The results of an independent financial audit of the district, also pushed forward by state lawmakers last year, are expected to come out in 2026. An early report should be released at the beginning of the year, White said in December.

While Taylor’s Senate bill last year established an oversight body with limited authority over district decisions, White and other House leaders are adamant the group needs voting authority on major school board decisions like budget creation and large purchases.

Local Republican leaders are hopeful that support for a takeover could propel some conservative candidates to win MSCS board seats. Regardless, debates about how best to work with the state on MSCS issues will likely play a major role in the 2026 elections.

MSCS leadership decisions are coming

MSCS is due for a new superintendent at the end of July. Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond said he wants the permanent role, but it’s unclear if the MSCS board will conduct a formal search. The last superintendent search took over a year and stalled multiple times because of board infighting.

Board members kicked off an informal review of Richmond’s 10-month performance in November. They’re expected to discuss results from anonymous staff surveys and give their input in January.

Meanwhile, Feagins’ lawsuit against MSCS in which she seeks to be reinstated as the district’s top leader is still ongoing. The Daily Memphian reported that she also recently announced a bid for the 2026 Shelby County mayoral race.

School closures and building upgrades are on the way

In February, the current MSCS board is set to vote on a proposed list of four school closures and the transfer of one elementary school to a neighboring district starting next year. Up to 10 more schools could be closed by 2028, according to a long-term facilities plan released in December.

The new plan didn’t name which schools will be suggested for closure in the next few years. But it did say most recommendations will be concentrated in the Northwest and Southwest districts, where chronic underenrollment and facility conditions are at their worst.

In town halls this fall, parents raised concerns about teacher relocation and student safety, especially at schools that could merge students from different grade levels. But the long-term plan suggests leaning even more on K-8 or 6-12 schools.

The next school board will be in charge of approving the 2027 and 2028 closures and directing the first wave of needed building upgrades and repairs. That includes securing funding, such as asking the Shelby County commission for a $750 million bond for the next 10 years.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

House GOP to push forward Memphis school takeover plan with ‘teeth’

2025-12-23T15:47:16+00:00

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Tennessee House Republican leaders will push forward a plan in 2026 to install a Memphis-Shelby County schools oversight panel that would seize significant decision-making authority from the locally elected school board.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton and education committee Chairman Mark White confirmed this month they are committed to working with the Senate to pass a form of takeover legislation in the 2026 legislative session.

Republicans in the two chambers failed to find a compromise after passing differing versions of the bill earlier this year amid ongoing frustrations with school board governance and academic performance issues. If lawmakers can agree this year, change could come quickly to Memphis-Shelby County schools, which is already primed for major upheaval in 2026.

White’s plan would essentially install a governing oversight board with the authority to veto part or all of the local school board’s budget, the largest single decision the school board is responsible for.

White argued the oversight board must have the “teeth” to make significant district decisions, compared to the 2025 Senate version of the plan that would operate as an advisory board.

The oversight board under White’s plan would also have approval authority for any contracts or expenses larger than $50,000 and essentially control final charter decisions in the district. White’s proposal would institute the board for three years, with the potential for another three-year extension.

“Putting a board in place that has no authority to do anything is a waste of time,” Sexton said. “It does nothing. If you’re going to put it in, then you’ve got to trust them to make the decisions.”

Sen. Brent Taylor, a Memphis Republican carrying the Senate version of the bill, did not respond to a request for comment.

The Senate and House passed differing versions of the legislation in 2025, with the two chambers at odds over details of oversight board authority.

If Senate and House leaders can come to a compromise on the legislation when the General Assembly reconvenes in mid-January, it could quickly be passed into law. Because the bills are still live, the chambers could hash out any changes in conference without reverting back to a lengthy legislative committee process.

Potential oversight changes would be one of several significant changes on the horizon for Memphis schools.

The early 2025 firing of former Superintendent Marie Feagins ignited long-simmering dissatisfaction with the school board and triggered both local and state backlash. Now, all nine seats on the board are up for election in 2026, meaning Memphis voters may go to the primary ballot box this spring to vote for a board whose governing power could soon be greatly diminished under the legislative plan.

The board must also make a decision on the interim superintendent’s contract sometime in 2026.

White said he will move “full speed ahead” to enact “drastic” changes.

“I don’t believe an elected school board can fix decades of bureaucracy. I’m not putting blame on any past or present school board,” White said.

Legislative Democrats and Memphis-Shelby County school leaders have sharply criticized the takeover effort as political overreach, pointing to previous state takeover failures in the Achievement School District and incremental progress the district has made recently.

“State intervention in Memphis schools has historically failed to improve outcomes,” Memphis-Shelby County schools interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond said during a fall community meeting.

Launched a decade ago, the Achievement School District took control of low-performing schools and often turned them over to the charter operators. But the state intervention model led to no meaningful long-term improvements for students, research showed, and often sparked community backlash for takeovers in low-income neighborhoods.

Memphis schools have had some growth in recent years. This year, MSCS students outpaced the state average for academic growth in reading and math. More Memphis schools also earned top marks in Tennessee’s report card system for the 2024-2025 school year.

Yet the district continues to lag significantly in academic achievement, with less than 25% of MSCS students meeting grade level benchmarks in reading and math on state tests.

Sexton suggested any improvement is too little, too late after decades of underperformance in the state’s largest school district.

Republicans are also eyeing an ongoing state financial audit of the district, though both Sexton and White said the takeover legislation would move ahead regardless of those findings.

White has denied that the legislation amounts to a state takeover, given that members of the governing board must be residents of Shelby County. White says he, along with other Memphis natives, believe “we have to have local intervention.”

But under White’s 2025 bill, the appointing power for the oversight board would sit in state government and, by extension, give the Republican Party governing authority of local schools in a majority Democratic county.

Under the House bill, the Tennessee governor would appoint five members, and the House and Senate speakers would receive two appointments each.

Critics of the legislation have also warned the measure could have ripple effects beyond Memphis and encroach on local control in other areas of the state, though the legislation currently only applies to Shelby County. White’s 2025 legislation could trigger an oversight board in a local district if:

50% or more of enrolled students did not meet state testing grade level expectations.
30% or more of schools in a district receive a D or F state letter grade.
25% or more of students enrolled were chronically absent in the most recent school year.
One or more schools have been identified as a priority school by the state education department.
And the local legislative body of the county approves a resolution of no confidence in the local school board.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Who’s running in the 2026 Memphis school board election? Here’s what we know so far.

2025-12-22T18:05:07+00:00

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The field for Memphis’ 2026 school board election is starting to take shape.

Campaign season kicked off Monday and candidates can now begin collecting qualifying signatures ahead of a Feb. 19 deadline for the May 5 primary.

Five incumbent Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members — Michelle McKissack, Natalie McKinney, Tamarques Porter, Sable Otey and Towanna Murphy — confirmed with Chalkbeat that they’re running for reelection.

McKinney, Porter, Otey, and Murphy are currently suing the election commission for cutting their terms short by putting all nine seats on the ballot this spring, while McKissack’s District 1 seat was already slated for the 2026 election cycle before the election reset.

A handful of challengers have announced their campaigns, while another person indicated they’re strongly considering a run through campaign filings.

Amber Huett-Garcia, who currently represents District 8, will not seek reelection, as she is running for county commission. The other three incumbent board members did not respond to requests for confirmation.

The board is still waiting for the outcome of a lawsuit filed against the measure last week, which includes a preliminary injunction request to stop the Shelby County Election Commission from holding the races for Districts 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7.

“If I have to run again, I will,” board member Towanna Murphy, who represents District 7, said.

The Shelby County Commission put all nine seats up for grabs this spring after overriding a mayoral veto in October. MSCS board candidates will also run in a partisan primary for the first time this May, a decision made by both county Democratic and Republican parties that has drawn criticism from some incumbents and community members

“School board races should be nonpartisan, because classrooms aren’t red or blue,” District 5 board member Otey said. “Decisions about literacy, safety, and student success should be guided by data and what’s best for kids, not party politics.”

Still, nearly all of the confirmed candidates, including Otey, say they’ll be running on the Democratic ticket. In one of the largest Democratic strongholds in Tennessee, the May primary will likely be more of a competitive battle than the Aug. 6 general election. Republican candidates will face an uphill battle to victory in the current districts.

Luke Cymbal, the vice chairman of Shelby County’s Republican party, said the group will back conservative candidates for the MSCS race despite the challenges ahead.

“We are going to give the city of Memphis a choice, and we are going to encourage them to look at how voting historically has worked out for the Memphis-Shelby County School District, which we say is a failure,” Cymbal said. “We will encourage them to vote differently.”

Cymbal said Republican candidates will most likely support efforts for a state takeover of MSCS, which could sway some Democratic voters who support further state intervention. The local party has already seen increased momentum, he said, because of their support for the megaelection.

Jon Carroll has worked for the state and local Democratic committees and PTAs for years. But this year, he’s running to take over the District 9 seat on the MSCS board. Caroll said the state takeover is probably inevitable regardless of who wins the 2026 seats, but the level of disruption is to be determined.

A lifelong Memphis resident, Carroll says he wants to improve the board’s budget and resource allocation process. He also hopes to increase funding for career and technical education programs and rebuild the community’s trust in MSCS.

“The community doesn’t trust the school board right now,” Carroll said. “They want professionalism; they want change.”

Here’s who is running so far, based on public announcements and documents filed with the local election board:

District 1

Incumbent Michelle McKissack confirmed to Chalkbeat that she will run as a Democrat.

District 2

Incumbent Chair Natalie McKinney, who’s facing shortened terms, confirmed to Chalkbeat that she will run as a Democrat.

District 3 (Incumbent Stephanie Love did not confirm whether she will run for reelection.)

Tarnika Love-Anderson filed campaign documents with the election commission as a Democrat and announced her campaign on Facebook.
Valerie Wright filed campaign documents with the election commission as an Independent and announced her campaign on Facebook.

District 4

Incumbent Tamarques Porter, who’s facing shortened terms, confirmed to Chalkbeat that he will run as a Democrat.

District 5

Incumbent Sable Otey, who’s facing shortened terms, confirmed to Chalkbeat that she will run as a Democrat.

District 6 (Incumbent Keith Williams did not confirm whether he will run for reelection.)

District 7

Incumbent Towanna Murphy, who’s facing shortened terms, confirmed to Chalkbeat that she will run as a Democrat.
Sonia Partick-Warr filed campaign documents with the election commission but did not list a party affiliation.

District 8 (Incumbent Amber Huett-Garcia will not be running for reelection.)

Toshina Williams-Webb posted her intention to run on Facebook.

District 9 (Incumbent Joyce Dorse Coleman did not confirm whether she will run for reelection.)

Jon Carroll confirmed to Chalkbeat that he will run as a Democrat.

This is a developing story that will be updated as candidates announce their campaigns.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis could close 15 schools by 2028 under building improvement plan

2025-12-18T23:34:36+00:00

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Memphis school leaders plan to close up to 15 schools in the next three years, according to a long-term facilities plan released this week.

In the document obtained by Chalkbeat on Thursday, Memphis-Shelby County Schools officials did not name the 10 schools being considered for closure in 2027 and 2028. But it does say that most of the closures will be in the district’s Northwest and Southwest regions, which have the most chronically underenrolled and oldest buildings.

The plan is also “a living document,” the report says, “meaning it is continually reviewed, updated, and refined as circumstances change.”

Chronic underenrollment and high-cost repair needs are the main factors placing schools on the recommended closure list, according to the draft plan. One in four MSCS schools currently fills less than 60% of its available seats, and the district is facing over $1 billion in needed building repairs over the next decade. Nine MSCS buildings, including four administrative centers, are nearing the end of their useful life.

In September, Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond proposed the first round of school closures included in Thursday’s plan. MSCS board members are expected to vote on whether to close the first four — Frayser-Corning Elementary, Georgian Hills Elementary, Chickasaw Middle and Ida B. Wells Academy — in February.

They’ll also decide whether to transfer the Lucy Elementary building to neighboring Millington Municipal School District years ahead of a state-mandated schedule. Parents have raised safety concerns about proposed school mergers and questions about teacher retention during school closure community hearings this fall. The new plan suggests leaning more on “alternate grade structures” like K-8 or 6-12 models.

The Daily Memphian first reported on the long-term facilities plan Thursday morning. In addition to planned closures, MSCS leaders want to upgrade deteriorating athletic facilities and renovate schools that could absorb students displaced by closures. That includes fixing structural issues like HVAC, roofs, and plumbing systems over the next five years.

Overall, the report says, MSCS families in the Northwest have experienced the “most disruption” in recent years. Most of the schools taken over by the state under the failed Achievement School District were housed in that region.

The district has closed 35 schools in the two western regions since 2010, the draft plan says, due to local residents moving eastward and “disinvestment in the inner-city.” Future housing development projects are also largely concentrated in the eastern county areas.

But there are 21 schools considered “underutilized,” meaning they have too many vacant student seats, in the Northwest and Southwest. That’s compared to 13 in the eastern regions. The report says Northwest elementary schools and Southwest middle and high schools will likely be the focus of future closure recommendations.

“Right-sizing space reduces the number of buildings to maintain, which means limited district resources flow to fewer facilities, ensuring those resources support the most students,” the draft plan says.

The district’s ad hoc facilities committee, formed to provide feedback on the long-term plan, recommended asking the Shelby County Commission for $750 million to fund repairs and closures in the next 10 years. That proposal is included in the draft plan, as are proposals for the district to conduct studies of MSCS attendance zones and relevant housing development plans.

Catch up on Chalkbeat Tennessee’s coverage of Memphis school closure discussions at:

This story has been updated to include additional details from the draft facilities plan.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis school board sues over 2026 election reset

2025-12-16T23:11:08+00:00

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Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members are suing the Shelby County Election Commission over 2026 election changes that would cut short more than half of the board’s terms.

Those five members — chair Natalie McKinney, Stephanie Love, Towanna Murphy, Tamarques Porter, and Sable Otey — filed the lawsuit with Shelby County Chancery Court on Dec. 15. The district board as a whole is also listed as a plaintiff.

The lawsuit argues that abridging board members’ terms is unconstitutional and against state code. It also calls the changes “legislative punishment masquerading as election reform.” All but one of the affected board members — Porter — voted to oust former Superintendent Marie Feagins in January.

“Their terms have been legislatively shortened by two years, not because of any finding of misconduct, incompetence, or malfeasance, but solely because they exercised their statutory authority to terminate an employee for documented cause,” the lawsuit says.

MSCS board members are also seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the commission from holding the reset election, which is set to kick off with partisan primaries in May.

In an emailed statement Tuesday, Administrator of Elections Linda Phillips said she is “aware of and disappointed” that the school board is suing the Shelby County Election Commission.

“The Shelby County Election Commission works to ensure elections are properly administered, but does not decide which elections are placed on the ballot,” Phillips said.

But the board’s lawsuit alleges the election commission bears responsibility for placing all nine school board seats on the 2026 ballot, not the county commission that voted to reset election cycles under a new state law.

The state law allows local governing bodies to make the changes, but does not mandate it.

And after months of debating whether to restart the cycle in 2026 or 2030, the Shelby County Commission approved a final resolution in September that does not name a specific start year but does direct the changes to begin in the next election cycle.

Commissioner Michael Whaley, who sponsored the resolution, said then that he hoped vague language would prevent the commission from being sued.

Supporters of the reset argued aligning all board elections with other county elections could reduce administrative costs and boost voter turnout, which has historically been low for school board elections. But the state law and commission decision came amid ongoing calls for greater accountability for the MSCS board following the ouster of former Superintendent Marie Feagins.

MSCS officials and affected board members did not respond to requests for comment. But this fall, board members argued the 2026 reset was a retaliatory effort for the Feagins decision that essentially nullified local voters’ decisions. Monday’s lawsuit alleges the ouster was “no doubt” a targeted motivation for lawmakers.

Board members unanimously voted in November to hire a lawyer to determine the legality and constitutionality of putting all nine seats on the ballot in 2026. The lawsuit was filed just a week before school board candidates can formally pull petitions for 2026 candidacy ahead of the May party primaries.

This story has been updated to include information from the lawsuit.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Some Memphis schools won’t have custodians after board rejects contract again

2025-12-15T22:50:05+00:00

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Memphis school board members doubled down on their decision to not offer a custodian contract to ABM Industries on Monday, leaving around 35 schools without cleaning services starting Jan. 1.

After a 25-minute discussion that wasn’t open to the public, five Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members voted against the contract. Board Chair Natalie McKinney and member Amber Huett-Garcia voted in favor, and Stephanie Love abstained. The board didn’t discuss other options to fill service gaps.

The current contract, which manages cleaning services for Northwest regional buildings, expires Dec. 31. There are no other board meetings scheduled before then, and MSCS adjourns for winter break starting next week.

Earlier this month, board members expressed concern about hiring ABM Industries due to district complaints filed against the company over a decade ago. But district leaders said the company was chosen from a pool of vendors after earning the highest score on a rubric used to vet MSCS partnerships.

MSCS currently splits custodial services regionally among four different companies. Board members renewed next year’s contracts for three of the current companies on Dec. 2. The board is expected to begin working on new four-year contracts for all regions in May or June.

The district first started outsourcing custodial services in 2013 to save money after the Memphis City and Shelby County school system merger. That raised concerns about worker pay and cleaning quality at the time, and that debate is still playing out in school districts nationwide.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis board kicks off evaluation for interim superintendent, no mention of permanent search

2025-11-19T21:11:53+00:00

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The Memphis-Shelby County school board is asking teachers and principals to rate Superintendent Roderick Richmond’s performance as he enters the latter half of his interim term.

It’s the first step in an informal evaluation process for the MSCS leader, which will end in a public board meeting reviewing collected feedback in the first week of January. Teachers and staff are expected to receive an anonymous survey starting next week.

Richmond, who’s worked in the district for over 30 years, has spent 10 months in the top position. Board members still haven’t decided whether they will launch a search for the new superintendent before his term expires on July 31.

“We haven’t had that conversation yet,” Chair Natalie McKinney said.

The last search, which ended in the appointment of former Superintendent Marie Feagins, took over a year. It also stalled multiple times due to board member infighting and sparked community pushback for a lack of transparency.

Richmond took over the superintendent spot in January after the MSCS board voted to oust Feagins. He said then that he’s interested in leading the district in a permanent role.

In a board meeting Tuesday, evaluation committee leader Amber Huett-Garcia praised Richmond for “proactively seeking out feedback” from all district employees.

“I think that’s a culture we want to continue to nurture,” she said.

Teachers and staff members will rate Richmond’s performance on a 1-5 scale across four categories: leadership and strategic vision, student achievement, staff relations, and operations and finance.

Surveys will close on Dec. 5. Board members are expected to complete their own evaluations before the holiday break, which will center on Richmond’s progress in his 100-day plan. The plan outlines goals in what Richmond calls the “5 A’s”: academics, attendance, attitude, arts, and athletics.

Since January, Richmond has introduced a new “regional superintendent” model that splits the district into five different zones to target academic support and management. In September, he recommended four schools to close by the end of the academic year, while overseeing the creation of a comprehensive facilities repair plan.

Meanwhile, the suit Feagins brought against MSCS is still ongoing. Feagins wants to be reinstated to the superintendent role. But in August, a Shelby County judge denied her request to be immediately given the district’s top job.

The next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 17.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis school board members want to sue over the 2026 reset election. But time is running out.

2025-11-19T02:40:51+00:00

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The Memphis-Shelby County School District board is one step closer to filing a lawsuit over the 2026 reset election that would cut short five newly elected members’ terms.

In a meeting Tuesday, board members voted unanimously to hire a lawyer who will “promptly assess the legality and constitutionality” of putting all nine seats on the ballot in May, according to the resolution. Those findings could trigger a future lawsuit, though it’s unclear who it would be against.

Board Chair Natalie McKinney said Tuesday that the election reset is “blatantly, patently and clearly unconstitutional.”

“This is not about individual positions,” she added. “This is about the integrity of this body.”

The Shelby County Commission adopted the realignment of MSCS board elections in September, a move made possible by a state law passed earlier this year. That vote came after months of debate and community pushback, including a veto by Mayor Lee Harris.

County commissioners overrode his veto in late October. Now, candidates can start filing for a seat in any of the nine school board districts on Dec. 22.

Board members say in the resolution that these election changes are an “imminent threat to the lawful function and democratic integrity” of the district. The board has compelling interests, the resolution says, including:

“Protecting the integrity of its governance structure;
Upholding the democratic process by preserving the full terms of office as established at the time of elections; and
Maintaining the decision-making authority vested in the body by law.”

State lawmakers and some Memphis parents have been calling for more accountability since the MSCS board fired former Superintendent Marie Feagins in January. But board members Tuesday said that decision doesn’t give the county or state permission to nullify voters’ choice in 2024.

“Being angry doesn’t mean you take the votes away from the people who put us here,” Towanna Murphy said.

Murphy is one of five board members who would have their terms abridged by the 2026 election, along with McKinney, Stephanie Love, Sable Otey, and Tamarques Porter.

Board members Michelle McKissack and Amber Huett-Garcia, who opposed the Feagins ouster, were not present for Tuesday’s vote. Keith Williams was also not present.

The 2026 board election is already set up to be different than in years past, with MSCS candidates running in partisan primaries for the first time in May.

Plus, Republican legislators say they’re once again sponsoring bills to establish a state-run “board of managers” to oversee the district. And Rep. Torrey Harris, a Memphis Democrat, plans to introduce legislation that would allow Tennessee residents to recall local elected officials, including school board members.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Tennessee teacher suspended over Charlie Kirk social media post is reinstated

2025-11-13T20:15:58+00:00

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A Williamson County Schools teacher who was suspended over a private social media post in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination has been reinstated to her job, though a federal lawsuit over the district’s actions is still ongoing.

The reinstatement was revealed in a federal court filing after Emily Orbison, a Franklin High School teacher, sued the Tennessee school district last month over her suspension and a subsequent “no contact” ban from district schools property that blocked her from accessing her own daughter’s school and teacher.

Orbison was reinstated on Nov. 11 and promised back pay from Sept. 15, according to the reinstatement letter. The letter states Orbison’s “actions did not justify employee discipline.”

Orbison’s attorney, Kyle Mothershead, declined to comment on Thursday.

It’s unclear if Orbison, a science teacher, will return to the classroom as her federal lawsuit continues. Williamson County Schools’ attorneys filed her reinstatement letter on Thursday as evidence in a motion to dismiss, claiming that the internal investigation into whether she violated the district’s employee code of conduct was not an infringement on her constitutional rights to political speech.

“The decision to return Plaintiff to her job does not mean that the suspension pending investigation unlawfully infringed upon Plaintiff’s protected speech — it was necessary to balance the competing interests before returning Plaintiff to a potentially volatile environment,” Lisa Carson, the district’s attorney, said in the filing. “Indeed, in the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s death and Plaintiff’s comments, where community reaction was volatile and the risk of disruption was highest, the balance weighed in favor of the employer’s interest in protecting students and staff and avoiding disruption.”

Orbison posted her comments on Instagram Stories after Kirk’s death on Sept. 10, and in court filings she said her account was private with limited followers. Orbison shared a quote from Kirk where he suggested it was “worth it” and “rational” to have some gun deaths “so that we can have” Second Amendment rights.

In her initial lawsuit, Orbison said she felt moved to satirize Kirk’s political positions, which she disagreed with.

“Don’t worry, y’all. It’s worth it. It’s rational,” Orbison’s post said, according to a screenshot in her initial lawsuit. “It’s prudent that I have to go through regular drills of practicing how I will save the lives of students. Practice packing gunshot wounds. Reassure kids that when we get shot at, I will be there to protect them.”

But despite being posted on her private story, the post exploded into public view as many educators across the nation faced intense scrutiny in the wake of Kirk’s shooting death.

Orbison’s comments were featured in an article from The Federalist on Sept. 13 that was shared by a Williamson County board member and Sen. Marsha Blackburn. The Tennessee Republican led the charge against multiple Tennessee educators in the wake of Kirk’s death, and Blackburn shared the Federalist report on social media with the comment, “Fire her immediately.”

Orbison was suspended two days later.

Orbison sued in federal court in October, claiming retaliation and First Amendment rights violations over her firing and a blanket no-contact order that prevented her from speaking to her 5-year-old daughter’s teacher or attend school events for her kindergarten class. A judge quickly granted an injunction allowing her access to her daughter’s education.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Shelby County Commission overrides mayor veto to put full Memphis school board on 2026 ballot

2025-10-27T23:57:55+00:00

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The Shelby County Commission voted to override the mayor’s veto of a full Memphis school board reset election, once again putting all nine seats on the ballot in 2026.

Monday’s vote is the latest twist in a monthslong back-and-forth about realigning school board election dates. It also means five Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members will be forced to run for reelection less than two years after taking office.

In early October, Mayor Lee Harris vetoed the commission’s 2026 election resolution because of those term cuts, saying elected officials should only be removed from office early because of emergencies or criminal conduct.

But in an 8-4 vote Monday, commissioners in favor of the override said the MSCS school board needs to be held accountable to voters in 2026. Commissioners opposed to the measure did not speak.

“Something is very off about what’s going on with our school board,” said Commissioner Britney Thornton, who sponsored the motion to override the mayor’s veto. The 2026 reelection is an opportunity to let the public confirm who they want their school leaders to be, she said.

As tensions rose during public comments, the commission chair threatened to clear the chamber. Community members in favor of the 2026 election reset said the move empowers local voters to choose their leaders; those against said a reset would null their votes from the 2024 election.

Commissioner Mickell Lowery, who was absent from the original vote in late September, sided with reelection advocates Monday to give just enough votes to override the mayor. Lowery said he voted to side with his colleagues and allow their original action to stand.

But questions still remain about the legality of shortening some board members’ terms. Commissioners have said they plan to punt those challenges to state leaders, who sponsored the 2025 law that made election realignment possible in the first place. Lowery said the resolution likely will be legally challenged.

“And it probably should be decided by a court at the end of the day,” he said.

MSCS board members have called the push for an election reset a form of retaliation for ousting former Superintendent Marie Feagins in January. Four of the five members now facing shortened terms voted to fire Feagins.

Since that decision, the school board has faced heavy backlash from some local stakeholders and state leaders alike. Two Republican lawmakers are bringing back their proposals to create a state-appointed “board of managers” to oversee MSCS in the coming legislative session. And Rep. Torrey Harris, a Democrat from Memphis, is introducing a bill that would give voters the power to recall local officials, including school board members.

Plus, 2026 will be the first year that MSCS board candidates will face partisan primaries. Hopeful candidates have until Feb. 19 to announce their bid for a school board seat. And Memphis residents will cast their first vote for the next education leaders at a May 5 primary election.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Tennessee school boards could face voter recalls under new bill

2025-10-23T22:26:16+00:00

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Could Tennessee school boards soon face voter recalls?

That could happen under legislation filed by Rep. Torrey Harris, a Memphis Democrat, that would allow recall elections for school boards and other local offices.

The Memphis Democrat’s bill, which would apply statewide, is his latest effort aimed at the Memphis-Shelby County school board in the ongoing fallout from a controversial superintendent firing earlier this year.

House Bill 1448, which does not yet have a Senate sponsor, would allow a local resident to file a petition with the county election commission that demands a recall of a local elected official. The petition filer must have voted in the last local election and must gather the signatures equal to at least two-thirds of the total vote cast for the office in the last regular election to trigger the recall.

“This legislation [House Bill 1448] is about restoring the power of accountability where it belongs — with the people,” Harris said. “Our communities deserve to have confidence that if their elected leaders stop representing their values or fail to uphold the public trust, there is a process in place to act responsibly and democratically.”

Harris filed the legislation days before the Shelby County Commission was set for a final battle over another bill Harris passed in early 2025. Harris, along with Shelby County Republican Sen. Brent Taylor, passed legislation that allows local governing bodies to reset school board elections.

Though the legislation was nominally aimed at better aligning school board terms with other elected offices, it also was passed in the ensuing controversy after six Memphis-Shelby County school board members voted in January to fire the district’s new superintendent.

Shelby County commissioners voted in late September to put all nine school board seats up for reelection in 2026, cutting five board members’ terms short. But Mayor Lee Harris vetoed that resolution earlier this month, saying only emergencies or criminal conduct should stunt an elected official’s time in office.

The commission is expected to vote on Oct. 27 whether to override the mayor’s decision. The group needs eight votes to override, one more than the original resolution secured. Commissioner Mick Wright, who supports the 2026 reset, said winning that additional vote will be a “struggle.”

Rep. Mark White, a Memphis Republican who has been critical of current MSCS leadership and is leading a charge for increased state oversight in the district, said he needs to dig into the details of Harris’s proposal.

“Recalls are not really easy,” White said. “But I think for the citizens of Shelby County, if the elected officials are not serving them adequately, I think they should have the right to recall.”

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Shelby County mayor vetoes 2026 school board election reset

2025-10-07T17:22:48+00:00

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Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris vetoed a resolution Monday from county commissioners that would have put all nine Memphis school board seats up for election in 2026.

The controversial measure to reset school board election dates would have also cut short five current board members’ terms. In a two-line memo sent to commissioners Monday, Harris cited that effect as the reason for his veto.

“Absent an emergency or in the case of criminal misconduct, I do not believe that the terms of elected officials should be shortened,” Harris wrote in the memo obtained by Chalkbeat.

The Shelby County Commission could override the mayor’s veto with eight votes from its 13-member group within the next 30 days. Commissioners voted 7-5 to approve the measure on Sept. 22, but one commissioner was absent during the original vote, according to The Daily Memphian.

Even if the mayor’s veto stands, changes are still coming for school board elections next year. Candidates will face a partisan primary for the first time and new term limits approved by the county commission in August.

MSCS school board members have faced intense scrutiny since voting to oust former Superintendent Marie Feagins in January. Some members have called recent election changes discriminatory and a form of retaliation.

On top of all the local changes, two Tennessee lawmakers are expected to renew their efforts to establish a state-appointed board to take over the district in the spring.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis-Shelby County School Board will switch to a political primary election in 2026

2025-10-02T23:50:29+00:00

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Memphis-Shelby County school board candidates will face partisan primaries for the first time next year, though some sitting members say they plan to run as independents to avoid party labels.

Voters will head to the polls on May 5 to choose their candidates on a Democratic or Republican ticket. In a Democratic stronghold like Shelby County, some races could effectively be decided in the primary. Running without a party backing could put candidates at a disadvantage on a partisan ballot.

This change adds another layer to an already unusual school board election, given a recent county commission decision to put all nine seats on the ballot at the same time in 2026.

Towanna Murphy, a current MSCS board member, told Chalkbeat that she likely won’t align with a party to run for re-election, even though she identifies as a Democrat, because it could be confusing for voters. Sable Otey, another current board member, said partisan elections “risk dividing our community even further.”

“Our focus as a board should be on education, not on party politics,” she said.

Tennessee lawmakers gave local counties the option to put school board seats on a partisan ticket in 2021. More than half of the state’s districts made the switch that first year, most of them Republican-controlled. But Shelby County held out until now.

The Shelby County Republican Party voted to sponsor school board candidates back in May, hoping to seize on a moment when some parents are demanding more accountability from a vexed Memphis-Shelby County Schools system. Democrats followed suit in August to counter that push. Those two votes put the partisan election into effect.

That happened just before the Shelby County Commission passed an election cycle reset for the school board in late September after months of debate. The decision cut short five board members’ terms in the process, a move critics say is unconstitutional.

“It’s part of a collective effort to undo the democratic process,” said Telisa Franklin, secretary for the Shelby County Democrats. “If we give up too much of our control, we’re compromising not just our future but our now.”

Local Republicans argue that there needs to be more accountability for what they see as a failing Memphis-Shelby County school system. Those calls grew louder from the GOP and some MSCS parents after the school board voted to fire former Superintendent Marie Feagins in January.

Luke Cymbal, vice chairman of the Shelby County Republicans, said the local GOP backed calls for change after the Feagins ouster, including realigning the election cycle. That made parents take notice, he said.

“We had a lot of people say, ‘Oh my gosh, the local Republican Party is helping us and the Democrats are not,’” he said. “It’s starting to be a little bit of a wake-up call.”

Cymbal said he thinks the local GOP could win at least two MSCS school board seats in 2026. But he said the main motivation for partisan elections is showing the strong Republican presence in the six neighboring suburban districts.

“We want to show the difference between the really well-run suburban districts and the failing Memphis-Shelby County school district,” he said.

Franklin said Democratic candidates will need to be strong public school advocates and against private expansion. The local party will also focus on raising awareness about what school board members are supposed to do, she said, including hiring and firing superintendents.

What do calls for a ‘state takeover’ of MSCS have to do with this?

Cymbal said local Republicans also support proposals from Tennessee lawmakers to establish a state-controlled “board of directors” to oversee the district. Mark White, one of the sponsoring legislators, said even with all the MSCS board election changes, he is still pushing for that goal.

“With the amount of bureaucracy that’s in the system,” White said, “having a highly qualified board election, as well as a board of managers that can move in and intervene, would be helpful to all.”

Murphy, one of the MSCS board members who voted to fire Feagins and is now facing a shortened term, said the partisan election change is “just another step closer to them trying to take over.”

“If Republicans are elected, let’s say the whole board is Republican, then the takeover is going to be effective immediately,” she told Chalkbeat. “It’s up to Democrats to stand up for the rights of the people.”

Otey said she plans on fighting the 2026 election reset. Some MSCS board members, including Otey and Murphy, have expressed support for filing a lawsuit against the commission’s decision. But it’s unclear who will file that lawsuit or when.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

County leaders vote to reset Memphis school board in 2026, despite legal concerns

2025-09-23T00:43:24+00:00

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Memphis-Shelby County residents will vote in an entirely new school board in 2026, meaning five members will have to run for reelection after serving only half of their terms.

The Shelby County Commission voted 7-5 Monday to immediately align school board elections with the general cycle, adopting language directly from a state law passed earlier this year. This comes after months of debate about whether to start the alignment in 2026 or 2030, and questions of whether cutting short board members’ terms is unconstitutional.

Commissioner Michael Whaley sponsored the final version of the resolution, which simply authorizes the state law and does not name a specific start date for election realignment. That returns the language to its original form, which defaults to the next election in 2026.

Whaley said he hopes centering the state law will prevent the commission from being sued. But Megan Smith, a representative from the district attorney’s office, said that protection isn’t guaranteed.

MSCS board members have said the election reset proposal is discriminatory and a form of retaliation. The board has faced heavy criticism and demands from the public for accountability since firing former Superintendent Marie Feagins in January.

Four of the five MSCS board members who will now face shortened terms — Natalie McKinney, Towanna Murphy, Sable Otey, and Stephanie Love — voted to fire Feagins. If reelected in 2026, they would be allowed to serve two full four-year terms again — a potential 10-year total tenure — under new term limits adopted by the commission in August.

Whaley said Monday that the resolution is about “long-term structural change,” not “airing a grievance” with specific people. But Erika Sugarmon, one of the commissioners who voted in opposition, said the measure disenfranchises voters who elected the current board members in 2024.

“If we start overturning elections, where would it end?” she said. “We don’t want to be heavy-handed. We get enough of that from Trump.”

Sugarmon also sponsored a new plan Monday to allow local residents to vote for future recalls of school board members. The commission gave unanimous approval to the proposal, which will come up for an official vote in the coming months.

But the Tennessee state legislature would need to pass a law authorizing that change to the county charter. Residents currently have the power to remove other elected officials from county offices, but not school board members.

Bennie Smith, a state election commissioner, said Monday that recall by referendum is the correct, democratic channel for removing elected officials from office. School board member Natalie McKinney also expressed support for the recall path over election cycle realignment.

The state attorney general has yet to weigh in on the constitutionality of cutting board members’ terms short. In the meantime, commissioner Britney Thornton, who co-sponsored the adopted plan, said community members need to start looking for candidates to run.

“Or else everything that you’ve fought for is for naught,” she told meeting attendees Monday. “We have a seven-month window here.”

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Shelby County leaders again delay vote on Memphis school board election changes

2025-09-09T04:11:05+00:00

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The Shelby County Commission once again delayed voting on a controversial proposal to reset Memphis school board elections, frustrating a crowd of parents calling for immediate action.

The county commission has gone back and forth on whether to begin election realignment in 2026, which would cut short five current board members’ terms, or in 2030, which community members decry as being too late.

“They’re not governed by anybody but themselves,” said Charles Lampkin, director of policy for parent group Memphis Lift. “Bring some governance to this awful situation.”

During Monday’s contentious hearing, school board members called the plan to align their elections with the general cycle punitive and discriminatory. The Memphis-Shelby County board has faced heavy backlash since voting in January to suddenly fire former Superintendent Marie Feagins.

Tennessee lawmakers this year paved the way for the commission to reset MSCS elections to align with other county offices.

“This is just retaliation on the board,” said school board member Towanna Murphy. “We did our jobs. We’re going to continue to do our jobs.”

Education committee members originally proposed the 2026 timeline, arguing aligning the election cycles would boost voter turnout. But the full commission pushed off voting on that plan in July due to constitutionality concerns.

Commissioners are expected to vote on Sept. 22 on the updated proposal to put all school board seats up for reelection in 2030. In August, they voted to limit Memphis-Shelby County school board members to two consecutive terms starting in 2026.

A small group of parents and community members present at Monday’s meeting called the school board members liars and urged commissioners to “return power to the voters” with a 2026 realignment.

One critic of the school board was removed from Monday’s meeting for calling commissioners “greedy dogs,” and another had his microphone cut off for yelling and hitting the podium during public comment. Commission Chair Shante Avant gave multiple warnings for the audience to quiet down.

Commissioner Brittany Thornton suggested returning the proposal to its original 2026 timeline, citing the desire for “urgency” from community members.

“I have not seen many issues where the public has been so charged,” she said.

But the motion failed in a tied vote, with six commissioners voting in approval and six abstaining. Commissioner Erika Sugarmon, one of those who abstained, said the 2026 proposal is akin to a recall of the school board.

“What you’re doing is disenfranchising voters who elected these officials,” she said.

The county commission isn’t legally able to issue a recall on the MSCS school board. State legislators would have to give the local body that power, and some commissioners expressed support for that.

“If there were a recall process, we wouldn’t be here,” said commissioner Amber Mills.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Shelby County Commission approves term limits for Memphis school board

2025-08-12T01:48:58+00:00

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The Shelby County Commission has again delayed a vote on a contentious proposal to reset Memphis-Shelby County school board elections, kicking the issue into September after an hours-long commission meeting Monday night.

The commission did vote to impose term limits on the school board, which will be held to two consecutive four-year terms beginning with the 2026 election.

The commission pushed a proposal to align school board terms in 2030 back to a Sept. 3 committee meeting amid hours of emotional and, at times, heated debate. This is the second time the commission has delayed a vote on a plan to reset election dates.

In July, a commission committee advanced a proposal to cut short the four-year terms of five board members and force them to seek reelection in 2026, just two years after they were elected. The full commission later balked at taking a vote on the resolution amid constitutional questions and pushback from Memphis-Shelby County school board members.

The proposal was then amended to align school board terms in 2030, allowing board members Tamarques Porter, Stephanie Love, Natalie McKinney, Sable Otey, and Towanna Murphy to serve out their full terms through 2028. Their seats would then be up for election for a two-year term.

In 2030, all nine board seats would be aligned on the same election cycle along with other county offices.

A new Tennessee law, which was sponsored by Memphis lawmakers and received bipartisan support, paved the way for local governing bodies like the commission to reset school board elections to align them with broader county elections.

Supporters of the original proposal have argued that aligning the elections could increase voter turnout and save money, but the election reset also came on the heels of the contentious firing of former Superintendent Marie Feagins.

Four of the five board members who would have been affected by the original resolution voted to oust Feagins, and the proposed election reset is broadly viewed as a de facto recall of a board that has drawn widespread controversy.

McKinney spoke against the effort to cut terms short on Monday night, arguing that increased voter turnout and cost savings were “fallacies.” Otey said it was a “power grab.”

“This undermines democracy,” McKinney said of forcing a reset to the existing board.

Bennie Smith, a Memphis representative elected to the Tennessee Election Commission, urged commissioners to “be careful” when considering actions that would essentially “overturn” an election by cutting short terms.

“We do not overturn election results. We are the consent of the governed, not the consent of this governed body,” Smith said. “We are not going to let a 13-member body overturn terms of people who were duly elected by its citizens.”

Board members in recent weeks indicated they would consider filing a lawsuit if their terms were cut short, and the Shelby County Democratic Party said a section of the Tennessee Constitution states the legislature can’t pass legislation to remove a local official from office.

However, the commission attorney on Monday advised commissioners school board members likely wouldn’t qualify as a constitutional official under the law. And, during a heated and emotional public comment period Monday night, multiple people urged the commission to move forward with the original plan to reset terms in 2026.

Russell Walker, a Memphis resident, said he’s opposed to the state lawmakers stepping into Memphis education but argued the current board isn’t working in the best interest of local kids.

“The current school board seems more invested in themselves than in educating our students,” Russell Walker said. “They should be replaced by the voters at the earliest opportunity.”

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa atmbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Shelby County judge won’t immediately reinstate Marie Feagins as superintendent

2025-08-11T19:05:09+00:00

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Former Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins will not immediately get her job back after a judge last week denied a request to reinstate her to the district’s top position.

Feagins had requested a preliminary injunction to reinstall her to the position in her ongoing lawsuit against the Memphis-Shelby County School Board, which voted 6-3 in January to fire her after less than a year on the job.

Though Feagins will not return to her position right away due to Shelby County Circuit Judge Robert Childers’ Friday ruling, her lawsuit against the school board is ongoing. And her ouster continues to bog down the district, as it spends resources on an external law firm to defend its actions in court while facing the serious prospect of a state takeover in the coming months.

In his ruling, Childers wrote that reinstating Feagins to her position at this stage in the case would cause “further disruption” to the school system at the start of the new school year.

Feagins has alleged multiple board members violated the Tennessee Open Meetings Act by secretly meeting last fall to orchestrate her ouster. The board members who voted to fire Feagins accused her of professional misconduct and poor leadership, though dozens of community members had urged the board to retain Feagins.

Feagins denied the accusations and filed her lawsuit in February. In addition to her reinstatement, Feagins is seeking nearly $500,000 in back pay and additional benefits.

“At stake here is not just Dr. Feagins,” the former superintendent’s attorney William Wooten said in July. “It’s the public’s right to open, lawful decision-making by elected officials. That right has been disregarded, trampled and violated.”

A judge last month allowed Feagins to amend her official complaint to include defamation claims against board member Towanna Murphy. Feagins alleged that Murphy spread “reckless and wild” rumors about her.

Murphy has declined to comment on the allegations.

Robert Spence, the lawyer representing the district, argued at a July hearing that board members are allowed to privately discuss the superintendent’s performance without running afoul of state law. Spence also criticized Feagins’ testimony as secondhand information, as Feagins frequently relayed conversations she did not participate in but heard about after the fact.

After objections, the judge rejected some of Feagins’ testimony, calling it “hearsay twice-removed.”

Additional hearings in the lawsuit have not yet been scheduled, according to the Shelby County Circuit Court docket.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Sign up for monthly text updates on the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board

2025-08-07T18:37:56+00:00

Want to stay up to date on the latest news from the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board while also having a way to text your school board questions to Chalkbeat’s journalists? Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s texting service.

Each month, Bri Hatch, who writes about MSCS for us, sifts through agendas and documents, attends board meetings, and interviews Memphis leaders, attendees, and others before and after the meetings. Hatch reports the decisions made by the school board and tells the stories of the people who will be affected by those decisions.

And with our texting service, you’ll stay in the loop on the latest Memphis-Shelby County Schools board news, regardless of whether you’re able to attend board meetings.

Here’s how it works:

Sign up by texting SCHOOL to 901-599-2745 or enter your phone number into the box below.

We hope the texting service will keep you informed, better able to hold district officials accountable, and more empowered to start community conversations about what public education should look like in Memphis.

We’ll text you twice a month, once before a board meeting to let you know it’s coming up, and once after with the biggest news.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools typically hosts its monthly board meetings at 5:30 p.m. the last Tuesday of each month at the Board of Education building. The meetings are also available for streaming on the district’s Facebook page. Find board meeting schedules and agendas here.

Shelby County leaders won’t cut current school board terms. But election changes are still pending.

2025-08-07T01:18:29+00:00

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A Shelby County Commission committee advanced a resolution Wednesday to align school board races with the general election cycle by 2030, dropping an earlier plan that would have cut short five members’ terms.

Last week, commissioners delayed voting on a proposal to put all school board seats on the 2026 ballot. They said that proposal, which shortened some current terms, raised constitutional concerns. The full commission is expected to vote as early as Monday on the new resolution, which also includes term limits that could start with those elected in 2030.

A state law with bipartisan backing made the election cycle changes possible. The Memphis lawmakers who sponsored the bill, Democratic Rep. Torrey Harris and Republican Sen. Brent Taylor, had argued that syncing up election cycles would save money and increase voter turnout, which is consistently low for school board-only elections.

But some have characterized the move as a school board reset amid the controversy that followed Superintendent Marie Feagins’ January ouster.

Resolution opponents said Wednesday that the new proposal still violates the state constitution because it would create term limits without a voter referendum. That concern caused Memphis Rep. G.A. Hardaway, who originally voted for the state legislation, to ask the Tennessee Attorney General to weigh in.

School board member Natalie McKinney told Chalkbeat that she doesn’t oppose board term limits but said that voters should decide whether or not to implement them.

“We don’t have to do this, and we don’t have to do it this way,” she said. “So you have to ask yourself, what’s the real goal here?”

Commission Chair Michael Whaley, who sponsored the original resolution, refuted the claim that these changes are about individual board members or district performance.

“We are talking about an issue of governance, and whether we want this [system] to exist decades from today, with new people in these seats,” he said. “We really need to look at it longer-term.”

But Commissioner Miska Clay Bibbs, who leads the county education committee, said Wednesday that she doesn’t think aligning election cycles will increase turnout. She cited current voter data that, she said, “shows that as you go down the ballot, based upon what the seat is, less people vote.”

Commissioner Erika Sugarmon, who sponsored the new resolution, said the amended measure, which pushes back changes for four years, would make a lawsuit less likely. But a representative for the county attorney’s office said that isn’t guaranteed.

Four of the five school board members who originally faced shortened terms voted to fire Feagins after just 10 months on the job. Towanna Murphy, one of those members, called the measure a “form of retaliation.” She said delaying the timeline doesn’t change that.

“None of this was happening until that incident with Dr. Feagins, and then they decided to take these measures because they were angry at us,” she told Chalkbeat Wednesday.

In January, the county commission issued a no-confidence vote for the school board members who voted to fire Feagins. Some Republican state lawmakers subsequently advocated for a state-appointed board to control the Memphis-Shelby County district.

Commissioner Henri E. Brooks, one of three who voted against the revised resolution, said the state law allowing for election-cycle changes has “discriminatory intent,” since it applies only to county boards of education and not to the six suburban districts within Shelby County.

“If we’re going to do it to the Memphis-Shelby County Schools, then the others should be susceptible,” she said.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis board leaves in-school literacy tutoring program in limbo days before classes start

2025-08-01T00:38:20+00:00

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Over 1,500 students in Memphis-Shelby County Schools could lose access to targeted in-school literacy tutoring this year as local nonprofit Literacy Mid-South faces ongoing budget challenges.

The nonprofit’s federal COVID relief funding expired in May, leaving its finances in flux like many other organizations nationwide. And in June, the Memphis-Shelby County school board decided not to include Literacy Mid-South in this year’s budget.

The full impact for MSCS students remains unknown with the start of the school year only days away on Aug. 4. Memphis-Shelby County board members still haven’t responded to the nonprofit’s revised proposal in which Literacy Mid-South would tutor 500 students for a fraction of the original price, CEO John Nichols told Chalkbeat.

It’s been over a month since Nichols made that offer.

“While we are not actively partnering with Memphis-Shelby County Schools … at this time, we remain deeply committed to supporting student learning across the region and are continuing to explore ways to collaborate in the future,” Nichols said in a statement Thursday.

Since 2022, Literacy Mid-South has provided tutoring for MSCS students during school hours using $9.6 million of pandemic relief funding.

It’s unclear whether MSCS offers or will offer any other tutoring programs during the school day. District officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

In May, the school board requested nearly $40 million in one-time investments from the Shelby County Commission for the upcoming school year, which included $2.2 million for Literacy Mid-South. Board member Natalie McKinney said the commission only gave them $5 million from that request for school safety upgrades.

In an interview with Chalkbeat earlier in July, Nichols said the in-school schedule allows Literacy Mid-South to reach more students. Just over 29% of MSCS elementary students passed state reading tests last year, meaning the majority are required by Tennessee law to be either held back or receive additional academic support.

“There are so many factors at play with before and after school tutoring,” he said. “Transportation is a huge issue for our students, as well as after school activities and parental schedules. You’re guaranteed protected academic time with this model.”

This past year, Literacy Mid-South partnered with 18 MSCS schools to serve around 1,700 elementary students. Nichols said he originally requested $2.5 million from the school board in January for the 2025-26 school year to maintain that level of involvement, with federal money no longer available.

But district officials have said that ask is unreasonable. Board Member Natalie McKinney told Chalkbeat in early July that she didn’t support the nonprofit’s initial proposal in June because she wants more data showing Literacy Mid-South’s model is “best practice” for improving student outcomes.

“If this is the best practice, then we should be utilizing it in a way that is sustainable,” McKinney told Chalkbeat. “What we cannot do is say that we’re going to spend $2 million on 1,000 students. I don’t know how to justify that.”

But before those comments, Nichols had already come back to the board in late June with a request for $650,000 to tutor 500 students. He was hoping for an answer before training for this year’s tutors starts in mid-August. Tutoring services usually begin in September.

Last year, the nonprofit reported that its students improved their scores from fall to winter by an average of 5.9 percentage points on an online assessment used by the district called iReady. The year before, that figure was 7.5 percentage points from the beginning to end of the school year.

Nichols said he recognizes the need for a more robust study of the program. The nonprofit secured a federal grant this year to gather that data. But it needs a group of at least 1,000 students to fulfill the terms of the grant.

Nichols said Literacy Mid-South is expanding its partnerships with nearby charter schools to fill the gap. Last year, the nonprofit worked with six local charters. This year, Nichols said, nine charter schools and one public school in Millington fill the group’s roster.

“We’re currently thinking about, is there a way that we could utilize school staff to kind of observe, and offer a ‘train the trainer’ model, to ensure that literacy tutoring is happening in a homegrown way in the district,” he added.

McKinney said she suggested that idea to Nichols as a way to make the partnership with Literacy Mid-South more sustainable.

“We have to invest smartly,” she told Chalkbeat on Aug. 1. “This could be a pathway to a teacher pipeline.”

Even if Literacy Mid-South eventually secures funding from MSCS, Nichols said he worries about the “loss of momentum” in reading progress for the students Literacy Mid-South wouldn’t reach in its more-limited tutoring plan.

“I also think one of the value-adds of our program is that it did free up capacity for teachers,” he said. “It really helped elevate and strengthen what was happening in their classrooms.”

A previous version of this story mentioned a school board vote on Literacy Mid-South’s budget request. On Aug. 1, board member Natalie McKinney told Chalkbeat there had been no vote, only discussions about the proposal. The story has also been updated to include additional comments from McKinney about the “train the trainer” model and the Shelby County Commission.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis residents protested xAI’s arrival. Now the company is funding upgrades for four schools.

2025-07-30T20:55:28+00:00

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Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI is promising to repair and renovate four Memphis-Shelby County schools located near its two new data centers in Southwest Memphis.

That agreement, approved by the MSCS school board on Tuesday, will offer some relief to the district’s growing deferred facility maintenance needs. But it also pulls the district into a controversial project that’s sparked community backlash.

The four schools included in xAI’s plan – John P. Freeman Optional, Fairley High, Mitchell High, and Westwood High – have some of the most dire building repair needs in the district, according to The Daily Memphian, estimated to cost $61 million over the next decade. The AI company is committing to plumbing and HVAC upgrades, as well as construction of new technology classrooms.

But some board members expressed skepticism around the resolution with xAI, citing protests from residents living near the company’s data centers over air pollution and water usage concerns. The MSCS board voted 7-2 to enter a memorandum of understanding with xAI for the upcoming school year.

Vice Chair Stephanie Love opposed the measure, as did Keith Williams on behalf of his Whitehaven constituents.

“There is a mountain of resistance to this project,” Williams said. “If the community doesn’t want it, and the school system says, ‘We’ll support you doing these things to our school,’ then the school district is doing a disservice to the citizens that they serve in that community.”

Board member Amber Huett-Garcia, who sponsored the resolution, said the AI company is going to exist in Memphis whether the board “approves of their existence or not.”

“And if they want to invest in our children and our families, and their future workforce and their future leadership, I will not sleep tonight if I say no to that,” she said.

In a July 15 letter to the district, xAI Senior Manager Brent Mayo said the company will fully fund, in each school building, the repair or installation of:

Plumbing, lighting, and HVAC systems
Athletic facilities, including an outdoor track and indoor basketball court
Chemistry and technology labs
Outdoor landscaping

The company received approval for a donation exceeding $15,000, but it’s unclear how much the upgrades will cost in total. In his letter, Mayo said xAI will “assume all financial responsibility” associated with additional repairs.

Board member Natalie McKinney stressed that the agreement between MSCS and xAI needs to be “not a one-hit-wonder thing,” but “the beginning of a partnership.”

Bobby White, who represented xAI at Tuesday’s board meeting on behalf of the Greater Memphis Chamber, said the company has already shown its commitment to neighbors by building an $80 million wastewater recycle facility to address usage concerns.

And he said this project helps set up a pipeline for MSCS students who could one day work for xAI.

White recognized that the company has struggled with a “negative perception” from community members since the beginning. He said that’s why leaders waited until after they received permit approval from the Shelby County Health Department to announce the school projects.

“There is nothing the company is asking for from the community at this point,” White said. “It’s only looking to make an investment with its neighbors.”

MSCS is facing at least $1 billion in deferred maintenance costs across its school buildings. The board voted in June to establish a committee of appointed education and business leaders to help make decisions about school closures and upgrades.

Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond originally said he wanted a report from that committee by Sept. 1. But the group will meet for the first time on Aug. 13, board member Sable Otey said Tuesday. And it still hasn’t filled designated student and teacher seats.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis school board gives green light to new cellphone ban days before classes start

2025-07-30T02:52:02+00:00

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Following a fast-tracked school board vote on Tuesday, Memphis-Shelby County students will face a more stringent cellphone ban when classes begin next week.

School board members voted unanimously to approve the ban, which explicitly permits Memphis schools to confiscate devices and employ other disciplinary measures, including suspensions, in response to student violations.

It also adds smartwatches to the list of devices that need to be “powered off and out of sight” during school hours. Some board members previously expressed concern about how students would be disciplined if caught with their devices.

No further discussion followed Tuesday’s vote.

The new student cellphone policy replaces one that the Memphis district first put in place in 2010, and it follows a new state law that requires all school systems to adopt a ban on “wireless communication devices” ahead of the 2025-26 school year. The state law mandates exceptions for students with medical conditions or disabilities.

Tennessee’s law comes amid a wave of state legislation across the country to curb cellphone use in schools, as research grows on the learning and health impacts for young students.

The legislation leaves all other details about how the ban should be enforced, including what devices to include and where students have to keep them during the school day, up to local school boards.

According to the new district policy, students will be required to place their powered-off devices in “designated locations” during the school day, which will be determined by the superintendent or a school leader. Those locations could include:

Individual secured pouches
Student lockers
Backpacks or purses
Students’ personal cars

MSCS has yet to provide additional guidance about how the new policy will be enforced.

The district’s decision to include smartwatches on the list of banned devices was the result of an amendment proposed by board member Michelle McKissack last week.

Stephanie Cole-Farris is the clinical services manager for Memphis’ chapter of Youth Villages, a statewide youth mental health nonprofit. She said there needs to be a “pilot phase” for students as they adjust to the state directive, since the district’s cell phone policy wasn’t consistently enforced in years past.

“Our children are born into and brought up at a time where we are very much reliant on devices throughout the day,” she said. “Not having access to that could create stress, anxiety, and overall, just a feeling of hopelessness and being overwhelmed.”

Cole-Farris also stressed the need for district leaders to develop a robust communication plan for all parties involved, especially in the case of emergencies.

Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond said last week that his team is working on such a plan.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

What will a new student cellphone ban look like in Memphis schools?

2025-07-23T18:41:26+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

Memphis school board members will vote next week on a revised student cellphone policy to align with new state standards.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools already had a cellphone policy in place since 2010 that required students to keep phones and “personal communication devices” turned off and stored in their locker during school hours. But the new version adds state-mandated exceptions, such as students with documented health conditions or disabilities using devices as outlined in their individual education plans.

During a meeting Tuesday, board members raised concerns about disciplinary measures outlined in the proposed policy, which aren’t required by Tennessee’s new law. The proposed revisions specifically outline that repeated violations “will result in the escalation to a higher progressive disciplinary measure.”

District officials say the consequences echo what was included in the original policy, which mainly talked about confiscating devices and mentioned “additional consequences” for multiple violations.

In the spring, Tennessee lawmakers unanimously passed a bill banning the use of “wireless communication devices” such as cellphones and tablets during the school day. The law, signed by Gov. Bill Lee in April, tasks local boards of education with hashing out the specific policy details.

That move aligned with a nationwide trend to ban cellphone use in schools at the state legislature level, due to rising concerns about student mental health and bullying.

With the renewed state and local push, including more devices and exceptions to navigate, MSCS board member Michelle McKissack said there should be extra support in place for administrators.

“This is going to be a big fat deal,” said McKissack. “There really is a serious concern from principals, because the greater majority are at risk of violating this. These are iBabies; they literally were born with phones in their hands.”

District Policy Advisor Maria Stewart said the board needs to vote as soon as possible to have the policy in place by the Aug. 4 school start date.

Stewart said the new policy would follow the district’s current “progressive disciplinary approach” for violations, which starts with consequences like confiscation and escalates to suspension.

Board member Amber Huett-Garcia said Tuesday that the process feels “devoid of personal circumstances” for students, who often have “adult responsibilities” that dictate their phone use.

“I think it’s very different if you are a high school senior, and your mother’s texting you to pick up your elementary sister, or you’re scrolling on TikTok during AP history,” she said.

Huett-Garcia said she’s also concerned about consequences being “greater than the disruption.”

“If I was on my phone for 10 minutes during the school day, but then you’re going to be out of school for three days, what’s the greater learning loss?” she said.

Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond said his team will review data on the effectiveness of current disciplinary measures for student cellphone use.

He also said he’s putting together a communications plan about the new rules in anticipation of concerns from parents and students.

Are you an MSCS teacher or principal with thoughts or concerns about the new state cellphone ban? Email bhatch@chalkbeat.org to tell me more – I’d love to hear from you!

A previous version of this story listed Facility Services Officer Michelle Stuart as the district spokesperson at the board meeting. Policy Advisor Maria Stewart is the correct speaker.

Former Superintendent Marie Feagins wins approval to sue board member for defamation

2025-07-23T01:39:14+00:00

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Former Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins is now suing a board member for personal defamation in an ongoing lawsuit over her January firing after less than 10 months on the job.

Feagins testified on Tuesday in Shelby County Circuit Court, where Judge Robert Childers considered Feagins’ request for a preliminary injunction, which would overturn the board vote to terminate her contract and reinstate her as district leader as the lawsuit plays out.

“I came here to do a job, and we have unfinished business,” Feagins said on the stand. “I didn’t come to sue the school district.”

At issue, Feagins alleged during a seven-hour hearing Tuesday, was multiple instances of board members meeting secretly to orchestrate her ouster, which she says violates the Tennessee Open Meetings Act. But the defendants’ lawyer argued that board members can privately discuss the superintendent’s job performance without running afoul of state law.

At one point, Childers struck some of Feagins’ testimony over hearsay concerns.

The divided board ousted the former superintendent in January in a 6-3 vote, with the majority accusing Feagins of professional misconduct and poor leadership less than a year into her tenure. Dozens of community members, including teachers and elected officials from both parties, urged the board to retain Feagins prior to the vote.

Feagins filed her lawsuit in February. She also alleged that interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond, a longtime district administrator, was informally tapped to take over her job after meeting with board members in the fall.

The judge on Tuesday granted Feagins’ request to amend her official complaint to include defamation claims against board member Towanna Murphy, who she says spread “absolutely reckless and wild” rumors that Feagins participated in stealing her personal car and committing forgery.

Murphy declined to comment Tuesday night on Feagins’ defamation allegations.

“At stake here is not just Dr. Feagins,” said the former superintendent’s attorney William Wooten. “It’s the public’s right to open, lawful decision-making by elected officials. That right has been disregarded, trampled and violated.”

Feagins said Tuesday that she never received a formal evaluation from board members for her performance despite being fired with cause. She also said the “baseless allegations” and “smear campaign” ruined her reputation and future employment prospects.

She’s seeking $487,500 in backpay and additional benefits in the lawsuit.

But Robert Spence, the lawyer representing the district, said Feagins is conflating the school board’s right as her employer to talk about job performance privately with “deliberation and decision-making,” as outlawed by the Open Meetings Act.

Spence said the “absence of proof” of that line-crossing is the “biggest gulf” between Feagins and the district.

Wooten said that clearing the bar for a preliminary injunction only requires the plaintiff to show there is “likelihood of success” based on the merits they have before the full trial begins, and demonstrate “irreparable harm.” It does not require the case to be proven in full, according to state law.

During the hearing, Spence made multiple objections to what he called “quadruple hearsay” from Feagins, saying her main evidence is based on hearing things from other people, not witnessing or hearing conversations herself.

Feagins said having actual knowledge of what was said in meetings “would mean I had awareness in real time.”

Instead, she described phone calls and conversations where she was asked about her ousting before she ever received official notice from the board. Wooten presented invoices, call logs, and text messages – evidence of what he called “serial private meetings” that led up to Feagins’ firing.

But Judge Childers rejected some of the testimony from Feagins where she described conversations between other people that she wasn’t present for, calling it “hearsay twice-removed.”

Some key takeaways from witness testimonies

Feagins said she first heard mentions of her potential termination in August 2024. She alleged Tuesday that then-Vice Chair Joyce Dorse-Coleman, who introduced the formal resolution to fire Feagins on Dec. 17, told her over the phone that she “had the votes” to oust her.

Feagins said board member Stephanie Love told her over the phone about a meeting between herself, Dorse-Coleman, and former board chair Althea Greene on August 21 where they discussed firing the superintendent – one of many meetings Feagins said happened before the resolution to terminate her was publicly introduced.

Feagins also said she received a text from Love and other board members with the first draft of a resolution on Oct. 16.

“If it’s being circulated, it’s obviously being discussed amongst the board members,” Wooten added.

Deidre Malone, who runs a PR firm hired by the school board from November 2024 through June 2025, told the courtroom that she did not conduct or witness any behavior that violated the Tennessee Open Meetings Act while working with the school board.

But Wooten said a series of meetings documented in Malone’s invoices to the board contradicts that claim.

On December 7, Malone billed the board for four hours of work on a communications plan that she said Tuesday was “80%” about Feagins’ potential termination. Malone met with board Chair Dorse-Coleman and Vice Chair Love on Dec. 10 and 16 to discuss that “communications strategy,” she said on the stand, and to film videos with the board leaders explaining the reasoning for her termination.

All of those meetings pre-date the first “special meeting” called by board members to publicly discuss the termination resolution on Dec. 17.

Malone also had calls with four of the six board members who voted to terminate Feagins, according to her invoices, in the days following that Dec. 17 meeting.

“We represented all the board members who wanted us to represent them,” Malone said. Those conversations were about Feagins, she said, and “preparing [board members] for what was going to happen next.”

Wooten also presented texts that Jalen Washington, who works with an outside tutoring company employed by the school board, sent to Feagins’ former executive manager, warning him about the superintendent’s pending termination – and saying that Richmond would be her replacement.

Washington sent those texts on Dec. 14. But he said Tuesday that he “can’t recall” who he got the information from, saying he heard rumors from many people and the media.

Wooten played a Dec. 18 Fox13 interview of board member Murphy, where she says Chair Dorse-Coleman personally called every member of the school board two days prior to Dec. 17.

“I think an elementary student could show the violations in this video,” he said.

Feagins said that as soon as she saw the interview, it became “obvious” that the decision to fire her “was predetermined.”

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis school leaders say being called ‘dumbasses’ by a legislator is a symptom of bigger problem

2025-07-22T15:50:30+00:00

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Memphis education leaders are pushing back on what they call misleading and offensive language from lawmakers leading the charge to turn over control of the school district to the state.

Rep. Mark White and Sen. Brent Taylor, both Republicans from Memphis, told WKNO/Channel 10 earlier this month that in January they will bring back their bills to create a state-appointed board to lead Memphis Shelby-County schools. In the interview, Taylor called the current school board members “dumbasses.”

“The school board ranks right up there with jock itch, in terms of what people think about them,” he said.

The district declined to comment, and Taylor did not respond to Chalkbeat’s requests for comment. But a school board member and local advocates condemned Taylor’s language.

Taylor is known for making off-color and often incendiary public comments, particularly during General Assembly debates. While the comments aren’t surprising, education officials in Memphis say the rhetoric further inflames already tense relations between city and state officials.

“I think he’s become emboldened, given the tenor of our current national politics that has trickled down into our state and is now trying to trickle down into our local politics,” said MSCS board member Natalie McKinney.

The school board faced backlash in the winter for ousting former Superintendent Marie Feagins, a move White and others publicly urged against. Feagins filed a lawsuit against the board in February, saying her firing violated the Tennessee Open Meetings Act.

The district in recent years has faced significant academic and financial challenges, in addition to repeated administrative drama at the superintendent level. Feagins lasted less than 10 months in the job before her ouster, which prompted White to introduce his bill to rework district leadership.

In an interview, White told Chalkbeat that he’s not worried about the senator’s language.

“We’ve all got our style, so I’ll let Senator Taylor do his thing,” White said. “He’s doing a great job as far as I’m concerned.”

But Cardell Orrin, who leads Stand for Children Tennessee, a Memphis-based nonprofit working to promote equity in school outcomes, called the senator’s language “very clearly offensive.”

“We have a high tolerance for ignorance here, but this white suburban Republican legislator is comparing school board members, who are mostly Black women, to jock itch,” he said. “This senator whose main hashtag is ‘Make Memphis Matter’ … is doing all of these things to assert control over this place that he doesn’t live in.”

During the WKNO interview, lawmakers cited MSCS’ recent state test scores as a main reason a leadership change is needed, calling the “small incremental increases” insufficient. Just over 29% of the district’s students in grades 3-5 passed in reading this year, a critical reading benchmark for the state, up from 26% in 2023-24.

“We’re not meeting the mark on preparing our Memphis-Shelby County students, which are the inner city kids, to be able to get those jobs and to move out of high school,” White told Chalkbeat. “It’s no longer about any particular school board or any particular superintendent. This has been going on for decades, and it’s just time for intervention.”

Dolores Rivers, interim director of the Memphis-Shelby County Education Association and a retired teacher of 26 years, said that minimizing the district’s progress is “a slap in the face of the teachers that are in the classroom.”

“People need to understand that our kids come to us behind; they start behind,” she said. “Proficiency is the goal that we’re trying to attain. Growth is the path.”

MSCS outpaced average state improvement on some testing benchmarks, including third-grade reading proficiency. But the district continues to lag behind statewide results, with 41.7% of all Tennessee third graders scoring proficient on the test. White said getting MSCS to hit that state figure is the goal.

While on WKNO, White and Taylor compared MSCS test scores to smaller, less diverse nearby school systems like the University Schools, which is an independent public school system that’s been run by the University of Memphis since 2024.

But Rivers said those comparisons are unfair, noting that the district has a waiting list.

“We have to accept everybody,” she said.

Memphis students have to apply to the University Schools system, and are required to show a “satisfactory conduct grade and attendance record” to be admitted. White said the schools serve “many of the same students” as MSCS because they pull from the same ZIP codes.

“And whether it’s fair or not, that’s not the point,” he said. “The point is, year after year, Memphis-Shelby County Schools does not perform.”

In their WKNO interview, Taylor and White said the University School system serves an equal number of white and Black students. But according to a 2024 report, 31% of the district’s 1,200 students are Black and 53% are white.

And 2024 data from the Tennessee Department of Education shows that the percentage of economically disadvantaged students in the University Schools system ranged from 7% in elementary to 14% in middle school, compared to 53% of MSCS students district-wide.

McKinney said those differences in student demographics matter.

“This attempt to dissect poverty from the ability to take advantage and have full access to all your educational opportunities is something that we need to stop lying to ourselves about,” she said.

Orrin was one of many community leaders to launch the “Save Our Students” initiative fighting against the previous round of state takeover bills in the spring. He acknowledged that there is “a lot to improve at the district,” including holding board members and district leadership accountable.

But Orrin says the lawmakers’ reasons for upending the MSCS school board “keep changing over time,” and the $6 million forensic audit set to start this month — which the lawmakers said will guide their efforts going forward — will only make that worse.

“They’re on a hunt for why they’re doing the state takeover again, so it’s another rationale,” he said. “Again, we don’t have any context or any prior consideration of what they’re looking for.”

The state hasn’t conducted an independent investigation of any other system, Orrin said. And the lawmakers admitted they’ll likely only have partial results by the time the legislative session ends.

White says he’s confident the partial results will be enough to inform how he and Taylor can reconcile the two state takeover proposals the duo introduced earlier this year. But he said there’s nothing the audit could find that would make him change his mind.

“We need more than advisers right now,” he said. “You have to have this complete overhaul to break down that bureaucracy.”

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

The push to take over Memphis-Shelby County Schools isn’t over, state lawmakers say

2025-07-14T16:43:24+00:00

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The two Republican lawmakers who introduced bills this spring to change who controls Memphis-Shelby County Schools say the push for a state takeover isn’t finished.

Rep. Mark White and Sen. Brent Taylor told WKNO/Channel 10’s “Behind the Headlines” Friday that their legislation to establish a state-appointed “board of managers” overseeing the district will be fast-tracked to pass this spring.

That’s because the lawmakers’ two versions of the legislation – which include some key differences – each passed one chamber by April, then stalled. Now, Taylor and White said they’re waiting for results from the $6 million independent audit of the district, which started this month, to best inform how they’ll combine the bills come January.

“They’re sitting there fully ready to go,” White said. “All we have to do when we go back in January, if the timing is right, is just line them up, kinda like the Big Beautiful Bill that Congress just did.”

White’s version gives the state-appointed board power over elected MSCS board members. Taylor’s puts the state in an advisory role, but gives the commissioner of education authority to remove MSCS members who are “obstinate to the change,” he said.

Taylor also said he thinks the state’s largest school district will ultimately need to be broken up into smaller districts in order to operate effectively.

“We’ve got a district that is too big; it’s unmanageable,” he said.

District officials didn’t respond to requests for comment before publication.

The lawmakers’ comments, and the scale of the changes they discussed, set the stage for another fight over the district’s future in 2026.

Both White and Taylor said the reason for state control boils down, mainly, to academic results in the Memphis-Shelby County district. The push for state takeover also came on the heels of the board’s sudden decision to oust former Superintendent Marie Feagins, which sparked demands for more accountability.

MSCS students improved on state tests for the fourth year in a row, with even larger reading and math score gains for the district’s youngest learners. Just over 29% of students in grades 3-5 passed in reading this year, up from 26% in 2023-24.

Statewide, 41.7% of third graders hit the mark. Fourth and fifth graders saw 47.7% and 40.7% proficiency rates, respectively.

Taylor said the “small incremental increases” from MSCS aren’t good enough.

“We don’t expect them overnight to get to the state average,” he said. “But we need to be moving and headed in the right direction.”

The Memphis and Shelby County school systems merged in 2011. State lawmakers then passed a bill allowing surrounding suburban neighborhoods to break off and form their own districts, with significantly smaller and less diverse student populations.

Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis-Shelby County board OKs $12 million property sale

2025-06-25T15:19:44+00:00

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The Memphis-Shelby County school board approved the sale of four district properties on Tuesday, bringing in about $12 million and offloading some maintenance costs as deferred maintenance issues continue to plague the district.

A Memphis-based industrial real estate group will purchase the Gray’s Creek Administrative campus from the district for $9 million.

Board documents indicate the campus is far away from most district schools and the administrative staff has been moved to closer offices. Without the sale, the district would have to shoulder more than $13 million in maintenance costs over the next decade.

The board also approved the sale of two former school sites, Riverview Elementary School and Wooddale Middle School, to charter school tenants that have leased the properties for several years. Wooddale will sell to IOTA Community Schools for $2.5 million, while Riverview will sell to Vision Prep for $700,000. Greater New Liberty Baptist Church is purchasing land on the vacant Raineshaven Elementary School campus for $105,000.

The district is facing more than $1 billion worth of deteriorating infrastructure issues after years of deferred maintenance, according to a facilities report released this spring.

The board has requested a comprehensive facilities plan by September that is expected to be spearheaded by interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond and may include recommendations from a new ad-hoc community board.

“We want to include all stakeholders so everyone can feel they have input in how we move forward to rightsize the district,” Richmond said.

However, the district faces a tight timeline to deliver an early fall plan, as there are still at least 5 vacant spots on the committee, which was officially approved on Tuesday night, and no meetings have been scheduled.

The committee includes Tennessee lawmakers, local community development leaders, and other city stakeholders, but the board is awaiting a member recommendation from Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and still needs to fill some student and parent representative appointments.

Board member Natalie McKinney, who will co-chair the committee, said she planned to meet with the superintendent this week to determine a timeline for meetings.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org

Memphis-Shelby County school board approves $1.9 billion budget, will add some staff positions

2025-06-12T00:16:22+00:00

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The Memphis-Shelby County school board passed the $1.9 billion 2025-26 district budget Wednesday that will fund the return of fall and spring break academies, staffing incentives, and a new preventative maintenance team to address longstanding building issues.

The school board scaled back $30 million of proposed school fire safety and HVAC upgrades from the budget after not receiving full funding from the Shelby County Commission for a $35 million investment toward deferred maintenance issues.

The district will instead direct $5 million to pressing safety issues, using $4.5 million to update intercom systems in 25 schools and the rest of the money to replace elevators in two schools.

At the budget meeting, MSCS assistant superintendent of operations Tito Langston said some schools are relying on two-way radios to communicate across campus.

“We have to be able to communicate with our students in case there are any emergencies,” said board member Natalie McKinney.

The budget is still fluid, Langston reminded board members. The board can amend the budget until the end of the month and readdress the fire and safety issues later this year. The budget requires final approval from the county commission later this month.

Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond’s first budget does not include any major staff cuts one year after more than 1,000 positions were cut.

MSCS was thrown a budgeting curveball this spring when a new federal directive essentially blocked districts from spending out the remainder of pandemic-era relief funds.

With more than $55 million on the table, the district had intended to direct the funds toward long-awaited heating and air conditioning systems in schools. Last August, at least 12 Memphis schools had to close early on the first day of school due to high temperatures and A/C issues.

The district has applied for an extension to use the funds that has yet to be approved.

Before the budget vote, Langston said if the district can get the $55 million back, or at least a portion of it, the board could reassess the capital projects in several months. The approved budget removed $18 million of proposed HVAC updates and $8 million of proposed fire alarm replacements.

The budget would fund 40 new “mobile” security officers and 10 new multilingual teachers, in addition to a $30 million injection for specialized education assistants. The district has relied on the assistants to support K-2 classrooms.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.

Tennessee bills on Memphis school intervention outline powers of state-appointed boards

2025-04-18T21:26:41+00:00

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New versions of legislation aiming to intervene in Memphis-Shelby County Schools would establish state-appointed boards to oversee the elected local school board and superintendent contracts, while the bills emerging from the Tennessee House and Senate differ somewhat on the amount and types of authority those boards would have.

The bills follow the firing of MSCS Superintendent Marie Feagins by a divided school board in late January — nine months into her tenure — a move that prompted calls from community members for greater accountability for district leaders. Critics call the legislation undemocratic and state overreach.

In both proposals, members of the state-appointed boards would have the authority to review large contracts for superintendent pay, but it would be up to the districts to pay the members of the state-appointed boards.

Republican Rep. Mark White of Memphis, who sponsored the House legislation, said MSCS needs intervention now.

“For a city like Memphis, it’s important that you have a strong K-12 system,” he said. “It’s time that we address an issue of a system that has a $1.8 billion budget.”

White’s legislation looks much different from a previous iteration, which would have stripped the majority of the elected school board’s powers.

Memphis schools have faced continual upheaval over the past 15 years, from a merger that created the Memphis-Shelby County district and the withdrawal of several municipalities from that district, to the takeover of many local schools by the state-run Achievement School District turnaround program and leadership turmoil that has left the district with its fourth superintendent in less than three years.

Multiple Democratic members pushed back on the bills, saying that the state has a bad track record in intervention, and that the proposals would only add to the district’s upheaval.

“The children have to absorb all of those changes every single year,” said Democratic Rep. Karen Camper of Memphis, adding: “No other county, no other district, has been through this, and it’s been traumatic.”

The House and Senate versions still need to be fully reconciled. Both are set for a full floor vote on Monday.

Meanwhile, state lawmakers passed a budget this week that will fund a forensic audit of MSCS.

Who would make up the board

Both House and Senate proposals envision nine-member boards made up of county residents.

In the House proposal, the members would be appointed by the governor and speakers of the state Senate and House. The board would operate for three years, with the possibility of a three year extension.

In the Senate proposal, the board would include the city and county mayors, or their designees. The board’s oversight would last four years, with a two-year extension option.

In both proposals, the state-appointed board members would be compensated the same amount as the elected school board members, and be paid by the district. In the Senate version, the board would also be allowed to hire up to three staff members and determine their salaries. These salaries would be paid for by the local legislative body — like the county or city — not the state, according to the proposal.

“Now we’re putting a whole new unelected board that taxpayers have to fund, that they did not choose,” Democratic Sen. London Lamar of Memphis said during discussions of the bill this week. “So we’re basically superseding the decisions of voters.”

Republican Sen. Brent Taylor of Memphis, sponsor of the Senate bill, said the board would act in an “advisory” capacity.

The board’s powers: Senate vs. House version

In the Senate version, the state commissioner of education could recommend removing elected board members and the district superintendent, and seek help with this from the state-appointed board. The Shelby County Commission could then appoint new school board members, who would have to be confirmed by the state.

In districts like MSCS that have had frequent leadership turnover, the bill would allow for the County Commission to appoint a superintendent, who would serve for at least four years.

The state-appointed board would submit “recommendations” to items on school board agendas. The board would also conduct an annual comprehensive needs assessment to create a “transformation plan” for the district.

The state-appointed board would review contracts worth $50,000 or more before the elected school board could sign, amend, or renew them.

“Public education in the state of Tennessee is a partnership between the state and the local government,” said Republican Sen. Jack Johnson of Franklin. “It is altogether entirely appropriate that we send an advisory board, that we get further engaged as a partner in how those kids are being educated.”

In the House bill, the board’s main power would be to approve or veto items in the local elected school board’s budget. As in the Senate version, it would review contracts of $50,000 or more. The board would also approve or deny expenditures of $50,000 or more. These contracts and expenditures would exclude contracts and salaries for teachers and principals, but would apply to payments for the superintendent.

Bills create more openings for charter schools

Both bills would help promote the spread of charter schools. For example, they would require the elected school board to send a list of vacant and underutilized property to the state-appointed board. The board would then determine which properties could be occupied by a public charter school.

The Senate version would allow the state commissioner to recommend charter conversion for schools in the district. It would also outline a process allowing charter operators to apply directly to the public charter school commission for authorization.

The House version would restrict the elected school board’s ability to deny charter renewals, charter conversions, or amended applications for new charter schools. The oversight board would need to review and approve any such denial.

“It seems like this is the actual goal: to take these properties and hand them over to your charter friends,” said Democratic Rep. Johnny Shaw of Bolivar.

Rep. White denied that, and said he supports any school that can educate MSCS children.

Thresholds for intervention

Both bills specifically target Memphis-Shelby County Schools, though any district meeting the following thresholds could face intervention.

The Senate version kicks in when:

50% or more of district students are economically disadvantaged
50% or more did not meet grade-level expectations in math and English
At least one school managed by the district has been identified as a priority school for the last five lists released

The House version applies when:

50% or more of district students did not meet grade-level expectations in math and English
At least 30% of district-managed schools receive a failing grade from the state
At least 25% of students are chronically absent
At least one school managed by the district has been identified as a priority school for the last five lists released
The county legislative body approves a resolution declaring no confidence in the district’s school board

Memphis school board members, community members speak against state takeover on eve of hearing

2025-03-18T00:12:59+00:00

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Several school board members stood alongside other elected officials, parents, educators, and community members Monday to speak out against legislation that could lead to a state takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

The news conference came on the eve of an expected first hearing of Memphis Republican Rep. Mark White’s proposal, which would initially affect Memphis but later could be used to seize local control of other Tennessee districts.

MSCS board member Michelle McKissack, who represents District 1, said a knee-jerk decision for a state takeover is not the solution to calls for more accountability.

“I believe that we can work together without the state coming in, appointing an entirely new board, and simply having us there as puppet figures,” McKissack said. “That’s not what our community wants.”

A draft of White’s proposal calls for creation of a state-appointed board to manage the district for at least four years, but no more than six. The majority of power and decision-making would be in the hands of these state-appointed leaders. The elected school board would serve in an “advisory capacity.”

How did we get here?

The proposal comes after a divided MSCS school board controversially fired its superintendent in late January, leading some community members and leaders to push for change. But some Memphis residents say they’re worried about a loss of local control.

White, who opposed the firing of former superintendent Marie Feagins, has advocated for state intervention and drafted similar legislation before.

His latest proposal is modeled after a Texas law that allowed that state to take over Houston’s nearly 200,000-student public school system, the nation’s eighth largest district, in 2023.

“We’ve got to do something,” White previously told Chalkbeat, “and we think this model will work.”

Tensions between city and state leadership are long-standing. Some local advocates do not trust the state to make decisions for the MSCS district, which primarily serves Black and Latino students. And the effects of past state takeovers — like the Achievement School District, which some lawmakers are looking to shut down this year — also linger.

At Monday’s news conference, board member Amber Huett-Garcia, who like McKissack voted against firing Feagins, assured community members that she supports accountability for the school board.

But she said that a state takeover is not the path.

“What feels like a victory in this legislation is actually a surrender,” she said. “This doesn’t just threaten us. There’s also 40 school districts, of which their criteria would also leave them open to control.”

White told Chalkbeat on Monday evening that he has amended the bill to more specifically target MSCS’s board, however.

He describes his proposal not as a takeover, but an intervention.

“Our school district is not performing to the standards that the city of Memphis deserves,” he said. “I’ve waited 30 years and I’m tired of waiting.”

What are the thresholds for a state takeover?

Though the draft proposal initially targets MSCS, it could allow the state to similarly intervene in districts if they meet all the following thresholds, White told Chalkbeat:

At least 30% of district-managed schools receive a failing grade from the state.
At least 25% of students are chronically absent in the district.
The associated county legislative body approves a resolution declaring no confidence in the district’s school board.

A previous version of the draft legislation included a threshold for districts in the bottom 5% of performance statewide. It also allowed for only one threshold to be met before the state could move forward with a state-appointed board.

White told Chalkbeat that he cut the “bottom 5%” language on Monday, and amended it to require the three remaining threshold marks. He said that move is intended to keep the legislation Memphis-specific.

The proposal also allows the state education commissioner to recommend one or more existing public schools in the district convert to a public charter school.

What powers does the board have?

The proposed language gives broad powers to appointed board members. For example, they can require the elected school board and district administrators “take certain actions” or prohibit them from others.

The MSCS school board would retain the authority to appoint a superintendent. But the state-appointed board would approve or veto that decision. The new board would also decide how and when the elected school board can convene.

Meanwhile, the appointed board would use its first 90 days to conduct a “comprehensive needs assessment” and report its results. These data points include benchmarks for teacher experience and retention; student demographics, achievement and discipline; financial practices; and facility operations.

From there, the appointed board would develop an improvement plan with goals to optimize funding, lower chronic absenteeism, provide “student supports,” and implement opportunities for early childhood literacy opportunities and career/workforce training.

How would the state appoint the board?

The proposal calls for nine state-appointed board members. That’s a 1:1 ratio to the elected representatives of nine districts across Shelby County.

In the case of MSCS, each appointed member must live in Shelby County, though there is no language requiring they represent each district. They must also have experience in education, finance, facilities, health, management, data or evaluations, according to the proposal.

The governor would appoint five members to the board, while speakers of the state Senate and state House of Representatives would each appoint two people. Only these state officials could then remove any members of this board.

After four years, the state education commissioner can gather local feedback and decide whether to extend the board’s authority for two more years.

These appointed members would receive salaries at the same rate as elected members. Whether this money would come from state or local taxes is not yet clear.

Elections for the MSCS school board would continue, but members would retain limited power during a takeover.

Currently, voters cannot recall MSCS board members, though efforts to change that — and impose term limits — are also underway.

Here are the charter operators applying to open or run schools in Tennessee in 2026-27

2025-02-25T23:05:58+00:00

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Charter school operators have applied to open or run 13 schools in five Tennessee school systems beginning in the fall of 2026 amid the state’s rapidly changing school-choice landscape.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools received five applications by this month’s deadline — the most by any school system statewide, according to the state education department.

They include two from IOTA Community Schools asking for new 10-year charters to continue operating schools in its network that are set to exit the state-run Achievement School District next year.

And two aspiring charter operators are interested in opening Tennessee’s first-ever “opportunity” charter schools in Memphis and Nashville under a 2024 state law aimed at creating learning options for youth considered at risk of becoming disconnected from traditional public schools.

School choice options are expanding rapidly under policies pushed by Gov. Bill Lee and panned by critics who say they are destabilizing traditional public schools. Traditional public schools serve most of the state’s nearly 1 million students, including historically underserved groups.

The state is preparing to launch a universal school voucher program this fall to give up to 20,000 students taxpayer funds to pay toward private school tuition.

And a new charter school proposal from Lee would create ways for operators to bypass their local elected school boards and apply directly to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission for authorization to open more of the independently governed but publicly funded schools.

If that bill becomes law, some of its provisions could kick in with this year’s cohort of charter applicants.

The filings kick off application reviews by staff for each receiving school system, which will recommend to their school boards whether to approve or deny them this spring.

Based on that local feedback, rejected applicants can submit revised applications for another school board vote this summer. Applicants that are denied again can appeal that decision to the state commission to vote on this fall.

Last year, nine applicants met the state’s Feb. 1 deadline to submit proposals to open a charter school for 2025-26. Six were ultimately approved, including four on appeal.

In 2023, 14 operators applied, and six were ultimately approved, including four on appeal.

New legislation, new law could impact Tennessee’s charter sector

Under the governor’s new legislative proposal to revise charter school law, beginning this July 1, any school board whose decision to deny a charter application is overturned by the state three times within three years could be bypassed, allowing a charter operator to apply directly to the state charter commission for authorization during the next five years.

Also at play this year is the 2024 opportunity charter school law, pushed by House Speaker Cameron Sexton, to open new charter school campuses for middle or high school students who are considered at risk.

At least 75% of each school’s students would have to be documented as dealing with any of a range of challenges such as juvenile crime, substance abuse, chronic absenteeism, teen pregnancy, getting held back in several grades, dropping out of school, or experiencing abuse or neglect.

Opportunity charter schools would operate under different standards than traditional public schools or other public charter schools.

If their opportunity charter applications are approved, the Still I Rise Academy in Memphis and The Rock Academy in Nashville schools would not receive A-F letter grades in their first year of operation, based on rules approved in December by the state Board of Education.

After that, the state’s calculation to grade opportunity charter middle schools would place slightly more importance on academic growth than on student proficiency. And the state’s grades for opportunity charter high schools would emphasize college and career readiness.

Hillsdale-linked charter group didn’t apply again

Missing for a second straight year from the state’s list of charter applicants is American Classical Education, the group associated with Michigan’s Hillsdale College. Hillsdale made headlines in 2022 with Lee’s endorsement and invitation to its leaders to apply to open at least 50 charter schools across Tennessee that align with the governor’s conservative beliefs regarding civics and history.

American Classical withdrew its first three applications later that year amid public outrage over Hillsdale President Larry Arnn’s comment that teachers are “trained in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges in the country.”

In 2023, American Classical was approved to open two charter schools in Tennessee, one authorized locally in Rutherford County and the other approved by the state commission on appeal for Madison County.

Asked why the network didn’t seek new charters in 2025, board member Tricia Stickel told Chalkbeat that American Classical is focused on supporting its new Rutherford County school, which opened in La Vergne last August.

The Madison County charter, which in January received its second one-year delay to launch, is now scheduled to open for 2026-27 as American Classical seeks to hire a leader and secure a campus location.

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Some Tennessee charter school applicants could bypass local districts under governor’s proposal

2025-02-13T23:52:04+00:00

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Gov. Bill Lee is pushing for a major revision to Tennessee charter school law to create ways for operators to bypass their local elected school boards and apply directly to a state commission for authorization.

The legislature’s Republican majority leaders have filed a bill on behalf of Lee’s administration to create three new pathways for charter school operators to seek approval from the state:

Beginning July 1, any school board whose decision to deny a charter application is overturned by the state three times within three years could be bypassed, allowing a charter operator to apply directly to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission for authorization during the next five years.
Public colleges and universities could apply to the state commission to open a charter school for K-12 students.
An operator with at least one charter school that is authorized by a local school board or the state commission and that has been operational for at least one year could apply either to the local district or state commission to replicate its model to create one or more charter schools.

If the Republican governor’s bill passes the GOP-controlled legislature, the measure could further dilute local control over Tennessee’s charter sector, while giving the powerful 4-year-old commission even more authority to open and close publicly funded but independently controlled charter schools.

The commission, whose nine members are appointed by the governor, already has significantly expanded its footprint through an appellate process that allows the state to authorize and open charter schools when overturning a local board’s application denial. Another law allows better-performing charter schools in the state’s Achievement School District turnaround program to transfer to the state commission’s oversight, rather than returning to their home district.

The charter commission now oversees 25 charters, including seven that are scheduled to open in the next two years and one transferring from the ASD. Most are in urban Davidson and Shelby counties, but a few operate in suburban Madison and Rutherford counties.

Three of the schools were previously overseen by the state Board of Education before the state commission took over its charter responsibilities in 2021 under a 2019 law initiated by Lee.

The governor, who is one of the nation’s biggest charter advocates, pushed to create the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission to ensure that high-quality charter schools can open and ineffective ones are closed.

He initially wanted to give the new body the power to bypass local school boards altogether and open new charter schools directly. But he agreed to limit the commission’s authority after district leaders expressed outrage to their legislators about any measure that would circumvent local education control.

The commission has not been a rubber stamp for opening charter schools. Since it began hearing appeals in 2021, the panel has sided with local school boards on half of their application denials.

Gov. Bill Lee (center) poses in 2021 with original members whom he appointed to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. Commissioners represent all three of the state's grand divisions.

However, the latest legislative proposal, if approved, would move the state closer to Lee’s original vision for the commission.

The first proposed pathway — allowing operators to bypass local boards if their denials have been repeatedly overturned — is viewed by charter advocates as an incentive for school boards to take their charter authorization process seriously.

“This bill supports fairness, transparency, and high standards for Tennessee’s successful public charter school community, upholding local input while ensuring districts fulfill their responsibilities,” said Elizabeth Lane Johnson, the governor’s press secretary.

Charter critics, meanwhile, characterize it as a way to pressure school boards into approving charter applications.

While districts would begin with a clean slate on July 1, a review of the last three years of the commission’s appellate decisions shows that Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, in Davidson County, has had the most denials overturned by the state, followed by Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

Asked about the proposed changes to the state’s charter school law, a spokesman for Nashville’s school system said district officials do not typically comment publicly on pending legislation.

In Memphis, school board Chair Joyce Dorse Coleman told Chalkbeat that leaders of Memphis-Shelby County Schools are “carefully monitoring” the bill.

The Tennessee School Boards Association did not respond to Chalkbeat’s request for comment.

Tennessee charter growth has been nurtured by out-of-state groups

In all, Tennessee has about 115 charter schools, most authorized locally by the board for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, with a total statewide enrollment of about 44,000 students, according to the Tennessee Charter School Center. Under a 2002 state law, Tennessee’s first three charter schools opened in Chattanooga, Memphis, and Nashville in 2003.

Along with funding from several Tennessee-based foundations, the state has seen an influx of money from out-of-state philanthropic groups to promote and support the sector’s growth in Tennessee. They include Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Charter School Growth Fund, and the City Fund. (The City Fund’s partners include two prominent figures in Tennessee education: Chris Barbic, founding superintendent of the charter-centric Achievement School District, and Dorsey Hopson, founding superintendent of the merged Memphis-Shelby County Schools district.)

Much of the money is distributed through the State Collaborative on Reforming Education, or SCORE, a nonpartisan education advocacy and research organization founded by former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist in 2009. (Among SCORE’s grant recipients is the Memphis Education Fund, whose president and CEO, Terence Patterson, is a member of the state charter school commission.)

In its most recent report outlining SCORE’s goals for 2030, the organization listed three recommendations to bolster the state’s charter sector, including one to expand pathways for authorization to open new schools.

“The General Assembly should update state law to allow charter school operators to consolidate under a single authorizer when seeking renewal with schools under multiple authorizers,” the report said. “Further, the state should allow existing high-performing charter schools seeking to replicate and new charter schools seeking to meet a critical workforce need to choose their authorizer.”

The Tennessee Charter School Center also supports the governor’s legislative proposal, said CEO Elizabeth Fiveash.

“We appreciate the fact that the legislation continues to provide districts the first opportunity to review charter school applications,” Fiveash said, “but also provides increased accountability for districts that don’t meet their authorizing obligations.”

You can read the bill here and track its movement on the General Assembly’s website.

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools needs state intervention, Republican lawmaker says

2025-02-01T00:20:56+00:00

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A Tennessee lawmaker wants Memphis-Shelby County Schools to come under the oversight of a state-appointed management board to address concerns about the district’s leadership, facilities, curriculum, and finances.

Rep. Mark White told Chalkbeat he intends to introduce legislation that would create a seven- to nine-member board, filled by Memphis-area residents who have expertise on those topics, that would oversee the local elected school board until the state deems the district has stabilized.

The Memphis Republican, who also chairs the House Education Committee, said he’s working on legislation modeled after a Texas law that allowed that state to take over Houston’s nearly 200,000-student public school system, the nation’s eighth largest district, in 2023. The Texas Education Agency replaced Superintendent Millard House II, a former district administrator in Clarksville, Tennessee, with a new leader and an appointed board of managers comprising local residents.

Rep. Mark White is a Memphis Republican and chairs the House Education Committee.

But White said that, under his bill, the elected board for Memphis-Shelby County Schools would remain in place, “because they have a lot of duties to carry out, and there are a thousand moving parts to running a school system this large.”

He added, however, that the board would have to work under the management board’s supervision until state officials believe the district has stabilized.

“We’ve got to do something,” White said, “and we think this model will work.”

A spokesperson for Memphis-Shelby County Schools said Friday that the district had no comment about White’s draft legislation.

Earlier this week, MSCS board member Michelle McKissack told Chalkbeat that while she doesn’t want a state takeover, she also understands why some community members would be open to it. McKissack was one of the strongest defenders of former Superintendent Marie Feagins and sought to block her ouster.

“It’s always best for a school district to be left in the hands of the people who are locally in the district, who are right there with the folks,” McKissack said. “You always want to have local control when you’re talking about education.”

“But at the same time,” she said, “our local school board is not listening to the people who elected them. … I see where it’s coming from to a certain extent.”

Talk of a state takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools has swirled for weeks, even before the school board fired Feagins on Jan. 21 after a nine-month tenure marked by tense relations with some school board members.

Feagins enjoyed widespread support from within the district and community for shaking up the bureaucracy and aggressively shrinking central office staff, transferring many of the workers to understaffed schools.

The board fired her anyway, despite pleas from White, the Shelby County Commission, a couple of board members, and community leaders to hold off and try to work through their differences in order to avoid another prolonged search for a new superintendent.

On Monday, House Speaker Cameron Sexton told Memphis radio station KWAM that the state will take over the school system because of the leadership turnover. He called Feagins a “great leader” and pledged that the state will establish a different board “to get the schools back under control.”

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally agreed that the status quo is unacceptable.

“If the board cannot get its act together, and it is becoming very clear they can’t, the state will have to step in,” McNally told Chalkbeat in a statement.

State oversight or state overreach?

Democratic state lawmakers representing Memphis characterize any change in school board governance as “state overreach,” especially in a community where power, politics, and race have long loomed large in the relationship between the state and the public school district.

Sen. Raumesh Akbari said gutting the authority of a locally elected board would be an “attack on democracy,” while Sen. London Lamar said it would set a troubling precedent. Both called it a step backwards.

“Memphis-Shelby County Schools are making progress, despite being part of one of the most underfunded state education systems in the country,” Akbari said.

Last year, for the third straight year, the district earned the highest possible score for academic growth under the state’s accountability system, exceeding state expectations.

State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, who also represents Memphis, said the takeover talk reminds him of when the state took over dozens of Memphis schools for placement in the state-run Achievement School District beginning in 2012. The school turnaround initiative, which is likely to be shuttered by lawmakers this year, has been wildly unpopular and mostly unsuccessful in improving academic performance in low-performing schools.

“We failed children miserably with the ASD, and now we have the nerve to say we’re going to create ASD on steroids by taking a chainsaw to Memphis-Shelby County Schools? That doesn’t make sense,” Hardaway said.

White, while acknowledging the failures of the turnaround district, calls that comparison “apples and oranges.”

“That was more of an academic intervention that involved schools, classrooms, and teachers. This would be a management intervention,” he said.

White said he has met in the last week with Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, interim Memphis school Superintendent Roderick Richmond, and school board member Sable Otey, among others, to talk about community backlash over Feagins’ firing, and what should happen next. Earlier this month, the Shelby County Commission passed a resolution declaring no confidence in the school board.

White said that in drafting the bill, he’s conferred with Sexton’s staff and Sen. Brent Taylor, the Memphis Republican who will be the measure’s co-sponsor.

State takeover of Houston district is steeped in controversy

The Texas Education Agency appointed a nine-member board of managers and installed a new superintendent to oversee the Houston district beginning in 2023, reducing the elected board to an advisory body. The plan is to return the district to local control once the district meets established criteria.

The changes in Houston have been sweeping, and often divisive. According to The Houston Landing, the new state-appointed leadership redesigned teaching and learning, sought to tie teacher pay more closely to student test scores, boosted some teacher salaries by tens of thousands of dollars, and slashed spending on many non-classroom expenses.

While state test scores improved in 2024, critics of the takeover have pointed to high teacher turnover and question the long-term affordability of the turnaround plan, the Landing reported.

Others called the takeover the latest example of Republican and predominantly white state officials asserting power in heavily minority and Democratic-led cities.

Some Houston officials have called for an end to the takeover and an investigation into why and how it happened.

Tennessee lawmakers will be moving on to other business now that they’ve completed a special session that was headlined by passage of a universal school voucher bill. White said that his draft legislation would likely call for the change in Memphis governance to happen July 1, though it could be sooner.

“Some are calling this a takeover,” he said, “but I call it an intervention.”

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis-based reporter Dima Amro contributed to this story.

Feagins is fired as Memphis schools superintendent after stormy 9-month tenure

2025-01-22T03:30:04+00:00

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Marie Feagins was fired Tuesday as superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools, setting the district back to where it has been repeatedly in recent years: searching for leadership.

A bitterly divided school board voted 6-3 to oust Feagins less than 10 months into her tenure, approving a resolution that cited allegations of professional misconduct and poor leadership.

Feagins, a former Detroit school administrator hired by a previous board to lead Tennessee’s largest school district after a prolonged and problem-plagued search, vehemently denied any wrongdoing. She described herself as a target of “false accusations and political maneuvering.”

Board chair Joyce Dorse Coleman introduced the resolution to fire Feagins and was joined in voting “yes” by members Stephanie Love, Natalie McKinney, Sable Otey, Towanna Murphy, and Keith Williams. Michelle McKissack, Tamarques Porter, and Amber Huett-Garcia voted no.

The board voted to name Roderick Richmond, a longtime district administrator now serving as the district’s transformation officer, as interim superintendent.

In a statement issued later Tuesday night through a public relations firm, Dorse Coleman said Feagins “has not demonstrated the transformational leadership that is critical to the success” of the Memphis district.

“At this pivotal moment, we need a transformational leader who will collaborate effectively with the Board and respect governance protocols, keeping students at the center of every decision,” she said.

The board will hold a news conference at noon Thursday at the district’s central office, the statement said.

According to multiple media reports, Feagins told reporters after Tuesday’s vote that her firing is “exactly the opposite” of what an educational institution stands for. She said many members of the board “chose chaos over children, and it looks like they’ve chosen litigation over leadership.”

She added: “I’ll see them in court.”

After a tense and at times chaotic special meeting, the board approved a resolution Dorse Coleman first introduced Dec. 17 to fire Feagins. The resolution claims that Feagins:

Failed to provide evidence of her statement that district employees were paid $1 million in overtime for time not worked.
Accepted a donation of more than $45,000 without board approval, then misrepresented what happened.
Misled the board and public about a federal grant and its missed deadline.

Feagins’ hiring was supposed to bring stability and rebuild trust after a turbulent 18-month superintendent search, and as the district navigated serious academic and financial challenges, including possible school closures. Instead, months of simmering tension between Feagins and the majority of board members led to a hasty divorce with potentially significant ramifications.

If the decision amounts to a firing for cause the board would avoid paying Feagins in severance — it was estimated at $487,500 as of last month — but potentially open itself up to other costs if Feagins follows through on pursuing legal action. Feagins began work last April on a four-year contract that was to pay her $325,000 annually.

Lawmakers concerned about the prospect of Feagins being fired also were poised to take action.

State Rep. Mark White, Republican chairman of a House education committee, has floated reintroducing legislation he drafted last year that would give the state the power to appoint up to six new members to the nine-member Memphis board. White on Tuesday wrote a letter to the school board urging members to retain Feagins. Another lawmaker, Democratic Rep. G.A. Hardaway, has already filed a bill that would create a process for recalling school board members.

Huett-Garcia and community members who spoke during Tuesday’s public comment period raised the specter of greater state intervention to warn board members against voting to fire Feagins.

A long line of speakers come to Feagins’ defense

More than two-dozen speakers — including teachers, alumni, and community organizers — lined up during public comment to support Feagins and criticize the attempt to oust her.

Among them was Justin Pearson, a Democratic state representative from Memphis who drew national attention in 2023 after Republicans expelled him from office over his participation in a disruption at the Capitol. Pearson, who was quickly reappointed and then reelected to office, called the process targeting Feagins unfair and urged the board to “slow down.”

Pearson used sharper language in an interview with Chalkbeat, calling the process “horrendous.”

“I got expelled in an unjust and unfair way,” he said. “I know what it looks like and that’s what’s happening now.”

The meeting grew heated when the board’s outside counsel, Robert Spence, said his review found the allegations against Feagins were true. McKissack interjected, accusing Spence of acting like he was in a courtroom giving “Perry Mason editorializing.” Dorse Coleman threatened to “clear the room” repeatedly as audience members booed and heckled.

When the room quieted, Spence said Feagins violated her contract and deviated from board policy, and that she exhibited a pattern of untruthful statements. The board then voted to release Spence’s 209-page report to the public.

Before voting to terminate Feagins’ contract, the board rejected a counterproposal from board member Huett-Garcia to keep Feagins and attempt to repair her relationship with the board. Under that resolution, Feagins would have had to provide monthly updates to the board, and board members would have been required to complete board governance training.

Even the superintendent’s most vocal board supporters said Feagins bore some responsibility for the deterioration of her relationship with the board since she started.

Still, McKissack pleaded with her colleagues to listen to community members and adopt the counterproposal to retain Feagins, which she described as fair and balanced.

“We can hit the reset button on all of this,” she said. “We absolutely can do this together.”

It was clear last month that at least five board members were inclined to sever ties with Feagins. But Dorse Coleman hit pause, casting the deciding vote on a proposal to delay the discussion until this month to allow for more deliberation and a response from Feagins.

During a board committee meeting last week, Feagins shared a point-by-point response to the allegations against her. She said some school board members presented misleading and false information, calling the effort to fire her “politically motivated” and vowing not to resign.

Board member McKinney leveled additional allegations at the committee meeting, accusing Feagins of “a pattern of failed leadership” and citing graduation issues, inadequate staffing, and cutting student support systems.

That prompted McKissack to say some of her peers were “hell-bent” on dismissing Feagins, and Huett-Garcia said McKinney was “crossing the line of governance.”

When it came time to finally vote on the resolution to fire Feagins at Tuesday’s special meeting, the discussion was more procedural than emotional. The board members in favor of ousting her did not make speeches explaining their vote. The roll call was taken, and the votes were tallied.

“The resolution was adopted,” Dorse Coleman said. “Thank you.”

Superintendent drama has been running for more than two years

A different board took a markedly different approach in parting ways with Joris Ray, who resigned in August 2022 in the midst of a board-ordered outside investigation over claims that he abused his power and violated district policies. That board approved an agreement that gave Ray a severance package equivalent to 18 months’ salary — about $480,000. The agreement also ended the investigation into Ray before any findings were made public.

District administrator Toni Williams then took over as interim superintendent. She went back and forth on applying for the job on a permanent basis, and ultimately withdrew from consideration. The district restarted its national search in June 2023, after the board agreed on a fresh set of job qualifications and criteria. That eventually led to Feagins’ hiring.

Feagins lasted a little over nine months in the role, not even as long as Williams served as interim superintendent.

Before coming to Memphis, Feagins was an official in the Detroit Public Schools Community District, which, by contrast, has experienced a long period of leadership stability under Superintendent Nikolai Vitti.

Vitti, who was hired in 2017 as the district emerged from state control, received a second contract extension in March that will keep him in the post until 2028 and make him one of the longest-serving leaders in district history. He said at the time that working with the board on a succession plan would be one of his top objectives.

One of Feagins’ harshest critics in recent weeks has been board member McKinney, who unseated then-board Chair Althea Greene as District 2’s representative in the August 2024 school board election after campaigning as an advocate of leadership change. She signaled in her campaign that she would emphasize communication and community involvement, telling Chalkbeat: “Family and community engagement must be meaningful, genuine, inclusive, and responsive to truly support our students.”

Memphians are “tired of watching their students graduate but not be prepared for postsecondary opportunities,” McKinney said on election night. “At some point we have to decide who will be responsible for this. If things haven’t worked under that leadership, it’s time to try something new.”

McKinney was one of four newly elected board members last year. But Feagins’ board opposition included a mix of veteran and new board members: Dorse Coleman, Williams, and Love joined with McKinney and two other newcomers, Murphy and Otey. The other newly elected board member, Porter in District 4, sided with Feagins, along with McKissack and Huett-Garcia.

As the meeting room emptied Tuesday night, Overton High School Spanish teacher Noah Nordstrom said he felt shocked, heartbroken, and betrayed by the vote to fire Feagins.

Nordstrom, 26, said he fears ripple effects in classrooms, with teachers returning to a feeling of low motivation that was prevalent before the superintendent position was filled.

“For the last year under Dr. Feagins there’s been this new hope, this new sense of motivation, like our district is going somewhere,” Nordstrom said. “And now it feels like we’re going back.”

Correction, Jan. 23, 12:26 p.m.: A previous version of this story referred incorrectly to the number of days Feagins was in her post.

Memphis school superintendent decries effort to oust her as ‘politically motivated’

2025-01-07T22:03:53+00:00

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Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins wants to make clear what she thinks about the attempt to oust her: She plans to defend herself and has no intention of resigning.

In a written response to the school board Monday, Feagins said the allegations cited as a basis for firing her are “meritless” and described the effort as “personally driven” and “politically motivated.”

The board agreed to discuss the matter at a scheduled work session on Jan. 14, after deciding Dec. 17 to defer a vote on whether to end Feagins’ contract.. Any vote to fire her would have to take place at a formal board meeting. The next one is Jan. 21.

In her response Monday, which board attorney Robert Spence shared in an email to Chalkbeat, Feagins said, “I will not resign,” and urged members to reconsider an action that “does not serve the best interests of our district, children, or the broader community.”

Feagins said her attorney received no response when asked about specific policies and procedures she is alleged to have broken.

“To directly speak to the meritless claims, I have never, under any circumstances, intentionally or unintentionally misled a board member or the board as a whole,” she said in her response. “Furthermore, I have not mismanaged district funds.”

The allegations were contained in a resolution that Board Chair Joyce Dorse-Coleman presented to the board on Dec. 17, seeking to terminate Feagins immediately on grounds that she breached the terms of her contract. The resolution claims that she:

Failed to provide evidence of her statement that district employees were paid $1 million in overtime for time not worked.
Accepted a donation of more than $45,000 without board approval, then misrepresented what happened.
Misled the board and public about a federal grant and its missed deadline.

While presenting the resolution in December, Dorse-Coleman said Feagins “engaged in conduct detrimental to the district and the families it serves.”

Under Feagins’ contract, if she is fired without cause, she would be entitled to a severance payment of $487,500. Feagins strongly denied the claims at the Dec. 17 board meeting, and the board appeared split on whether to vote to oust her.

Board members Stephanie Love, Sable Otey, Towanna Murphy, and Natalie McKinney opposed delaying a decision at the Dec. 17 meeting. But Michelle McKissack, Amber Huett-Garcia, Tamarques Porter, and Keith Williams spoke out against the resolution.

Ultimately, Dorse-Coleman cast the deciding vote on a proposal to move the discussion and decision to the new year, and give Feagins more time to respond. In a Dec. 26 statement, Dorse-Coleman said her stance on removing Feagins has not changed.

“She has a pattern and practice of not providing critical information and instead misinforming the board members,” Dorse-Coleman said in her statement. “I don’t think this is something we can overcome.”

Murphy shared similar concerns with Chalkbeat after the district’s attorney told her about Feagins’ response on Tuesday.

Murphy said the superintendent does not make an effort to communicate with her, and it “has gotten worse” since the Dec. 17 meeting.

“She does not follow the instructions of the board,” Murphy said. “It is about running the school board as a whole, and us doing it for the children. But we seem to keep forgetting about the children because we’re too busy putting out Dr. Feagins’ fires.”

Murphy said she wanted Feagins to work out but she no longer envisions a future with her.

Feagins’ said in her statement Monday that she feels “deeply disturbed” by some board members’ “unwarranted attacks” on her integrity and what she described as their disregard for her professional background.

“Despite the falsehoods and defamatory public remarks intended to damage my character and diminish public trust in me, I have upheld the highest standards of professionalism,” Feagins told the board in her response. “This includes navigating attempts by current and former board members to remove me and create an intimidating work environment — actions of which you have been aware for months — while also tactfully addressing this resulting national embarrassment brought on our city and district.”

Meanwhile, the district still grapples with academic and financial challenges while trying to rehabilitate a relationship with the community that weakened during the long superintendent search.

Feagins has a four-year contract that pays her $325,000 annually. Before coming to Memphis, she held a leadership position at the Detroit Public Schools Community District.

Feagins became the first outside leader of MSCS since the district was created through a merger a decade ago.

Attempt to oust Memphis superintendent sparks school funding threat and calls for a ‘reset’

2025-01-06T23:58:41+00:00

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Community backlash is mounting ahead of a pivotal decision this month on the fate of Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins.

The Shelby County Commission is set Wednesday to discuss whether to vote Jan. 13 for a resolution of “no confidence” in the school board after several members launched an effort last month to oust Feagins, who began in the role April 1 after a prolonged search.

A second resolution on the commission’s agenda would place a 90-day hold on the county’s recent $33 million allocation toward building a long-anticipated high school in the city’s Frayser community.

A parent advocacy group, meanwhile, has called on Feagins and the school board to work out their differences in private, while a prominent Memphis lawmaker says he is pursuing his own meeting with the board to “reset the conversation.”

The activity comes ahead of a Jan. 15 school board work session in which the board will revisit the case against Feagins, which Chair Joyce Dorse-Coleman laid out in a resolution to terminate Feagins’ contract.

Feagins has forcefully denied any wrongdoing, and was expected to submit written responses to the board on Monday. Any vote to oust Feagins would need to happen at a board business meeting. The next one is set for Jan. 21.

At its December meeting, the board voted 5-4 to push its decision on Feagins to this month. Dorse-Coleman cast the deciding vote, saying she wanted to “keep it fair” and allow more time to review the facts.

The resolution contends that Feagins has been dishonest and difficult to communicate with, and that she mishandled or misrepresented district finances on three occasions.

Conflict draws in state officials

The drama in Memphis-Shelby County Schools has gotten the attention of state officials, too.

Rep. Mark White, longtime chairman of a House education committee in the state legislature, is seeking to meet this week with the entire school board and several other state lawmakers from Memphis.

“We need to dial down the temperature,” said the Memphis Republican. “There’s a lot of people in our community who are very upset by this situation.”

White said poor working relationships between Feagins and certain board members are distracting all of them from more important academic challenges facing Tennessee’s largest school system, such as low reading scores, chronic absenteeism, a high dropout rate, and a critical need for stronger workforce development in the Mid-South.

He said he’s not ready to introduce legislation that he drafted last year to give Gov. Bill Lee’s administration the power to appoint up to six new members to the nine-member Memphis board. However, that avenue remains an option, White said.

“It took 18 months to find this superintendent, and now some board members want to let her go while she’s still trying to learn the ropes and drinking from a fire hose,” White said. “You don’t disrupt an entire community and call a meeting to dismiss your superintendent without a clear definition of the grievances.”

Six board members with Memphis-Shelby County Schools meet with Rep. Mark White and other state officials on Feb. 14, 2024, at the Tennessee Capitol. White decided later against filing a bill to authorize the governor to appoint new members to the Memphis board.

Feagins has hired Memphis lawyer Alan Crone to represent her in the dispute, while the board has retained Robert Spence, another local attorney.

Nearly a year ago, the board voted to hire Feagins away from a leadership position at the Detroit Public Schools Community District, making her the first outside leader to direct Tennessee’s largest school system since it was created through a merger a decade ago.

According to her contract, she must be paid a severance of $487,500 if the board terminates her contract without cause. However, Dorse-Coleman has said the claims by her and several other board members justify a termination, meaning that Feagins would not receive a severance package.

Funding for new Frayser high school at risk

The “no confidence” resolution before the county body that oversees local funding for public schools is co-sponsored by Commissioners Amber Mills and Erika Sugarman. Mills is the sole sponsor so far of the second resolution, to withhold millions of dollars approved on Dec. 16 toward the $112 million cost of building a new high school.

“Firing a superintendent, no matter who they are, at the beginning of a critical project leaves the County Commissioners with no confidence … regarding the new construction of the Frayser High School and other actions,” the first resolution reads.

Mills said the resolutions are her attempt to make the school board think deeply before moving ahead with an ouster attempt that she said has “blindsided our whole community.” Freezing funding for a new Frayser school, she added, would be “just a pause” as the commission seeks “clear direction and accountability from school district leaders.”

“A lot of people love Dr. Feagins and are happy that she’s making changes,” Mills said.

School board member Stephanie Love, who voted against postponing the termination vote, said Monday she’s disappointed that the county commission has gotten involved. She said Mills, whose district overlaps Love’s, has not contacted her to discuss the matter.

“It’s unfortunate that another elected body would consider holding off on building a new school in my district,” she told Chalkbeat. “Kids are the most important thing to me.”

Love added: “I will vote my conscience (on Feagins’ future). We are not going to make everybody happy. The public is unaware of the things we have to deal with behind closed doors.”

Dorse-Coleman, the board chair, did not respond Monday to Chalkbeat’s questions about community backlash. But in a Dec. 26 statement, she said she and other board members have tried sharing their concerns with Feagins privately without success.

“She has a pattern and practice of not providing critical information and instead misinforming the Board Members,” Dorse-Coleman said. “I don’t think this is something we can overcome.”

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Tennessee is gearing up for another private school voucher debate. Here’s what we know.

2024-10-22T22:02:30+00:00

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A new universal school voucher proposal will be the first bill filed for Tennessee’s upcoming legislative session, signaling that Gov. Bill Lee intends to make the plan his No. 1 education priority for a second straight year.

Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson said this week that he’ll file his chamber’s legislation on the morning of Nov. 6, the day after Election Day. He expects House Majority Leader William Lamberth will do the same.

The big question is whether House and Senate Republican leaders will be able to agree on the details in 2025. The 114th Tennessee General Assembly convenes on Jan. 14 as Lee begins his last two years in office.

During the 2024 session, the governor’s Education Freedom Scholarship proposal stalled in finance committees over disagreements about testing and funding, despite a GOP supermajority, and even as universal voucher programs sprang up in several other states.

Sponsors in the Tennessee House, where voucher programs have had a harder time getting support from rural Republicans and urban Democrats, attempted to woo votes with an omnibus-style bill that included benefits for public schools, too. But Senate Republican leaders balked at the scope and cost of the House version.

On Monday, Johnson gave a voucher update to school board members in Williamson County, which he represents, on the development of new legislation.

Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson speaks with school board members in Williamson County, which he represents, on Oct. 21, 2024, in Franklin.

Similar to last year’s proposal, the new bill would provide about $7,000 in taxpayer funds to each of up to 20,000 students to attend a private school beginning next fall, with half of the slots going to students who are considered economically disadvantaged. By 2026, all of Tennessee’s K-12 students, regardless of family income, would be eligible for vouchers, though the number of recipients would depend on how much money is budgeted for the program.

“The bill is not finalized, but we’re all working together with the governor’s office to come up with a bill we all can support,” Johnson told Chalkbeat after the presentation.

Testing accountability is among chief issues to settle

Johnson said the Senate’s 2025 bill will again include some type of testing requirement for voucher recipients — either state assessments or state-approved national tests — to gauge whether the program is improving academic outcomes.

However, the Senate bill will eliminate a previous provision that might have allowed public school students to enroll in any district, even if they’re not zoned for it. That policy proposal had been included at the insistence of Senate Education Committee Chairman Jon Lundberg, a Bristol Republican who lost his reelection bid in the August primary.

Lamberth, the House leader, did not respond this week to multiple requests for comment about his chamber’s plan, which in 2024 had no testing requirement for voucher recipients. Instead, the House version sought to dramatically reduce testing and accountability for public school students, including replacing high school end-of-course assessments with ACT college entrance exams.

The House bill also included numerous financial incentives to try to garner support from public school advocates. One idea was to increase the state’s contribution to pay for public school teachers’ medical insurance by redirecting $125 million the governor had earmarked for teacher salary increases.

Timeline: How private school voucher movement gained momentum in Tennessee before hitting a bump

Johnson told school board members the governor is planning a “substantial” increase for public education funding in 2025 but didn’t specify how much or for what.

“I think we’re going to have some things in there that will be great for all public education,” he said when asked later about including costly incentives such as teacher medical insurance funding. “Whether it’s in that (voucher) bill or if it’s in a separate bill is a great question. We will see. I don’t know the answer.”

Williamson County school board rescinds earlier anti-voucher resolution

Johnson told board members in his home district that he expects “nominal” impact to Williamson County’s two suburban school systems south of Nashville, if the bill passes the legislature in 2025. Most enrollees, he said, would be in urban areas that have more low-performing schools and private school options.

Later Monday, Williamson County’s board, including four newly elected members whose campaigns were supported by a conservative out-of-state political action committee, voted 10-2 to rescind a resolution passed by the previous board opposing Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Act.

The governor is from Williamson County and graduated from a public high school there in 1977. So it was significant when his local board voted in March to join more than 50 other school boards across Tennessee on record against his signature education proposal.

But Dennis Diggers, a new board member, argued that it was appropriate to revisit the issue given the recent election, and proposed rescinding the resolution.

“Four of the six candidates who won their election ran publicly for more than six months on this issue, so it was out there,” Diggers said. “I am not going to deny the parents in Williamson County the chance to help their kids.”

Meanwhile, a Tennessee policy organization that supports vouchers released a new poll showing 58% of the state’s voters are more inclined to support a candidate who supports letting parents collect public funding to choose where their child is educated, including public, private, charter, or home schools. The Beacon Center poll did not use the word “vouchers” in its question to voters, which tends to poll worse than language about “school choice.”

School voucher voter polls vary wildly in Tennessee

Universal vouchers would mark a major expansion of vouchers in Tennessee, where lawmakers voted in 2019 to create education savings account options for students in Memphis and Nashville. That targeted program, which has since expanded to the Chattanooga area, has 3,550 enrollees in its third year, still below the 5,000-student cap, according to data provided by the state education department.

A spokeswoman for the governor said his administration continues to work with both legislative chambers on a “unified” universal voucher bill to kick off discussions for the 2025 session. She also noted that $144 million remains in this year’s state budget for the program, even though lawmakers didn’t approve the bill.

“We remain grateful for the General Assembly’s continued commitment to deliver Education Freedom Scholarships to Tennessee families by keeping funding for last year’s proposal in the budget,” said Elizabeth Johnson, the governor’s press secretary.

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

State renews charter for Wooddale Middle School, overturning Memphis board decision

2024-10-18T14:25:05+00:00

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The operator of Wooddale Middle School, a Memphis charter school exiting the state turnaround district, will continue managing it after a state panel overturned a decision by Memphis-Shelby County Schools to deny its application.

The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission followed the recommendation of its executive director, Tess Stovall, in approving the application by IOTA Community Schools, formerly known as Green Dot Public Schools.

The 7-1 vote on Thursday came despite a recommendation by the commission’s own review committee to deny the application based on shortcomings in IOTA’s plan for academics and operations, as well as the performance of other schools in the network’s charter portfolio.

Arlandra Parker, who oversees charter school development for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, also argued that Wooddale had shown “inconsistent academic performance” for nearly a decade under the management of Green Dot/IOTA during its time in the state’s Achievement School District turnaround program, or ASD.

But Stovall said her review of the record tells a bigger story.

While acknowledging Wooddale’s mixed academic performance, she said the school has shown improvement in the past two years and generally outperforms nearby middle schools operated by the local district.

“I do not have confidence that, if responsibility for operating the school is shifted to Memphis-Shelby County Schools, Wooddale students will perform any different than the students at the other zoned middle schools,” Stovall wrote in her analysis.

Commissioner Terence Patterson, who is also CEO of the charter-friendly Memphis Education Fund, said the dearth of high-quality middle school options around Wooddale should factor into the state panel’s decisions on charter appeals, especially for Memphis schools transitioning out of the ASD.

“To even consider giving the option of running the school back to a district that has four neighboring schools with single-digit proficiency, I would almost view as negligence,” he said, referring to proficiency rates on state standardized tests.

Chairperson Chris Richards, a retired FedEx executive who also represents West Tennessee on the commission, cited concerns that Memphis-Shelby County Schools recently shuttered its Innovation Zone, another school turnaround program that could have provided Wooddale with additional resources and support when returning to its home district.

“We’re facing great uncertainty (about) the support of the local district, and that bothers me a lot,” she said, adding “that kind of support makes the difference between whether kids can get to school or not.”

The vote was the clearest example so far that the commission is willing to look beyond the state’s established metrics for scoring a charter school application, leaning instead on members’ views of whether approving it is in a community’s best interest.

It was also the third time in seven appeals that the commission has overturned the Memphis school board’s denial of a charter application since the legislature created the appellate entity under a 2019 law.

Last year, the commission approved an application from Capstone Education Group to continue operating Cornerstone Prep Lester as it prepared to exit the ASD at the end of the 2023-24 school year.

The commission also sided last year with Empower Memphis Career and College Prep, which is planning to open a K-8 charter school in the fall of 2025 focused on career and technical education in the city’s Orange Mound community.

In her analysis, Stovall said approving IOTA‘s application was in the best interest of Wooddale’s 450 students, the local district, and community. But she also identified challenges.

Wooddale’s chronic absenteeism rate is significantly higher than nearby middle schools, and there’s no guarantee that Memphis-Shelby County Schools will lease or sell the campus in the city’s Parkway Village area to IOTA.

Bluff City High School, another IOTA Memphis school that is already under the commission’s oversight, has been on charter probation since 2022, based on its failure to meet academic performance standards. The school’s charter is up for renewal under the commission in 2026-27.

IOTA has two remaining ASD schools — Hillcrest High and Kirby Middle — whose charter agreements with the state will end after the 2025-26 school year, creating uncertainty for the network in the next few years.

“While I do have some concerns when reviewing the amended application for Wooddale, the evidence of the entire record demonstrates to me that Wooddale is offering a higher quality option to families in the Parkway Village area,” Stovall said.

The commission also voted this week to uphold Rutherford County Schools‘ denial of a charter to Novus Smart Academy, as well as Nashville school board’s denial of a charter to Nashville School of Excellence.

But it overturned the Nashville district on three applications and approved charters for LEAD Southeast Elementary, Nurses Middle College, and Encompass Community School.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools and Metro Nashville Public Schools now have 30 days to reach mutual agreements with the respective charter networks for authorization. If that doesn’t happen, the state commission becomes the default authorizer.

Visit here to see the outcomes of all charter appeals to the commission.

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Editor‘s note: This story has been updated to include the commission’s decisions on more 2024 charter appeals.

‘Beloved’ and five other library books banned by one of Tennessee’s largest school systems

2024-09-20T03:58:42+00:00

In one of Tennessee’s book banning hot spots, the Rutherford County Board of Education voted Thursday to remove six books from high school libraries, including Toni Morrison’s “Beloved,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the horrific realities of American slavery.

Also removed were Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” a coming-of-age novel in which a supporting character is gay, and “Wicked,” Gregory Maguire’s popular retelling of the classic “Wizard of Oz” tale.

But Sherry Shahan’s “Skin & Bones,” which delves into eating disorders, failed to get enough votes for removal and will stay on high school library shelves in Rutherford County Schools, a suburban district south of Nashville with about 50,000 students.

The votes came amid a politically charged national climate and debates in Tennessee over what constitutes age appropriateness versus censorship.

Tennessee legislators recently revised Gov. Bill Lee’s 2022 school library law to expand the definition of what books are prohibited. The goal, they said, is to ensure the materials are appropriate for the ages and maturity levels of the students who can access them.

But instead of holding public votes on questionable material as Rutherford County’s board did Thursday, the revised law has created confusion for librarians and school leaders, prompting many to quietly pull controversial books from the shelves. A recent survey of members of the Tennessee Association of School Librarians found that more than 1,100 titles have been removed statewide under the changes, with more under review.

Rutherford County’s board voted one by one on seven books under review at the request of board member Caleb Tidwell, who cited “sexually explicit” content that he believes crossed the line of local community decency standards.

The votes came in a packed meeting room after two hours of public comment and debate, with more than a dozen citizens speaking both for and against Tidwell’s proposal. Some who opposed the books read several passages aloud.

Also removed were two novels by Sarah J. Maas, “Queen of Shadows” and “Tower of Dawn,” and Yaa Gyasi’s “Homegoing.”

The decisions came after several board members expressed confusion over which state laws and policies to follow in making their decisions: the state’s criminal obscenity law that calls for review of the material as a whole, or the revised school library law that prohibits sexual content either “in whole or in part.”

Members also voted against considering a compromise from Stan Vaught, a newly elected board member who proposed creating mature reading areas within school libraries requiring parental approval for access. The seven books in question would be placed there, he said.

The ACLU of Tennessee, which sent a Sept. 16 letter urging board members to keep all seven books, said Thursday’s votes represented the viewpoints of a vocal minority who wants to ban books that address race, racism, LGBTQ+ rights, and marginalized groups.

'Beloved' is Toni Morrison's haunting novel about sexual violence and the brutality of American slavery. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 1988.

“Rutherford County students will pay the price and be at a significant disadvantage compared to their peers across the state and the U.S. who have access to these materials and are developing the critical thinking skills needed for college and beyond,” Kathy Sinback, the organization’s executive director in Tennessee, said in a statement.

But Tidwell, who called for the books’ removal, said the decisions were a “win for the protection of minors,” and he hinted that more library books will be reviewed.

“While there is likely more work to do, tonight was a step forward,” he said after the meeting.

The district already removed 29 titles earlier this year, as well as one last year, Mike Curato’s “Flamer,” a graphic novel about a gay teenager struggling with his identity.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated which character in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” identifies as gay.

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Under Tennessee’s stricter school library law, some books quietly disappear

2024-09-17T22:09:26+00:00

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Jennifer Edwards was a teenager in Arizona when she first read “Beloved,” Toni Morrison’s haunting novel about sexual violence and the brutal realities of American slavery.

“It had a profound effect on me,” she said, citing the empathy, historical understanding, and critical thinking skills the book imparted.

Now a mother of two sons and living in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Edwards wants teens in her community to have access to her all-time favorite book.

But under a recently revised state law broadening the definition of what school library materials are prohibited, her local board of education is set to vote Thursday on whether to pull the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and six other books with mature themes from the shelves of Rutherford County Schools.

“Banning books is not OK,” Edwards told the board last month as it began reviewing the materials. “Just because you don’t like what the mirror shows you doesn’t mean you put the mirror down.”

This week’s vote comes after the district, south of Nashville, already removed 29 books from its libraries this year under a previous policy, part of a wave of purges on campuses across Tennessee and other states.

How the ‘age-appropriate’ debate is altering curriculum

In Tennessee, that wave started under Gov. Bill Lee’s 2022 school library law requiring periodic reviews of catalogs to ensure materials are appropriate for the ages and maturity levels of the students who can access them. Librarians and teachers had to publish their inventories of book collections online for parents to view. Early removals included books about marginalized groups, including people who identify as LGBTQ+, and descriptions of slavery and racial discrimination throughout U.S. history.

This spring, scrutiny escalated. Republican lawmakers added a definition of what’s “suitable” and, based on the state’s obscenity law, prohibited any material that “in whole or in part contains descriptions or depictions of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, excess violence, or sadomasochistic abuse.”

In the absence of state guidance on how to interpret the changes — What constitutes excess violence, for instance? Are photographs of nude statues allowed? What about Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet”? — some school boards like Rutherford County’s are putting questionable material to a vote. Educators in many other districts are quietly culling their shelves of certain books.

“Yes, there is some subjectiveness to it, but there’s also a line. We need to determine what the line is, and then hold it.”
Caleb Tidwell, board member, Rutherford County Schools

A recent survey of members of the Tennessee Association of School Librarians found that more than 1,100 titles have been removed under the changes, with more under review. One librarian anonymously reported pulling 300 titles at a single school since the start of the academic year. Only a sixth of the organization’s members responded to the survey.

“We may never truly know the level to which books have been removed from school libraries in Tennessee,” the organization said in a statement, noting that large-scale removals may cause some libraries to fall under the state’s minimum standards for collection counts.

“A literal interpretation of this law may have the unintended consequences of gutting resources that support curriculum standards for fine arts, biology, health, history, and world religions, to name a few, especially in high schools, where AP curriculum and dual enrollment courses require more critical texts,” the group said.

Lindsey Kimery, one of the organization’s leaders, said the law’s rollout has created “chaos and confusion” for school librarians.

“Some librarians have received guidance from their central office; some have not,” she said. “Some boards are updating their policies for handling book challenges to align with the law’s changes. Some districts have interpreted the law to mean they should preemptively go through their collections and pull anything they think has one of the prohibited topics in it.

“It’s all over the map,” Kimery added.

‘Phantom book banning’: Censorship in the shadows

The quiet censorship is being noticed by First Amendment advocates, from the ACLU of Tennessee to Julia Garnett, who graduated last spring from Hendersonville High School in Sumner County, north of Nashville.

Garnett started a free speech club at her high school during her senior year. Now a freshman at Smith College in Massachusetts, she is the youth spokesperson for the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week, Sept. 22-28.

Last week, she searched her alma mater’s online library catalog to look for books by Sarah J. Maas and Ellen Hopkins, whose popular young adult novels are frequently challenged or banned due to their mature themes and sexual content.

None were listed.

“They used to be there, but they’ve disappeared,” said Garnett. “I call it phantom book banning, where libraries are being censored, but not in a public way. I think that’s what scares me the most.”

The law is vulnerable to a federal challenge on First Amendment grounds, said Kathy Sinback, executive director of the ACLU of Tennessee. The statute’s vagueness, a lack of compliance guidance from the state, and the uneven way the law is being applied across Tennessee are among issues that open the door to a lawsuit.

“But we’d love to see the legislature fix the problems next year without having to pursue litigation,” Sinback said. “We’d like to see it made constitutional in a way that will ensure our children have access to the literature they deserve.”

Legal precedents support students’ First Amendment rights

The House sponsor of the law’s recent revisions, Rep. Susan Lynn of Mt. Juliet, did not respond to emails asking if she’d be open to revisiting the law. Some of her critics worry the goal is ultimately to take a legal challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court, where conservatives hold a majority.

The Senate sponsor, Joey Hensley of Hohenwald, said he believes the law is constitutional.

“I’m always open to making laws better,” he said, “but I don’t think this interferes with people’s First Amendment rights, and I’m personally not hearing about problems with it. The law’s intent is simply to ensure public schools do not give children access to materials that are not appropriate for their ages.”

Sen. Joey Hensley, of Hohenwald, co-sponsored 2024 legislation to identify what school library materials are prohibited, and to require local school boards to act on book complaints within 60 days.

Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, said higher courts have consistently sided with First Amendment advocates on challenges to content in school libraries, even as efforts to ban books in public schools and libraries reached an all-time high in 2023.

The school library is supposed to be a place of voluntary inquiry — a safe space for students to explore ideas under the supervision of adults instead of alone on their cellphones.

“This gets to the core of the First Amendment,” she said, “the idea that libraries are a marketplace of ideas, and elected officials should not be able to dictate their contents.”

“Students are not just students; they are citizens.”
Ken Paulson, director, Free Speech Center, Middle Tennessee State University

But it’s also possible that another school library case could someday reach the U.S. Supreme Court. Two book ban cases from Iowa and Texas are already making their way through the federal courts.

Current legal precedent stems from the high court’s 1982 ruling involving a school board in New York state that wanted certain books removed from its middle and high school libraries. In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled against the board and held that “the right to receive ideas is a necessary predicate to the recipient’s meaningful exercise of his own rights of speech, press, and political freedom.”

Justice William Brennan wrote that while “local school boards have a substantial legitimate role to play in the determination of school library content,” the First Amendment doesn’t give government officials the power to ditch books because they don’t like them or disagree with their viewpoints.

Ken Paulson, director of the Tennessee-based Free Speech Center and a former editor-in-chief of USA Today, also cites the importance of a 1969 Supreme Court ruling establishing that students have constitutional rights, too.

The case involved students in Des Moines, Iowa, who wore black armbands to their public school in silent protest of the Vietnam War. The court sided with the students.

“Because someone is 12 or 14, we sometimes think they don’t have constitutional rights,” Paulson said. “But they do, and they’re surprisingly robust. Students are not just students; they are citizens.”

Middle Tennessee district is a book ban hotspot

In Murfreesboro, a college town that is home to about 50,000 students in Tennessee’s largest suburban K-12 district, most titles removed so far were in high school libraries. They generally were contemporary young adult novels containing sexual content and other mature themes, from child abuse and suicide to substance abuse and LGBTQ+ issues.

The books were flagged as “sexually explicit” material by school board member Caleb Tidwell and removed this spring without going through the district’s library review committee that includes a principal, teachers, librarians, and a parent.

Rutherford County Board of Education is scheduled to decide Sept. 19 whether to remove seven more books from local school libraries.

Xan Lasko, who recently retired as a high school librarian in Rutherford County, said the directives she received from Superintendent James Sullivan bypassed the district’s usual review process for handling complaints. Instead, Tidwell cited a provision of board policy requiring the immediate removal of sexually explicit material. Sullivan concurred, according to their email exchange obtained from the district through a public records request from Nashville TV station WSMV.

Tidwell, a Republican who was reelected to the school board in August, said he made the requests on behalf of individuals who have expressed concerns but who feared retaliation from the media and individuals in the district.

In his opinion, all of the materials in question violate both the state’s obscenity law and local board policy. Most, he said, have “education value near zero, or very low.” For those that provide historical context, other books that go into those topics — but without sexually explicit language — are available.

“It’s a very contentious topic,” said Tidwell, who has three school-age children. “But if we focus on the content, most of this stuff is pretty clear. Yes, there is some subjectiveness to it, but there’s also a line. We need to determine what the line is, and then hold it.”

Lasko, the former librarian, said that’s what librarians and educators do.

“My biggest issue is that a small number of people were making the judgment to curtail what students are able to read using a vague law,” said Lasko, who now chairs the intellectual freedom committee of the Tennessee Association of School Librarians.

“We have master’s degrees in library science. We know what we’re doing,” she said. “But a lot of times, we weren’t being consulted.”

New library policy diminishes the role of librarians

In advance of this week’s vote on Tidwell’s latest request to remove more books, the board revamped its library materials policy to add language from the revised state law. It also eliminated the 11-member review committee appointed annually by the board to consider book complaints.

Instead, materials that district leaders deem to be in violation of the state’s obscenity law are to be immediately removed from all school libraries and then reviewed for a final decision by the board.

A second avenue for removal — through complaints filed by a student, parent, or school employee — also requires a board vote after receiving recommendations from the principal and superintendent and a review by an ad hoc committee.

“Before,” said the ACLU’s Sinback, “there was a thorough process where every person on the review committee had expertise and would read the book. They’d look at the questionable content but also the overall quality of the material and how it could impact kids exposed to it in both a positive and negative way.”

Now, she said, the decision rests completely with board members.

The changes concern school librarians like Brian Seadorf, who oversees the collection at Blackman High School in Murfreesboro. He asked board members and parents to “just talk to us” if they have concerns about certain books.

“We are educators, we are parents, we are grandparents. … We are good people,” Seadorf told the board on Aug. 22.

Angela Frederick, a Rutherford County resident and school librarian in a neighboring district, added: “The titles you’re considering removing are for older students approaching adulthood. It is developmentally appropriate for teenagers to mentally wrestle with difficult topics. It is also excellent preparation for higher education. Shielding them from books like these does not prepare them for anything but ignorance.”

For Edwards, the Rutherford County parent who also spoke to the board, she’s most upset that “Beloved” is on the chopping block, even though she knows it’s a deeply sad and painful book to read. (Morrison, who died in 2019, said she was inspired to write the novel based on the true story of an enslaved woman, Margaret Garner, who killed her own daughter in 1856 to spare her from slavery.)

“Just because you don’t like what the mirror shows you doesn’t mean you put the mirror down.”
Jennifer Edwards, parent

“I remember it took me several weeks to finish ‘Beloved’ when I was 15, because I had to put it down every few days,” recalls Edwards, now 42. “I had to have time to process what I was reading.”

“But to restrict literary genius,” she continued, “it just doesn’t make sense to me.”

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Correction: A previous version of this story attributed a quote from Rutherford County resident Angela Frederick to librarian Brian Seadorf. This version corrects the misattribution.

Memphis school leaders grapple with school safety, air conditioning issues

2024-08-21T03:07:38+00:00

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The superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools wants to allay concerns about safety in the new school year after narrowly avoiding a walkout by school resource officers last week and accepting the resignation of the district’s new security chief just days after he started.

“I give you assurance … that our district is fine,” Marie Feagins told school board members Tuesday evening after a tumultuous week in which she and the board agreed to give the district’s 125-plus officers significant raises.

Feagins also reported that air conditioning problems that caused a dozen schools to close early on Aug. 5, the first day of classes, also impacted student health as the heat index climbed to 106 degrees.

“We have had some asthma-related incidents and a couple of seizures,” she said. “And so that still remains at the top of mind for us.”

Feagins added that technicians have completed a third of the 1,393 work orders received in August to troubleshoot air conditioning issues across the district’s 165 buildings.

But the maintenance issues are severe, she said of the $1 billion backlog in Tennessee’s largest school system, and the district’s building maintenance division is short-staffed. The district recently increased pay for its technicians, partly because of workforce competition from Ford Motor Co.’s electric truck assembly plant under construction in nearby Haywood County.

The troubling reports came amid sometimes tense exchanges between the district’s new leader and school board members in one of their final meetings before four new members are scheduled to be seated in September following this month’s elections.

But they agreed about the importance of completing Whitehaven High School’s $9.5 million STEM lab, as the board unanimously approved $2.3 million for the job. The construction project, which broke ground in April and also is funded with private dollars, has been delayed three months because of a lag in disbursing money that had been promised earlier by the district’s interim leader, Toni Williams.

The vote to disburse $1.3 million that previously had been approved, plus another $1 million to cover the cost of a storm shelter required by building codes, prompted cheers from Whitehaven teachers and community members, some of whom spoke during the meeting.

“This is a slam dunk; we should have already done this,” said Wayne Hawkins, a teacher at Whitehaven.

Board members also voted unanimously to have the school system’s attorney report from now on to the elected board instead of to the superintendent — a change in organizational structure they said is needed to maintain independence and avoid conflicts of interest.

School safety was front and center last week as school resource officers threatened to walk off the job just days before the district’s annual football jamboree. Last year, gunfire broke out during two games.

But Feagins reported that no major incidents occurred during this year’s three-day jamboree that featured 67 middle and high school teams and attracted more than 6,000 spectators.

She and other board members thanked officers for ensuring a safe environment. A week earlier, they settled their dispute with SROS over pay and other issues.

But Feagins acknowledged missteps in hiring George Harris as her executive director of safety and security without conducting a more thorough background check.

Harris was recruited from Detroit Public Schools Community District, where Feagins previously was an administrator and he was a lieutenant in the department of patrol operations. After school board member Stephanie Love emailed Feagins and other board members on Aug. 16 about allegations that Harris had misappropriated funds during his time in Detroit, Harris resigned from his new job the next day, citing “personal reasons.”

“I own that I made the offer to the individual based on the information that I had,” Feagins told the board.

She said she’s open to policy changes to strengthen the background check process for filling such jobs as she looks to replace Harris in what she called “a very important role.”

Love responded: “I agree we need to strengthen policies so this will never happen again.”

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Five things we’re watching as Memphis students head back to school for 2024-25

2024-08-05T10:00:00+00:00

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This week, more than 100,000 students in Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the state’s largest school district, are putting summer break behind them and marching into a new academic year.

And a lot of new awaits them.

There’s new leadership for the district, including the superintendent, Marie Feagins, beginning her first full school year, and a school board that will have four new members, following last week’s elections.

New budget priorities — and realities — will create changes in the district’s workforce and in the classroom, reflecting the end of federal pandemic relief funds.

And expect more pressure from state officials to change the way education is delivered to children in Memphis, including the creation of a university-led school district and a renewed push for universal school vouchers.

Here are five things to watch for in 2024-25.

Superintendent Marie Feagins begins her first full year

Marie Feagins, who took over as superintendent in April after a nearly two-year search process, has made sweeping changes already to direct more of the district’s resources into the classroom. One of them was cutting more than 1,100 non-classroom positions and creating opportunities for those employees to apply for school-based jobs to help alleviate a teacher shortage. The goal, she said, is to get more student support housed directly in schools, not dropping in occasionally from the central office.

Look for more shakeups as Feagins leads MSCS in adapting to the expiration of federal pandemic relief funds and implementing more academic accountability measures. Her team is working on a strategic plan that incorporates efforts to improve the district’s academic performance and students’ learning environments.

Feagins has laid out plans to revamp school turnaround work and hired a longtime administrator to oversee the district’s lowest performing schools.

Meanwhile, she has tried to tackle cost inefficiencies that siphon money out of the classroom, including an “abuse” of overtime that she said has cost the district $1 million.

Feagins told the school board last week to expect air-conditioning issues in schools as students return. “As we know, we have incredibly aged buildings,” she said.

As for teacher shortages, the district has held 10 hiring blitzes attended by more than a thousand people in recent months. As of last week, its 250 instructional vacancies were “significantly lower than we were as a district last year,” Feagins said. Most are for special education and English language learners.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools board will get new members

Four new members will soon join the nine-member MSCS board after elections for five seats on Aug. 1.

Leaving soon is Chairperson Althea Greene, who lost her bid for reelection to Natalie McKinney. Choosing a new chairperson will be the new board’s first order of business.

Here’s what winners of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board election told us about their vision

The board will be charged with navigating changes under the leadership of the new superintendent, and holding her accountable. Already, members have pushed Feagins for better communication about her initiatives, including the job cuts.

The board is in the process of rebuilding relationships and public trust after a protracted superintendent search exposed divisions and ignited conflicts among board members.

Money in place to improve facilities and student outcomes

Feagins’ $1.8 billion budget, approved by the board in June, prioritized alleviating the teacher shortage. But it also included key items aimed at improving academic performance in a district where many students struggle with economic challenges and are forced to learn in aging, dilapidated buildings. The potential impact of that spending will become clearer this year.

The budget includes $96 million to improve facilities to create safer learning spaces for students, and $14.6 million to expand after-school programs and activities. Bus routes for afterschool activities are also included — an important step in a city where the public bus system regularly faces cutbacks. Around 8,000 students are expected to participate.

The spending plan also includes $21.8 million for targeted coaching and tutoring services to help students improve on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, known as TCAP, and end-of-course tests.

MSCS students’ TCAP performance improved in 2024, with 22.4% of students meeting or exceeding expectations on the reading test, compared with 20.7% in 2023. In 2021, the figure was just 13%.

The percentage of third, fourth, and fifth graders who scored proficient in reading increased from 23.3% in 2023 to 26% in 2024. The improvement in those levels is important, because third grade is when students face the prospect of being held back or sent to summer school if they don’t meet or show significant progress toward meeting TCAP reading standards.

State forces more changes in Memphis education

In March, state Rep. Mark White, a Memphis Republican who chairs the House Education Administration Committee, said he would file legislation to allow Gov. Bill Lee to appoint up to six members to the MSCS board. That plan was shelved in the face of community opposition.

But lawmakers and state officials continue to pursue policies that extend the state’s influence over Memphis schools.

A new law allowed the University of Memphis, which enrolls around 1,050 students in its University Schools, to carve out its own K-12 school district from the public schools that it has operated under a long-running contract with MSCS.

That change will affect MSCS, because the students who attend the University Schools have regularly posted some of the district’s highest test scores.

The state also changed the criteria for its first-ever A-F grades for schools, emphasizing academic proficiency over growth, dismissing opposition from many local public school leaders. In December 2023, of the 5% of Tennessee schools that received F’s, half were in MSCS — where most of the students are low-income and struggling academically. We’re watching to see how the schools fare in 2024.

Expanded school voucher proposal will be back

This year, Gov. Bill Lee’s efforts to pass a universal school voucher law failed in the legislature due to opposition from rural lawmakers in his own party. He has vowed to revive the fight next year, and the recent primary elections delivered a mix of wins and losses for voucher supporters.

Some Memphis families already have access to vouchers under the state’s existing Education Savings Account voucher program, which is available in three urban areas. Lee wants to expand voucher access statewide, regardless of family income.

But the benefits of private school vouchers are still unclear. Results from the Education Savings Account program showed that most students who participated in 2022-23 posted lower scores on state tests than their counterparts in public schools. This year, recipients in three counties made modest gains, but their performance still trailed their peers in public schools.

Tonyaa Weathersbee is the former bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach her at tonyaaweathersbee@yahoo.com.

Here’s what winners of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board election told us about their vision

2024-08-02T16:19:37+00:00

Memphis-Shelby County Schools has a newly elected school board following the Aug. 1 election, just in time for the upcoming school year.

In Tennessee’s largest school district, five of the nine seats on the school board — in Districts 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 — were up for election. It was the first election since board members selected former Detroit schools administrator Marie Feagins as superintendent, ending a drawn-out process that shook public confidence in the board.

Two incumbents lost their seats, including board Chair Althea Greene, who played a prominent role in the superintendent search. Natalie McKinney will replace Greene in District 2, while Sable Otey will replace board member Mauricio Calvo in District 5.

Tamarques Porter won the open seat in District 4, while Towanna Murphy is set to take the open seat in District 7. The incumbents did not run for re-election in those districts.

Stephanie Love, the longtime District 3 representative, is the only incumbent returning to the board.

Newly elected board members will oversee the district as it navigates a number of challenges, including the end of federal pandemic relief funds, budget cuts that will affect staff and programs, aging school buildings and possible closures, and the state’s new letter-grade school accountability system.

In our voter guide, Chalkbeat asked the 2024 board candidates about their vision for the district. We’ve compiled the answers below from Thursday’s election winners.

Chalkbeat lightly edited and condensed the submitted bios for clarity, but not their responses, other than adjusting the formatting to improve readability.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools board chair loses to challenger; board to see four new members

2024-08-02T04:23:32+00:00

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The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board is poised to see four new members as the district heads into a period of transition.

Challenger Natalie McKinney defeated incumbent board Chair Althea Greene in unofficial election results Thursday, while challenger Sable Otey defeated incumbent Mauricio Calvo.

McKinney said she heard from many voters who wanted a change.

“They’re tired of watching their students graduate but not be prepared for postsecondary opportunities,” McKinney said. “At some point we have to decide who will be responsible for this. If things haven’t worked under that leadership, it’s time to try something new.

“And that’s what we’ll do.”

In a statement sent via text, Greene wished McKinney the best and said she would continue to work for the students and families of the district.

Board member Stephanie Love, the longtime District 3 representative, held a commanding lead all night. She will be the only incumbent returning to office.

“My community knows me and they know I am invested,” Love said. “I don’t get everything right, but I will fight for my community each and every day.”

Five of the nine seats on the school board were up for grabs in Thursday’s election. Two of them — representing Districts 4 and 7 — were certain to feature new representation because the incumbents did not seek reelection.

In all, 19 candidates were vying for seats in Districts 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7. All races had more than one candidate. Here’s what the results showed Thursday evening:

District 2: Challenger Natalie McKinney maintained a consistent lead over Greene that grew as the night went on.
District 3: Love received more than 60% of the vote against three challengers, the only candidate across all four races to clear 50%.
District 4: Tamarques Porter maintained a solid lead over four other candidates for an open seat.
District 5: Challenger Sable Otey has a steady lead over Calvo.
District 7: Towanna Murphy held a consistent lead in a five-way race for an open seat.

It was the first election since the board selected former Detroit schools administrator Marie Feagins as superintendent, ending a drawn-out process that shook public confidence in the board.

Related: See how the candidates answered key questions about Memphis-Shelby County Schools

The district faces a number of challenges as a new school year begins, including navigating the end of federal pandemic relief funds, budget cuts that will impact staff and programs, aging facilities, and the state’s new letter-grade school accountability system.

Sarah Carpenter, executive director of the parent advocacy group Memphis Lift, said that voter turnout was “awful,” and that many voters don’t feel that things will change. Regardless of who is on the board, she said, the group’s members will be carefully monitoring their positions and votes.

“I would like to see them focus on all children and getting all children reading,” she said. “We cannot fix this city if we do not fix the educational system.”

Cardell Orrin, executive director of Stand for Children Tennessee, said the bruising superintendent search process hung over the election, and many voters want to see a board that is more focused on its job.

Stand for Children endorsed McKinney, Love, and Calvo, along with Frank Johnson, the District 7 representative who withdrew from the race after voting had started. Orrin said McKinney’s election would bring about a necessary change in leadership, while the new members will bring important energy to working with the new superintendent.

‘You definitely want a board that has the energy and is eager to engage with the new superintendent and hold the district accountable,” he said.

Johnson ended his bid in mid-July, citing health and family reasons. The other incumbent who did not run for reelection was Kevin Woods, of District 4.

Find unofficial voting results from the Shelby County Election Commission below.

Memphis school board approves 2 charter applications, denies 1

2024-07-31T02:27:50+00:00

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An all-girls charter school proposed for downtown Memphis and supported by the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies’ foundation can open for the 2025-26 school year, as can a K-8 charter school planned for Northeast Memphis.

But one other application from a newly rebranded charter operator didn’t fare so well with Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

The school board on Tuesday followed the recommendation of district staff and approved the application by Grizzlies Prep, which already operates an all-boys charter school downtown for 300 students in grades six through eight.

The Memphis Grizzlies Preparatory STEAM School for Girls will focus on science, technology, engineering, art, and math to try to address the underrepresentation of women — and particularly women of color — in those fields. It’s on track to become the city’s second all-girls charter school and the third one in Tennessee.

Without comment, the board ignored staff’s recommendation to reject the application of Journey Community Schools, formerly known as Aspire. The 5-1 vote means Journey Northeast Academy can open in the city’s Sycamore View area.

However, the board sided with staff by denying the bid of Green Dot Public Schools, which recently rebranded as IOTA Community Schools, to continue operating Wooddale Middle as it transitions back to Memphis-Shelby County Schools from the Achievement School District, a state-run turnaround program for low-performing schools.

IOTA has 10 days to appeal the decision to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission.

If the decision stands, IOTA has one more year to operate Wooddale Middle. Superintendent Marie Feagins promised a “deep review” of how to strengthen the school.

It was an especially busy meeting for school board members ahead of Thursday’s elections to fill five of their nine seats — and the first day of school for Memphis students on Aug. 5.

Without discussion, the board voted to end its contract with the University of Memphis to run its Campus Schools program in partnership with the district. That paves the way for the university to form its own K-12 school system under a new state law that encourages the creation of innovative school districts.

The contract had been for the university to operate its three K-12 schools on the university’s campus through 2026. But the board opted to end that long partnership at the urging of several state lawmakers.

Backers say the new arrangement positions the program to open more university-run K-12 schools in Greater Memphis and leverage an academic model that has generated some of the best results in Tennessee.

Feasibility studies and community conversations are already under way to determine an expansion plan.

The board also approved plans to return two additional schools to Memphis-Shelby County Schools from the beleaguered ASD.

Caldwell-Guthrie Elementary will rejoin its home district as a pre-K-8 school emphasizing STEAM skills. Among those enrolled will be students from Humes Middle School, another state-run school that closed at the end of last school year after a decade in the ASD. It had a hundred-year track record of serving Memphis students, including a young Elvis Presley who graduated when it was Humes High School.

Another ASD campus, Florida Kansas, which previously was operated by Memphis Scholars under a charter agreement with the state, will return to the MSCS district but no longer educate students. Its enrollees are moving to Riverview K-8.

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis-Shelby County school board candidates on closing school buildings and community concerns

2024-07-24T19:42:05+00:00

Aging school buildings and millions of dollars in unmet repair and maintenance needs have made the conversation around possible school closures and consolidations a high priority for leaders of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

Candidates in the Aug. 1 Memphis school board election have talked about the importance of bringing community input into decisions about these issues, especially given the district’s history of shuttering schools and the impact the closings can have on students and neighborhoods.

Under former interim Superintendent Toni Williams, the Memphis district began drafting an ambitious facilities plan to give 50 MSCS schools investments for their physical buildings or their academic programming, and to close 21 schools.

New Superintendent Marie Feagins — and the elected school board that oversees her — will now be tasked with making decisions on any school closure or consolidation plans moving forward. The board recently approved Feagins’ budget for 2024-25, which included $96.7 million to revitalize school buildings.

We asked the 20 candidates running for board seats in districts 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7: Memphis is contemplating a sweeping new facilities plan that would result in school closures and consolidations. As a board member, how would you engage the community through this process? Should decisions to close, consolidate, or rezone schools be subject to school board votes?

Their responses are below. Chalkbeat lightly edited and condensed the candidates’ bios for clarity, but not their responses, other than adjusting the formatting to improve readability. (Alvin Crook for District 4 and Chavez Donelson for District 7 did not respond to our voter guide questions; District 7 candidate Frank Johnson withdrew last week). Find candidate responses on more topics — like chronic absenteeism and Memphis’ new superintendent— in our in-depth voter guide for the Memphis-Shelby County school board race.

District 2 Memphis-Shelby County Schools board candidates

Ernest Gillespie III

this is a concern that I would highly be looking into before the closing of the schools because my concerns will be what schools will these children be sent too. We have to be very careful with this because of the gang activities in our city, we wouldn’t want to put any child or teacher in harm’s way with relocating students.

Althea Greene

The community is already engaged in the infrastructure discussion. There are parents and community members who serve on the subcommittees. I will recommend that we hold community meetings in each school district to share the recommendations before the board votes on the plan in order for the community to feel comfortable with the recommendations. The board should always vote on major decisions around closures, consolidations and rezoning. That is a part of board governance.

Natalie McKinney

As a Board member, before closing or consolidating any facilities, I would first review the current Real Estate policy (7002) and administrative rules and regulations developed originally under legacy Memphis City Schools as a reform policy. This policy contemplates incorporating the community into the decision to close/consolidate schools. It further contemplates how to potentially repurpose the school to meet community needs and avoid leaving empty and dilapidated buildings, contributing to blight. In reviewing the policy, I would expect the policy review, development and revision process to include relevant stakeholders (e.g. community members, youth, parents/guardians, school leaders, teachers, staff, and administrators) for input and feedback, understanding it is ultimately the Board’s decision. As to decisions to close, consolidate or rezone schools, yes, it should be subject to school board votes given it is provided in state law, and impacts the fiscal viability and sustainability of the district to ensure it is providing a quality and equitable education for all youth.

Watch Chalkbeat’s Memphis school board forum: Boosting literacy, ending teacher shortages top candidates’ priorities

District 3 Memphis-Shelby County Schools board candidates

Stephanie Love

I look forward to reviewing the infrastructure plan and sharing it with the community to receive their feedback. We have to have intentional meetings and have a plan that the community understands. We need teachers, students and the community involved. We have plenty of empty buildings and finding a use for them will be important to having a thriving community.

Ozell Pace Jr.

I believe that closing and consolidating the proposed schools are irresponsible and do not reflect the desires of the community. We must host community meetings and forums to ensure that every community member gets an opportunity to be heard.

Angela Rogers

I would engage the community by holding information sessions to fully explain proposed changes with Q&A, transparency with and from all stakeholders. I would use a SWOT analysis type of approach to engage and inform. Subject to board votes?— I definitely think that it should INCLUDE board votes as the heavier weight because as a board member, I’m speaking on behalf of the parents and scholars directly affected by the decisions. It’s imperative that their voices be heard and concerns be addressed with respect and intentional resolution.

District 4 Memphis-Shelby County Schools board candidates

James Q. Bacchus

Engaging the community on a facilities plan that includes school closures and consolidation is a sensitive and crucial process. The goals must be ensure transparency, gather input, and to build and maintain trust. In order to meet the goals of the plan the following must be put into play: The Plan for School Closures/Consolidation must be carried out through a charrette process with the following actions; early communication with utmost transparency, capture all stakeholder that will be impacted with totally involvement, public forums and meeting, sharing of all impact data, surveys and feedback, clear communication with all alternative considered, if schools are closed an alternative uses plan should be offered, and finally a clear communication on how the decisions was made. Additionally, the plan should included the needed supports of the implementation such bussing or school start times. As a board, the implementation of this plan should voted on and their must be unanimous support in order for the plan to go forward.

Eric Harris

Decisions to close, consolidate, or rezone schools should be subject to board approval so that there is an opportunity for members of the public to be heard. The board represents the people and so we must leverage our authority to promote transparency, accountability, and public participation.

If elected to the school board, not only will I commit to holding public hearings on any decisions to close, consolidate, or rezone schools but will require proper notice and time is given to discuss the consideration with constituents of my district. We need the opportunity to conduct smaller meetings with our districts as well in order to have more intimate and lengthy discussions.

Tamarques Porter

As a board member, engaging the community in the process of contemplating a sweeping new facilities plan is paramount. I would prioritize transparency and inclusivity by organizing community forums, town hall meetings, and surveys to gather input from parents, students, teachers, and other stakeholders. These discussions would provide an opportunity for community members to voice their concerns, share insights, and contribute to the decision-making process.

Regarding decisions to close, consolidate, or rezone schools, I firmly believe they should be subject to school board votes. However, these decisions should not be made in isolation; they must be informed by community input and thorough deliberation. Each decision should consider the unique needs and circumstances of the affected students, particularly those who lack transportation and rely on walking to and from school.

Throughout the process, it’s essential to prioritize fairness and support for all students and families. This includes implementing measures to mitigate any adverse impacts of school closures or consolidations, such as providing transportation assistance, ensuring access to quality education in nearby schools, and offering support services to students during the transition period.

Ultimately, the goal is to arrive at solutions that benefit the entire community and promote educational equity. By engaging in open dialogue, considering diverse perspectives, and involving stakeholders in the decision-making process, we can work towards implementing changes that best serve the needs of Memphis students and their families.

Anecia Washington

As a board member, again, it is important to present a united front to the community as much as possible. We can do this by continuing to educate our families through transparency in the decision-making process. Older schools that are facing lead issues and/or enrollment issues must be closed so that monies can be redistributed and applied to building more environmentally safe and sustainable 21st Century schools. The community would be welcome to participate in sessions such as “lunch and learns” to understand more about the facility issues within MSCS.

Memphis-Shelby County school board candidates discuss Superintendent Marie Feagins’ strategic plan

District 5 Memphis-Shelby County Schools board candidates

Mauricio Calvo

We don’t anticipate closures in District 5; however, it is part of my collective responsibility that we do this well. The administration must create spaces and ways to hear about the impacted communities. Equally important is that the communities affected understand that we will be making the decision based on the best interest of current students. It is negligent to keep a school that is falling apart, doesn’t have enough teachers, and has limited academic options and enriching opportunities just in the name of legacy.

Audrey Elion

As a board member, I would engage the community through the process of school closures and consolidations. Here are steps I would take:

Open Communication: Initiate open lines of communication with parents, students, teachers, and community members through multiple channels, including town hall meetings, public forums, and online surveys. Clearly communicate the reasons behind the proposed changes and how they will impact the community.

Community Involvement: Establish advisory committees including representatives from all stakeholder groups to provide input and feedback on the proposed plans.

Transparent Information Sharing: Provide detailed information and data about the current state of school facilities, enrollment trends, and financial considerations. Make this information easily accessible to the public to build understanding and support for the decisions being made.

Address Concerns: Actively listen to the concerns and suggestions of community members. Address their questions and incorporate their feedback into the planning process where feasible, perhaps revising plans to better meet community needs.

Ongoing Updates: Keep the community informed throughout the process with regular updates on progress, decisions made, and the rationale behind those decisions.

Yes, decisions to close, consolidate, or rezone schools should be subject to school board votes with community input. This ensures accountability and allows for a formal, democratic process where the elected representatives of the community make final decisions based on comprehensive input and thorough deliberation. These votes should follow extensive community engagement to ensure that the decisions reflect the best interests of the students and the broader community.

Sable Otey

As a board member, engaging the community in discussions about school closures and consolidations is crucial. First, I would ensure transparent communication through multiple channels, including public forums, online surveys, and community meetings. This allows for a broad spectrum of voices to be heard and fosters a sense of involvement and trust. Listening to the community’s concerns and ideas is essential in shaping a plan that reflects their needs and priorities.

Next, I would advocate for a policy governance model where the board leads through clear, consistent policies that align with our educational goals. This approach not only streamlines decision-making but also ensures that community input is systematically considered. Effective school boards focus on student achievement and equity, and this must be the lens through which we evaluate any proposed changes.

Involving the community in the decision-making process through advisory committees and stakeholder meetings can also help build consensus. These committees can provide valuable insights and recommendations that reflect the community’s educational values and expectations.

Regarding whether decisions to close, consolidate, or rezone schools should be subject to school board votes, they should be. Such significant decisions have long-term impacts on students, families, and communities. A school board vote ensures accountability and transparency, providing a formal platform for deliberation and public input.

Engaging the community and making decisions through a transparent, inclusive, and policy-driven process will help navigate the complexities of school closures and consolidations effectively.

District 7 Memphis-Shelby County Schools board candidates

MSCS board member Frank Johnson ends his campaign, citing health issues

Danielle Huggins

As a board member I am going to be very transparent with the community. Hosting a forum, town hall meeting, or having a district newsletter will keep the community informed of the process. As a school board member, I will work alongside the Superintendent and administration to make the decision to close, consolidate, rezone schools.

Towanna Murphy

Before I make any decisions I would meet with the community, Parents and the faith base community to hear their concerns and ideas. The one thing I never want to do is blindside the people. They have a say on what happens to our schools. So, if and when this issue arises I would speak with my district to hear their concerns before I vote.

Jason Sharif

As a Board member if there are schools in my District facing closures I would hold community meetings at those schools with principals, teachers, parents, students, elected officials, and other community members to get their input. I definitely believe the community’s input should be considered in the Board’s decision although everyone may not be pleased with the final outcome.

Don’t forget: Read candidate responses in full in our in-depth voter guide.

MSCS board member Frank Johnson ends his campaign, citing health issues

2024-07-19T20:25:58+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with Memphis-Shelby County Schools and statewide education policy.

Frank Johnson, the South Memphis activist who represents District 7 on the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board, ended his election campaign to stay on the board, midway through the early-voting period.

Johnson, who announced his decision on social media, said that a stroke he experienced last September and the recent death of his sister led him to focus on his physical and mental health.

“While my commitment to serve on behalf of the citizens of this great city is unchanged, after much consideration, I have decided to discontinue my bid for the District 7 School Board seat…” Johnson wrote on Facebook.

“Going through such a difficult health journey has taught me to listen to my body,” he wrote. “Losing my sister has taught me to listen to my heart. With your support I am taking these steps to heal both so that I may return to serve the people of Memphis with all the vigor, strength and passion you deserve.”

Johnson endorsed one of his opponents, Danielle Huggins, a fourth-grade MSCS English language arts teacher, for the seat.

“This decision was not easy, but it is the right one for our community. I wholeheartedly stand behind Ms. Huggins and trust her to work alongside the rest of the Board and our new Superintendent in the best interest of all MSCS students, teachers, and families,” Johnson said in a statement.

Johnson was appointed to the District 7 seat in 2022, to replace longtime board member Miska Clay Bibbs after she was elected to the Shelby County Commission.

Three other candidates are running for the District 7 seat, which covers parts of South Memphis: Towanna Murphy, founder of a summer reading camp; Jason Sharif, founder and executive director of RESPECT The Haven Community Development Corp., which serves the Whitehaven Community; and Chavez Donalson, a community activist.

Along with the District 7 seat, four others — representing districts 2, 3, 4, and 5 — are up for election this year. To learn more about the candidates, read Chalkbeat Tennessee’s MSCS school board voter guide.

Early voting began July 12 and will continue through July 27. Election Day is Aug. 1.

Bureau Chief Tonyaa Weathersbee oversees Chalkbeat Tennessee’s education coverage. Reach her at tweathersbee@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis-Shelby County school board candidates discuss Superintendent Marie Feagins’ strategic plan

2024-07-16T21:03:04+00:00

Early voting has kicked off in Memphis, and five of the nine seats on Memphis-Shelby County Schools board are on the ballot in the Aug. 1 election. Twenty candidates are vying for board seats in Districts 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7.

Marie Feagins, the new Memphis superintendent, officially started leading Tennessee’s largest school district in April. Because one of the board’s main responsibilities is to hire, manage, and evaluate the district’s top leader, Feagins’ actions are especially relevant this election cycle.

As the school board awaits Feagins’ first strategic plan for the district, candidates to serve on the board have different definitions of what a successful blueprint would look like.

We asked candidates: Feagins expects to have a new district strategic plan in place by September 2024. Describe a successful strategic plan, and how you’d use the plan to evaluate the district’s progress and budget recommendations as a board member.

Their responses are below. Chalkbeat lightly edited and condensed the candidates’ bios for clarity, but not their responses, other than adjusting the formatting to improve readability. (Alvin Crook for District 4 and Chavez Donelson for District 7 did not respond to our voter guide questions). Find candidate responses on more topics — like chronic absenteeism and struggling school buildings — in our in-depth voter guide for the Memphis-Shelby County school board race.

District 2 Memphis-Shelby County Schools board candidates

Althea Greene

I look forward to reviewing Supt. Feagins strategic plan for the district. I believe any strong strategic plan should have a clear academic strategy for growth with a budget that is aligned for academic advancement.

Natalie McKinney

A successful strategic plan requires effective strategic planning. Effective strategic planning includes taking the time to determine the goals necessary to reach our stated vision and mission, while staying true to our core values (which we must determine). Given our district’s vision and mission, the Board, Superintendent, and all stakeholders would need to invest the time to set our core values that will drive our work towards each of our goals. Those goals should include academic proficiency and preparedness, effective and efficient business operations, strategic infrastructure investment (facilities, teachers and staff), safety, strategic systems alignment, and fiscal sustainability. We must then clearly understand our district’s capacity, be open and honest, include all relevant stakeholders to provide input and feedback, prioritize, and provide an implementation plan that includes the activities/programs/tactics to meet the stated goals, expected outcomes and impact, SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats), set metrics, benchmarks, a timeline, and cost projections. Clear expectations, processes, metrics, and evaluation provide us with data to inform how we allocate district resources and address challenges. As one of nine Board members, it is our collective responsibility to hold the superintendent responsible for implementing, with fidelity and demonstrated progress, the strategic plan; develop, approve and monitor a budget aligned to the district’s strategic plan; through policy, set, follow, and hold ourselves, and others, accountable to the parameters for governance and the strategic plan; and advocate for local, state and federal policies and sustainable resources to successfully implement the strategic plan.

Watch Chalkbeat’s Memphis school board forum: Boosting literacy, ending teacher shortages top candidates’ priorities

District 3 Memphis-Shelby County Schools board candidates

Jesse Jeff

A successful strategic plan would be the blueprint or schematic. It should include an academic, safety and security, fair compensation, facility maintenance, constituent inclusion, and effective educator deployment components. The way I would use the plan to evaluate the district’s progress and budget recommendations boils down to a simple matrix. I would ask the two specific questions. Did you follow your blueprint to the letter? Were you able to achieve your plan within the allotted budget? The answer to these questions would inform my opinion of success or failure.

Stephanie Love

Supt. Feagins has not shared a plan with the school board yet. A successful plan will be one that addresses growth in academics and strategies around obtaining additional funding resources that we need for our school district.

Ozell Pace Jr.

A successful strategic plan should have a mission, vision, core, and goals.

The mission and vision must be clear, concise, and attainable. It should be one that the entire board, administrators, teachers, staff, students, and community can truly buy into.

The goals should focus on -

Maintenance & Upgrades of Facilities
Staff Recruitment & Retention - Student Readiness & Holistic Well Being
Community Engagement & Partnerships

I believe in Dr. Feagin and will fully support her.

Angela Rogers

A successful strategic plan is one that has scoped out and assessed the needs of the target population and put a plan in place to address the needs. A successful strategic plan shows well thought through strengths and capacities to meet the needs and has identified the barriers that provide opportunities to partner for the success of the mission and goals. Our superintendent is spot on with her plan from what I have seen. I trust it. I am ready to lock in, partnering with her and holding her accountable for the follow through.

District 4 Memphis-Shelby County Schools board candidates

James Q. Bacchus

From my experience, the superintendent strategic plan should align first with the goals that the Board has set for the district. Secondly, the plan should provide a clear snapshots of the district current standing related to those set goals with outcomes with a minimum of a three year trend data. Finally, the superintendent will prioritize goals that she will address in the first three years that will include the who will do it, what it will look like, when it will be done, how it will be done, and what cost, and there should be an aggressive timeline to demonstrate the urgency of the plan. Finally, it should provide clear communication on how each division, department and school strategic will be connected to the district’s plan. Also, if there are budget concerns, the plan must show what you will stop doing, how or if what you stop will impact the district and how the funds will be redirected to cover the new initiatives cost. This structure of a strategic plan will ensure alignment of the Board’s goals, proven clear data driven picture, prioritized, timely, and financially responsible. As a board, the ability to forecast from the plan should lead to making a budget decision to move forward as is or with recommendations to consider.

Eric Harris

A successful strategic plan for MSCS will clearly communicate the priorities and goals of the district and detail how the district plans to achieve them within a set timeframe. It should be a guiding document for the school and larger Memphis community about how the district can respond to critical needs while always prioritizing positive benefits for our students. Once adopted, the board (and therefore public) should receive quarterly updates on the district’s progress to review which policies and programs are helping us reach our intended results. Similarly, budget considerations must also be weighed on how they further the district’s ability to meet our stated priorities and goals in the strategic plan.

Tamarques Porter

A successful strategic plan for the district would prioritize safety, academic excellence, mental health, and community engagement. In light of new laws such as guns in classrooms and the correlation between third-grade reading levels and prison bed projections, the plan must include robust safety protocols and targeted literacy programs. Student feedback would be integral to the planning process, ensuring the plan reflects their needs and experiences.

As a board member, I would use the strategic plan to evaluate progress through regular assessments and quarterly reviews in each department, including sanitation and safety. Ensuring a secure and clean learning environment is foundational to student well-being and academic success. The plan should also encompass mental health support, expanding the number of counselors and resources to address students’ emotional needs.

Parental involvement is another critical component. I would advocate for programs that educate and empower parents to support their children’s learning at home, reinforcing the connection between school and home environments. Healthy food programs must be part of the plan, ensuring students have access to nutritious meals that fuel their academic performance.

By setting clear goals and metrics, the strategic plan will guide budget recommendations, ensuring resources are allocated effectively to meet these priorities. Quarterly reviews will be essential to ensure that each department is meeting its goals and addressing any emerging issues promptly. This comprehensive approach will help create a thriving educational environment where every student can succeed. Regular evaluations and adjustments based on data and feedback will keep the district on track, ensuring we are not failing our students.

Anecia Washington

A successful strategic plan would focus on the following strategic framework as defined by the Chief Counsel of State School Officials (CCSSO) as it is implemented in the MSCS community:

Response & recovery
Equity, access & critical infrastructure
Modernizing the education system

These standards address many of the issues that plague school districts today, including literacy, digital access, and updated assessment models. Every decision and dollar should be accountable to the people of this great community.

District 5 Memphis-Shelby County Schools board candidates

Mauricio Calvo

Any organization or corporation that owns facilities should have a regular assessment and a plan to make decisions about those buildings (we have about 200 facilities). Is this in the best interest of students? Is the facility adequate, safe, and effective? Can we properly sustain it? A successful plan will include a building assessment of its condition and repair needs. The plan will also look at the under-over student capacity of the school, the classes and activities offered, and our ability to adequately staff teachers. Parental and student input is another consideration; however, I will make decisions based on the data and in the best interest of current students.

Audrey Elion

A successful strategic plan for the district should include clear, measurable goals, evidence-based strategies, and a detailed implementation timeline. It should prioritize academic achievement, equity, community engagement, and the well-being of students and staff. Key components of this plan should include:

Specific targets for improving literacy and numeracy, graduation, and college and career readiness.

Initiatives to close achievement gaps, provide resources for underserved communities, and promote inclusive practices.

Strategies to enhance communication with parents, students, and community partners, ensuring their input shapes decision-making.

Programs to support mental health, reduce bullying, and ensure safe, supportive learning environments.

Plans for efficient use of financial and human resources to support educational goals. As a member, I would use the strategic plan to set benchmarks and evaluate progress by regularly reviewing performance metrics tied to each goal. This would include analyzing data on student achievement, equity indicators, and feedback from community surveys. By comparing these metrics against the strategic plan’s benchmarks, I could identify areas of success and those needing improvement. Additionally, implementing a system for routine monitoring of progress reports to track performance against the benchmarks. When making budget recommendations, I would ensure that funding priorities align with the strategic plan. For instance, if the plan highlights the need for more mental health resources, I would advocate for budget allocations to support this area. Regular progress reports from the superintendent and district staff would be essential to maintain transparency and accountability, ensuring that the strategic plan drives meaningful improvements across the district.

Sable Otey

As a school board member, a successful strategic plan must be comprehensive, data-driven, and community-focused. My platform centers on transparency, equity, and student success, which aligns with best practices in strategic planning. A successful strategic plan involves clear goals, measurable objectives, and specific actions that address the needs of all students.

For our district, I envision a strategic plan with three key pillars: academic excellence, community engagement, and resource optimization. Academic excellence focuses on enhancing curriculum, investing in teacher development, and supporting diverse learning needs. Community engagement ensures that parents, students, and local stakeholders have a voice in decision-making processes. Resource optimization aims at maximizing budget efficiency, investing in essential programs, and ensuring equitable resource distribution.

To evaluate the district’s progress, I would use a continuous improvement model. This involves setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals and regularly reviewing performance data. For example, we might set a goal to improve reading proficiency by 10% over two years. Regular assessments and data analysis would help us track progress, identify areas needing attention, and adjust strategies accordingly.

Budget recommendations would be closely tied to our strategic goals. For instance, if data shows that reading intervention programs are highly effective, we would prioritize funding for these initiatives. Regular budget reviews and community feedback sessions would ensure transparency and accountability.

By aligning our strategic plan with budget decisions and continuously evaluating our progress, we can create a dynamic and responsive educational environment that fosters student success and community trust.

District 7 Memphis-Shelby County Schools board candidates

Danielle Huggins

When elected this is how I envision Superintendent Feagins new district plan. First the plan should have measurable goals and objectives to target. Focus on expanding access to early childhood education, additional support services for students, and strengthening partnerships with community stakeholders. I would use the plan to evaluate the district budget by the priorities outlined in the plan. Lastly, the plan may need to be adjusted or adapted over time in response to the needs of the district. With Superintendent Feagins and administration I will revisit the plan periodically and make necessary revisions.

Frank Johnson

Towanna Murphy

A course of action that outlines the steps needed to achieve a specific goal. This plan should be clear, measurable, purpose-driven goals, and full team working together to collaborate on a plan and budget. This plan and budget should be consistent and doable for all involved. I can’t give you a precise plan until I get in office, speak with the Superintendent and the fellow school board members in order to come up with a direct, proficient, successful acceptable plan.

Jason Sharif

A successful strategic plan will clearly communicate the District’s priorities and goals. Key priorities I would like to see in the strategic plan are strengthing family and community engagement, improving academic success, and improving our public school facilities. A successful strategic plan will include specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time based goals that I would use as a Board member to evaluate the District’s progress and make budget recommendations based on the data collected on each strategic plan benchmark.

Memphis school board forum: Boosting literacy, ending teacher shortages top candidates’ priorities

2024-06-18T19:53:54+00:00

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Improving literacy rates, preparing students to compete globally, and combating teacher shortages are among the top challenges facing Memphis-Shelby County schools, candidates for the school board said at a forum Monday night.

About 200 people braved flash-flood warnings and a downpour to attend the forum at Idlewild Presbyterian Church. It was organized by Chalkbeat Tennessee and the Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope, and co-sponsored by the Memphis Education Fund and the Urban Child Institute.

Five of the board’s nine seats are up for election on Aug. 1. Four of the candidates — board Chair Althea Greene, Stephanie Love, Frank Johnson, and Mauricio Calvo — are incumbents.

They and 15 other candidates took questions from Chalkbeat and the audience on how they would guide Tennessee’s largest school district if elected.

Besides prioritizing boosting student literacy — nearly 80% of MSCS students aren’t proficient in reading, based on standardized test scores — some of the candidates said they would also focus on curbing teacher shortages and approach the city of Memphis about helping to fund the school system.

An audience question about what the candidates would do to listen to teachers’ concerns without their fearing retaliation sparked a number of responses. Most said that they would do that by fortifying relationships with the teachers’ unions.

Natalie McKinney, who is vying for the District 2 seat currently held by Greene, said that teachers must trust the process, but they “don’t have a process in place that they believe they can trust.”

The election comes at a time of transition for Memphis-Shelby County Schools. A new superintendent, Marie Feagins, took over in April, and is dealing with a number of looming challenges, including navigating the end of federal pandemic relief funds, budget cuts that will impact staff and programs, aging facilities, and new state accountability systems.

The current board sparred with Feagins last week over proposed staffing cuts that were communicated ahead of a budget deadline.

To see what the candidates said at the forum, watch the full video recording. And to learn more about the candidates, check out Chalkbeat’s school board candidate voter guide.

Bureau Chief Tonyaa Weathersbee oversees Chalkbeat Tennessee’s education coverage. Reach her at tweathersbee@chalkbeat.org.

Find out where the 2024 Memphis school board candidates stand in Chalkbeat’s voter guide

2024-06-14T22:51:14+00:00

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Five of the nine seats on Memphis-Shelby County Schools board are on the ballot Aug. 1 at a time of great transition for the school district, which is under the leadership of a new superintendent.

In the last year, the board rebooted a botched superintendent search process to choose a successor to former Superintendent Joris Ray, who departed in scandal in 2022. The board selected Marie Feagins, an education administrator in Detroit, as the new superintendent. She officially took the helm in April.

The process put intense pressure and scrutiny on the board. Now, 20 candidates are vying for board seats for Districts 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7. Each of the five races is contested.

On the horizon for Memphis are the end of federal pandemic relief funds and budget cuts that will impact staff and programs. Aging facilities in the district continue to be a priority, as costs to improve and build new schools are rising. And academic outcomes for Memphis students are under new scrutiny, with new accountability systems from the state.

The board is sure to have at least one new member to represent students and families in District 4, which includes parts of East Memphis, Hickory Hill, and southeast Shelby County. Longtime board member Kevin Woods, who was appointed in 2011 and served through the historic merger of the city and county school systems, is the only incumbent not seeking reelection.

Althea Greene, the District 2 representative and chair of the board for the last two years, as well as Stephanie Love, a longtime board member for District 3, both joined the board during successful runs in 2020.

Board member Frank Johnson of District 7 and Mauricio Calvo of District 5 are both seeking election to their seats for the first time, after joining the board midway through the last four years through appointments to vacancies.

Chalkbeat asked each of the 20 candidates to share more about their positions on the issues facing the district and how they planned to approach their leadership.

Eighteen of them responded (Alvin Crook for District 4 and Chavez Donelson for District 7 did not), and you can read their responses in this voter guide.

Chalkbeat lightly edited and condensed their bios for clarity, but their responses to questions have not been edited by Chalkbeat, other than formatting adjustments to improve readability.

Click on a candidate’s name to read their responses to each question. To compare candidate responses to a specific question, click on that question.

Check your voter registration status here.

Find a sample ballot and polling locations here by entering your name or address.

To view all of the school district maps, go here.

The voter registration deadline is July 2. Early voting begins July 12 and continues through July 27, before Election Day on Aug. 1.

Laura Testino covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Laura at LTestino@chalkbeat.org.

Tennessee textbook commission hires first staff to prepare for school library book appeals

2024-05-29T11:00:00+00:00

Tennessee’s all-volunteer textbook commission is gearing up to consider new challenges to school library books after state lawmakers broadened the definition of what materials are prohibited.

Two years after the Republican-controlled legislature gave the commission broad new appellate powers to decide ultimately which books students can and can’t access in public school libraries, the panel has yet to receive its first case for review.

But that is expected to change. And for the first time, the commission will have its own full-time staff to support its growing workload, led by a recently retired school librarian from Crossville who formerly served on the commission.

Lee Houston, who has 30-plus years of experience as an elementary school teacher, coach, and librarian, became the body’s executive director in March.

The panel also hired an administrative assistant in early May and is seeking a full-time attorney.

With a potential flood of book challenges and appeals in a state that’s one of the nation’s leaders in banning books, Gov. Bill Lee and the legislature have budgeted $500,000 for the commission to staff up, plus another $55,000 for operational expenses, to help manage the significant expansion of its mandate.

Linda Cash, the commission’s chairperson, said the dedicated support is critical, especially as book complaints work their way through local school boards.

“We expect to start seeing some of those trickle up to us,” said Cash, superintendent of Bradley County Schools.

“I think everybody on the commission will take this very seriously and understands the weight and magnitude of any decision,” she added.

Books that some parents find objectionable could be removed statewide

Amid a nationwide backlash to the racial-justice movement that began in 2020, Tennessee was among the first states to pass laws aimed at restricting what teachers can discuss in the classroom and reviewing what books are available to students.

How the age-appropriate debate is altering curriculum in Tennessee and nationwide

Themes about race and systemic racism, disparaged by hardline conservatives as “woke ideology,” were among early targets. But the range of censored content has widened to include narratives about sexual violence, LGBTQ+ topics, and transgender identities.

The American Library Association reports 350 titles were challenged in 2023 in school libraries or other public libraries across Tennessee.

The organization does not disclose where those challenges occurred, since much of the data comes from confidential reports from libraries. But based on various news reports, districts in McMinn, Roane, Rutherford, Sumner, Wilson, and Williamson counties, as well as Collierville near Memphis, have been hot spots.

And the number of book challenges is likely to increase based on recent revisions to Tennessee’s age-appropriate materials law sponsored by Rep. Susan Lynn of Mt. Juliet and Sen. Joey Hensley of Hohenwald.

The 2022 law, which the governor pushed for, requires schools to periodically screen their library materials for “age appropriateness,” based on local standards and community input. A second law, which also passed in 2022, directs the Tennessee Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission to rule on appeals of local decisions about individual books and gives the panel authority to ban them statewide.

This year, during the final days of the legislative session, lawmakers added a provision allowing a complainant to take a book challenge straight to the state commission if a school board doesn’t address a complaint within 60 days.

More significantly, the revised law defines what’s “suitable” for library collections in K-12 schools and classrooms. It flags any material that “in whole or in part contains nudity, descriptions or depictions of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, excess violence, or sadomasochistic abuse.”

Previously, the law required library materials to be appropriate for the age and maturity levels of students who could access the materials, as well as consistent with the educational mission of the school.

Supporters of the laws say they are protecting children and older students from age-inappropriate, sexually explicit material and exploitation. But critics say the goal is censorship — and that the changes will violate First Amendment freedoms.

Either way, the broadened definition puts a young-adult novel at risk of being banned for even a single paragraph referencing sexual excitement. A children’s picture book such as the Caldecott Award-winning classic “No, David!” could be pulled because one page shows the naked backside of a mischievous boy running down a street.

The 1929 novel “All Quiet on the Western Front” could be targeted for its detailed descriptions of physical and mental trauma suffered by soldiers during World War I. So could Toni Morrison’s “Beloved,” which portrays brutal and abusive sex as a tool of power when early America allowed slavery.

“They’ve tweaked the definition of their own law by not including that the work has to be considered as a whole, or that it’s protected if it has serious value, whether literary, artistic, political, or scientific,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.

“This is effectively banning complex works of literature that are read and used in 11th- and 12th-grade classrooms for students preparing for higher education or to enrich their own education,” she said, adding that “this might close off a whole wealth of literature that deals with difficult topics that, for instance, are part of study plans for the AP English test.”

Former librarian will lead commission’s work

Even before taking on book challenge responsibilities, the state textbook commission, whose 11 volunteer members are appointed by the governor and speakers of the Senate and House, had a full plate. Its primary task has been recommending new lists of textbooks and instructional materials for approval by the State Board of Education based on Tennessee’s ongoing revisions of its academic standards.

Currently, the commission is in the middle of the textbook adoption cycle for new science materials, a process that takes up to 18 months.

“It’s daunting and important work,” said Cash, the panel’s chairperson, “because it affects all public school students and teachers across Tennessee.”

In 2022, when the panel was given its new appellate powers over book challenges, Cash pleaded for funding to hire full-time staff as the commission missed its first big deadline to publish compliance guidelines under the new law. The legislature subsequently allocated funding so that the body no longer has to rely on the state education department for administrative help.

“We are very thankful for these positions,” Cash said.

Rep. John Ray Clemmons, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, said Republicans have essentially created a new layer of government bureaucracy.

“It was a bad idea to start with, and now they’re throwing a half million dollars at it,” said the Nashville Democrat. “And for what? There’s nothing more undemocratic than pulling books off the shelves of public schools.”

Lee Houston speaks during a meeting of the Tennessee Textbook and Quality Materials Commission on Nov. 18, 2022, as Chairperson Linda Cash listens. Houston, who was a school librarian at the time, stepped down from the commission in March to become its first executive director.

Houston, the panel’s first executive director, worked most recently at Brown Elementary, a public school in Cumberland County, which is represented by House Speaker Cameron Sexton. In 2022, Sexton appointed her to the textbook commission, where at one of her first meetings, she argued for a rule to require that each commissioner read an appealed book in its entirety before voting.

“Context is important,” she said at the time.

In a recent interview with Chalkbeat, Houston said she expects that her new job, with an annual salary of $105,000, will focus largely on the textbook adoption process.

“We have no book appeals before us right now,” she said. “But as a commission, we will uphold the law.”

School librarians feel under attack

For school librarians across Tennessee, the latest statute revisions look like government censorship and overreach as they find themselves caught in the crossfire of national culture wars, fueled in part by pro-censorship websites like Book Looks and Rated Books.

“Do challenged books still go through due process? Or are we just supposed to pull them if they include a picture of Michelangelo’s naked statue of David?” asked Lindsey Kimery, a leader with the Tennessee Association of School Librarians.

As the library supervisor for Metro Nashville Public Schools, she considers Tennessee’s recent school library laws an affront to her profession. And she is concerned they are creating a climate of fear, especially in rural school systems without a library coordinator.

“I worry we’ll see more soft censorship there, the quiet removal of books, because there’s not someone with school library experience at the district level who has a voice at the table when it comes to dealing with these challenging times,” Kimery said.

Meanwhile, she said, librarians are “holding tight” until district-level attorneys can provide legal guidance.

“If librarians proactively remove a lot of books, we could see challenges related to censorship. If we don’t, I expect some individuals or groups will try to test the process to see what they can and can’t do,” she said. “Some school districts may just elect to let the complaints go directly to the state to deal with.”

“No matter how you slice it,” she added, “it’s bad.”

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Where Tennessee lawmakers landed on vouchers, guns, AI, and other education issues in 2024

2024-04-29T10:00:00+00:00

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Tennessee’s legislature is done for the year after a session marked by political infighting over private school vouchers and emotional debates about whether teachers and staff should be able to carry a gun in public schools.

The statewide voucher proposal fizzled after the Senate and House couldn’t agree on the specifics. Gov. Bill Lee quickly pledged to come back next year with another plan.

The bill to arm some school employees easily passed, defying dramatic protests at the state Capitol, a year after a Nashville school shooting in which three children, three adults, and the intruder were killed.

“This was a session of good, bad, and ugly,” Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari said after the legislature adjourned on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, some really really bad bills ended up passing,” the Memphis Democrat added.

Republican leaders hailed the four-month session as a success.

“We accomplished things that will benefit the people of this state,” the governor told reporters minutes after the gavel fell.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee speaks with reporters at the close of the 2024 legislative session on April 25. He's flanked by the General Assembly's Republican leaders.

He cited the passage of a “historically important budget” that includes a consolation prize of $144 million for his Education Freedom Scholarship Act, in case it passes in future years. The failed voucher proposal seeks to give taxpayer money to any family who wants to send their children to private schools, regardless of their income.

“That shows a clear intent that we believe in this concept and that we expect that to get done next year,” Lee said.

By the end of the week, the governor had signed the bill to let some school employees carry guns, which took effect immediately.

The new law marks the biggest expansion of gun access in Tennessee since the killings at The Covenant School. Last year, the legislature appropriated $140 million to help place an armed officer in every public school, but many districts, especially in rural areas, haven’t been able to hire an officer for every campus.

“Districts have the option to choose,” Lee said earlier, arguing that some school systems need to let some employees carry a concealed handgun.

Protesters stage a "die-in" on the rotunda floor at the Tennessee State Capitol outside of the House chambers on April 23, 2024, after state lawmakers passed a bill to let certain teachers and school staff carry handguns in schools.

Legislation at the intersection of schools and guns

Lawmakers sorted through some 230-plus education bills filed in time for this year’s session — about 300 if you count those left over from last year in the two-year General Assembly. They ultimately passed about 70 that directly affect K-12 education.

For the second straight year, they made tweaks to a 2021 reading and retention law to address what many called unintended effects for students in grades three and four. Under a compromise approved on the last day of session, parents and educators of fourth graders will now have input on whether their students get held back because of low reading scores on state tests.

The legislature rejected tighter gun laws sought by Democrats and gun control advocates, and continued instead to pass legislation aimed at fortifying campuses. Among the initiatives: new school fire alarm protocols to take into account active-shooter situations; a pilot program to give teachers wearable alarms; increased safety training for school bus drivers; and guidelines to digitize school maps so first responders can access school layouts quickly in an emergency.

A rare bipartisan bill increases the penalty for anyone who threatens to commit an act of mass violence on school property or at a school-related activity.

Another measure, which Lee has signed into law, requires public schools to teach children age-appropriate firearms safety concepts as early as pre-kindergarten. The video-based training is to begin in the 2025-26 school year and, among other things, will instruct students who find a firearm that they shouldn’t touch it and should notify an adult immediately. The bill bars parents from opting their children out of the training.

So-called culture war issues played prominently again

One new law requires public school students to watch a video on fetal development produced by an anti-abortion group, or something comparable. Another measure will require public school employees to out transgender students to their parents. But a bill designed to ban LGBTQ+ flags in schools failed in the Senate amid concerns of a legal challenge based on First Amendment rights.

Tennessee’s age-appropriate materials law, championed by Lee in 2022 to cull certain titles from school libraries, now includes a definition of “suitable” materials for certain ages and maturity levels. And if a local school board doesn’t address a book complaint within 60 days, the complainant can now take the issue straight to the state textbook commission.

Another GOP bill that passed seeks to make sure that material related to “sexual activity” is excluded from the state’s mandatory family life curriculum for students in kindergarten through the fifth grade.

Meanwhile, legislation sponsored by Democrats directs the state education department to develop a program that public schools can use to teach students the skills of nonviolent conflict resolution.

Lawmakers exit the House of Representatives at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville on April 25 after adjourning their two-year session.

Social media and technology also were on the minds of lawmakers.

They signed off on legislation requiring minors to have parental consent to create social media accounts.

In addition, school districts, charter schools, and higher-education institutions must develop and implement their own policies on the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom, if they haven’t already done so. Those policies could include restricting or outright prohibiting the use of AI.

Amid that discussion, one bill requires that Tennessee history be taught in fifth grade. Having that issue codified in state law settles, for now, a debate that erupts whenever the state revises its academic standards for social studies.

Memphis was the focus of more legislation

Rep. Mark White and Sen. Brent Taylor, both Memphis Republicans, drafted several proposals aimed at education in their community.

The legislature passed one bill allowing the University of Memphis to create its own K-12 school district and expand its innovative University Schools model beyond campus borders. University officials said they’ll launch the district this fall, even as they’re still in talks with Memphis-Shelby County Schools about their contract that runs through fall 2026.

Another proposal — giving the governor the power to appoint up to six new members to the board of Memphis-Shelby County Schools — was never heard in committees after White agreed to hold off and work with the existing board and the district’s new superintendent, Marie Feagins, on an improvement plan.

Rep. Antonio Parkinson D-Memphis, has sought for years to shut down the Achievement School District.

A Democratic-sponsored proposal to end the Tennessee Achievement School District, the state’s sputtering takeover and turnaround initiative, passed out of the Senate but not the House. Rep. Antonio Parkinson, the sponsor there, pulled the legislation on the last day of session when White sought to amend the bill. Still, the ASD continues to shrink on its own as its 10-year contracts with charter operators end.

An effort to expand a separate pilot school turnaround project — which started in 2021 in Memphis, Nashville, and Chattanooga — failed to clear budget committees.

Lawmakers passed House Speaker Cameron Sexton’s charter school proposal to create new alternative education options for Tennessee’s at-risk youth. The plan opens the door to residential charter schools, a concern of disability advocates who warned against any measure that could lead to the institutionalization of youth or commingling distinct student populations facing varying issues such as substance abuse, juvenile crime, chronic absenteeism, and teen pregnancy.

Sexton trumpeted his and other charter school legislation headed to the governor’s desk. One bill rewrites state law governing vacant and underutilized public school properties to give charter operators the “right of first refusal” to purchase those public assets.

“This session did more than it’s ever done in our history to continue to put (charter schools) on a path to give parents the choice and alternative to traditional schools,” Sexton said.

A tighter budget meant fewer education initiatives

Passing a budget for state government is the legislature’s only required constitutional duty, and the task was more challenging this year as tax revenues flattened and federal COVID relief funding ended.

Still, Republican lawmakers approved a $1.9 billion package of tax cuts and refunds to corporations and businesses.

Representatives on the floor of the Tennessee House in 2022

They ultimately approved a nearly $53 billion spending plan that allocates an additional $126 million to raise the annual minimum salary for public school teachers from $42,000 to $44,500. The goal is to get to $50,000 by the 2026-27 school year.

Also included is $8 million to hire more school-based behavioral health specialists amid record reports of students experiencing stress, depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. Another $15 million in non-recurring funds will help charter school operators pay for school facilities and maintenance.

But the legislature killed efforts to hire more school-based nurses and counselors, reimburse teachers for some of their child care expenses, and provide free feminine hygiene products in high schools, as well as separate proposals by a Democrat and a Republican to make school meals free for all students. It also said no to a bill to use tax revenue from Tennessee’s growing sports betting industry to offer child care scholarships to low- and middle-income families.

When the 114th General Assembly convenes next year, it will look somewhat different after this year’s elections. All seats of the 99-member House of Representatives and half of the Senate’s 33 seats will be on the ballot.

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Incoming Memphis schools leader Marie Feagins begins work, set to assume superintendent role April 1

2024-03-13T22:28:00+00:00

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Update: This story has been updated with details of Feagins’ per diem contract.

Incoming Superintendent Marie Feagins has started working with Memphis-Shelby County Schools under a per diem agreement, allowing her to begin a transition to the superintendent role while the school board hammers out her contract.

Feagins’ temporary employment took effect March 1, according to a press release from school board Chair Althea Greene on the same day. Greene said she expects Feagins, a Detroit public school district administrator, to begin officially as MSCS superintendent on April 1, months ahead of the July 1 start that board members had targeted during the search process.

Greene said it is important for Feagins to begin work soon, especially as Tennessee’s largest school district faces major budget decisions and state lawmakers consider several changes to education policy, including a major expansion of private school vouchers that could affect district revenues.

“Dr. Feagins is excited to be here now to start making Memphis and Shelby County her home,” Greene said.

Memphis school board appointment bill on hold amid talks with state lawmakers

Since the board selected Feagins on Feb. 9, she has been in Memphis for several meetings, including a lunch Friday co-hosted in part by former Memphis schools Superintendent Carol Johnson-Dean.

“Everybody wants to welcome her, and they want her to be successful,” Johnson-Dean told Chalkbeat, adding that several community leaders attended, including both the city and county mayors. She said school board members did not attend.

Feagins also attended part of the Memphis school board’s February business meeting and received a standing ovation. A separate press release at the time said she was working on a plan for her first 100 days on the job.

But at the time of the per diem announcement, the school board had not otherwise discussed her employment in a public meeting, and board members had taken no votes on a contract.

Board members Mauricio Calvo and Stephanie Love said that they had not seen the per diem contract. The following week, Calvo shared a copy of the contract to social media with a caption that said: “...Transparency is key as we work to build confidence and trust.”

The document showed Feagins can earn up to $20,000 in March, as she transitions into the role. Greene, in a statement on March 13, also shared the contract.

Chalkbeat’s attempts to reach Feagins for comment on March 1 were unsuccessful.

Greene has said she expects the board to take action on Feagins’ superintendent contract at a meeting scheduled for March 26. The per diem contract also requires board approval, according to the document.

Laura Testino covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Laura at LTestino@chalkbeat.org.

University of Memphis could become its own K-12 school district under new legislation

2024-03-11T23:26:06+00:00

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The University of Memphis, which operates three high-performing schools for K-12 students on its campus, could become its own school district under new legislation from two Republican lawmakers from Memphis.

Rep. Mark White and Sen. Brent Taylor want the elementary, middle, and high schools on the college campus to come under the supervision of a university-led district and shift out of the purview of Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the state’s largest school system.

Under their proposal, the university also could create more schools, including using charter operators, without having to go through MSCS, with which the university has a contractual arrangement. Those new schools could be located throughout Greater Memphis.

White, who plans to introduce the proposal Tuesday in the House K-12 education subcommittee, said he wants to give the university authority to replicate school models that are generating some of the best academic results in Tennessee. While none of the schools have an academic requirement for entry, all three recently received A grades and reward-school designations from the state for student growth.

But a statement Monday from Memphis-Shelby County Schools suggested the district wants to keep its current arrangement.

“We value our longstanding partnership with the University of Memphis and believe Campus School, University Middle School, and University High School are important parts of the district’s educational options,” the statement said. “We look forward to continuing our partnership.”

Proposal envisions a new university-led governance system

The legislation, called the Innovative School District Act, seeks to introduce a new school governance model using public universities to scale up proven innovations in K-12 teaching and learning. The new pathway would remove oversight by traditionally elected school board members who represent the community’s voice in public education. The measure could have statewide implications if other universities pursue the same track.

Under the legislation, Tennessee’s education commissioner could approve a university-based K-12 school system. School governance would be handled by the university’s board of trustees, which also could appoint several of its members as a committee to perform the functions of a school board.

Not just any higher education institution could seek to become a school district, though. The university would be required to have a comprehensive doctoral program and operate a collection of training schools that offer clinical teaching experiences and mentoring for future educators beginning with pre-kindergarten. Such institutions also typically conduct and publish research on effective teaching techniques.

Currently, the University of Memphis, which serves students from pre-K through high school, is the state’s only public university that meets that standard. In addition to its three campus schools, the university partners with Porter-Leath, one of the city’s largest providers of preschool services, to operate an early childhood academy in the city’s Orange Mound neighborhood. Several other Tennessee universities operate training or laboratory schools, but do not serve the full continuum of students from pre-K through graduation.

White, who chairs the House Education Administration Committee, has talked for years with leaders at the University of Memphis about ways to expand its K-12 work. After opening a high school in the fall of 2022, the university warmed to the idea.

“We did not pursue this legislation,” said Sally Parish, the university’s associate vice president for educational initiatives. “Chairman White approached us about scaling our academic model and our academic success to serve more children. We now have a full compendium of pre-K through 12th grade, and the timing feels right.”

Students concentrate on their classwork at Campus Elementary School, one of three schools operated by the University of Memphis on its campus near midtown Memphis.

Why the shift would matter for MSCS

If the legislation becomes law, the shift to a university-based school system would not be immediately noticeable. While Memphis-Shelby County Schools is their district of record, campus schools already contractually operate under the oversight of the university’s board of trustees. The university has its own policies and procedures, employs all of the schools’ teachers and staff, and provides classroom facilities.

But Memphis-Shelby County Schools, one of Tennessee’s lower-performing districts, would not be able to report the high-achieving campus schools’ scores as part of its own academic data.

Eventually, the university wants to expand beyond its ZIP code.

“One of our challenges is that we have more children on our waitlist than we have in our schools,” said Parish, who oversees the university’s campus schools. “We know there’s a local demand; we just haven’t been allowed to meet it. Our contract with the district caps enrollment at 1,050 students.”

The enrollment cap was part of the contract approved by Memphis’ school board in 2021 to allow the university to open a high school recently on campus to prepare students for college and career. The university’s elementary school opened in 1912 and serves over 400 students. University Middle was founded in 2019 as a project-based STEAM school and serves about 270 students.

School leader sees a chance to diversify enrollment

Campus school programs have faced criticism for not reflecting the diversity of Memphis, where 64% of residents are Black, and nearly a fourth are deemed impoverished. The student population of Memphis-Shelby County Schools is 93% Black and 57% economically disadvantaged.

According to the latest state data, Campus Elementary School’s student population is 24% Black and 7% economically disadvantaged, while students at University Middle School are 48% Black and 10% economically disadvantaged. The state’s demographic data is not yet available for University High School.

Parish believes that with more autonomy and the ability to recruit charter operators to open schools in other parts of the city, the university can diversify its K-12 population and create academic tracks that are more responsive to local workforce needs.

Currently, she said, about 20% of the schools’ students are the children of university faculty and staff; 30% are from families who live within a 2-mile radius of the university; and the rest from the larger Memphis community.

“We’re not shying away from serving a diverse community,” Parish said. “We serve children in every single local ZIP code, but we don’t provide transportation to get to the university, and that’s a barrier that we want to eliminate. Currently, we’re limited in how we can serve students based on what the district allows.”

Having the ability to authorize charter schools would help the university expand to other parts of Greater Memphis, she added.

Tennessee now has 141 traditional school systems operated as city, county, or special school districts. Any of them can authorize a charter school under a 2019 law that created the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission.

The Tennessee Charter School Center, which advocates for charters, is not the driving force behind the new legislation but is consulting with its sponsors.

“What’s most important to TCSC is ensuring that any authorizer in Tennessee is high quality, follows national best practices, and is evaluated by the Tennessee State Board of Education,” said Elizabeth Fiveash, the group’s chief policy officer. “We are working with the sponsors to make sure that is reflected in their proposed language.”

You can track the legislation on the General Assembly’s website.

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis school board appointment bill on hold amid talks with state lawmakers

2024-03-01T11:00:00+00:00

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A state lawmaker is giving the Memphis-Shelby County school board time to devise an improvement plan before pursuing legislation to empower Gov. Bill Lee to appoint up to six new members to the locally elected body.

Rep. Mark White said he has spoken with several current board members and the district’s incoming superintendent, Marie Feagins, since Chalkbeat reported in early February that he’s consulting with the state attorney general’s office on a school governance bill aimed at his home county.

“I’ve told them you’re going to have to manage the district better, and they indicated that they understood,” White said during a recent interview in his office at the state Capitol.

The Memphis Republican wants the board to deliver an action plan to him in March, before the legislature is expected to adjourn in April. The plan, he said, should include how district leaders are addressing challenges with literacy, truancy, graduation rates, teacher recruitment, underutilized school buildings, and a backlog of building maintenance needs, among other things.

MSCS building strategy is in the works. See which schools may be affected.

“Our city is begging for change when it comes to education, and I want to know that this school board has a plan,” said White, who chairs a House education committee.

If the board doesn’t deliver, White plans to file his legislation in the next few weeks.

Several board members have said White’s proposal smacks of state overreach — but they want to collaborate with the lawmaker, who is also locally elected, to advance the school district’s work. Still, there’s confusion about exactly what White wants and when he wants it.

“We do have to come up with those agreements or deliverables that he’s talking about,” said board member Mauricio Calvo, who tried unsuccessfully in January to get the board to set priorities for its next superintendent.

“It’s not just because he is saying that. It’s because we want to get to better outcomes for children, for students,” Calvo continued.

Althea Greene, the board’s chair, did not respond to Chalkbeat’s questions about the status of the talks. She sent a statement through the board’s external communications firm saying, in part, that “we are currently in the process of engaging our community with Rep. White regarding his plan.”

White has cited prolonged frustration with the board’s leadership. His legislation would keep the board’s current elected members, but add others through Lee’s appointments based on recommendations from local officials and stakeholders.

The East Memphis lawmaker met with six of the district’s nine school board members, including Greene and Calvo, during a previously scheduled Feb. 14 meeting at the Capitol, which he called “very productive.”

Six school board members for Memphis-Shelby County Schools pose with Rep. Mark White and Sens. Raumesh Akbari and Brent Taylor during a meeting at the Capitol on February 14, 2024.

Days after, White spoke by phone with Feagins, a Detroit school leader picked by the board in February to be the next leader of the state’s largest school system. Her selection came in spite of White’s 11th-hour request that the board keep interim Superintendent Toni Williams and delay hiring a leader for a second time.

Michelle McKissack, another school board member at the Capitol meeting, is hopeful for more discussions with state officials that include Feagins. More specifically, she wants to understand White’s expectations.

“I would love to have a meaningful meeting with Rep. White,” she told Chalkbeat Thursday, “but I have no idea what his plans are.”

Feagins, who is scheduled to start her new job by July 1, impressed board members during interviews with booklets that included her review of the Memphis district. (Chalkbeat’s request for these public records has not yet been filled.)

Though she does not yet have a contract, Feagins was introduced at Tuesday’s board meeting and has been meeting this week with Memphis leaders. She is also building a plan for her first 100 days on the job, according to a press release from the board’s communications firm.

White has emphasized the need for urgency and expects to meet with Feagins next week to “get better communications.”

The Feb. 14 meeting with school board members included two other state lawmakers representing Memphis: Democratic Sen. Raumesh Akbari and Republican Sen. Brent Taylor. Taylor is listed as the Senate co-sponsor of White’s proposed legislation.

“We all want the same thing: for our kids to read and write and compete on a national and international level,” Akbari said.

“But the elephant in the room was the pending legislation,” she continued, “and I suggested that we set that aside because I don’t think it’s necessary. School board members are elected by the people, and their constituents should hold them responsible.”

White agrees.

“The best fix would be if the citizens of Memphis elect some strong school board members,” he told Chalkbeat. “Five seats are up [for election] this year. We shall see.”

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Laura Testino covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Laura at LTestino@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis school board selects Marie Feagins as superintendent

2024-02-10T01:14:07+00:00

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Marie Feagins is the school board’s choice to be the next superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools and the first outside leader to direct Tennessee’s largest school district since it was created through a merger a decade ago.

In a meeting Friday, school board members ended the Memphis superintendent search with a vote to select Feagins for the role. With successful contract negotiations, Feagins will join the district from her current position as chief of leadership and high schools for Detroit Public Schools Community District.

The board’s search went well into a second year and included no shortage of twists, turns, and disputes. Ultimately, the board rebooted the application process last fall and narrowed the finalist pool to three out-of-state candidates who returned to Memphis earlier this month for a final round of public interviews.

As the new superintendent, Feagins will oversee a district of 100,000 students at a pivotal time. Students have made some progress since the pandemic but have yet to totally rebound to scores that have historically lagged behind state averages. And, like other districts, Memphis is projecting a large budget gap as federal pandemic relief funds expire, leaving leaders to decide which academic programs and personnel they can afford to cut or keep. Plus, the current administration has launched a major facilities overhaul that could involve school consolidations and closures.

The new leader will also have to deal with direct challenges to local control from state leaders and lawmakers, who have stepped up the pressure on public school systems. A new proposal would specifically target Memphis by expanding the school board with additional members appointed by state officials.

Community member Tikeila Rucker (middle) celebrates during a Feb. 9 Memphis-Shelby County Schools board meeting where Marie Feagins was chosen as the school system’s new superintendent.

Eleventh-hour letters from Rep. Mark White, the Memphis Republican who plans to sponsor the proposal, as well as from Shelby County Commission Chair Miska Clay-Bibbs, also a former school board chair, urged the Memphis board to take no action Friday.

Said MSCS board Chair Althea Greene: “While we are interested in hearing from state legislators and other elected and business leaders, the time for critical input and action has passed.”

Board member Michelle McKissack nominated Feagins as a “visionary changemaker” the district needs.

In a statement issued by the school district, Feagins said she is honored and grateful to become the next superintendent.

“I am committed to doing whatever it takes to move us from good to phenomenal because that is what OUR city and county deserve,” Feagins said. “Together, we will defy the odds and become a national model of bold, transformational education.”

Feagins was in competition with Yolonda Brown, chief academic officer in Atlanta Public Schools and Cheryl Proctor, deputy superintendent of instruction and school communities for Portland Public Schools in Oregon. The Memphis board worked with outside search firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates to solicit applications.

Feagins is expected to start by July 1.

She will follow in the steps of interim Superintendent Toni Williams, whose contract allows her to retain a role with the district through the next year. Williams, the district’s former finance chief, has had an active interim tenure, negotiating plans and financing for new school buildings, embarking on a plan for all of the district’s facilities, and reorganizing the district’s procurement and finance departments.

In August 2022, Williams was the single nominee for interim leader while the board committed to a national search for a successor to former Superintendent Joris Ray, who agreed to resign from the post in a cloud of scandal.

Feagins shined for ability to endear teachers, Memphians

Tomeka Hart Wigginton, part of the Memphis school board during its last superintendent search more than a decade ago, worked with the board on the rebooted search this summer and then helped evaluate the candidates.

Feagins received resounding support from the teachers surveyed, according to feedback presented by Hart Wigginton. Of the three candidates, Feagins was also the finalist who garnered the most support from board members as an appropriate fit for the district. On that point, community members who attended the interviews ranked Feagins similarly. Of the three finalists, Feagins had the smallest gap between how the board and interview audience evaluated her fit for Memphis.

Brown and Proctor received strong feedback about their academic experiences, but constituents weren’t convinced either finalist had a strong vision specific to Memphis, according to Hart Wigginton. Feagins, however, shined for her leadership and communication style – although there were some concerns about whether she has the experience necessary to deliver.

Hart Wigginton stressed that the presentation was not scientific, but a comprehensive review of the materials collected by the interview process that was meant to help guide the board’s discussion — not make the decision for them.

“You have three candidates with varied levels of strength. … Now you just have to be articulate and clear about what you need and which candidate matches that for you,” she said.

Each of the candidates received nominations from board members Friday, and it took board members two rounds of voting to arrive at the six required votes to select Feagins. Board members Amber Huett-Garcia and Mauricio Calvo, who cast votes for Brown, and Keith Williams, who voted only present, agreed to update their votes for Feagins in an effort to show a united front of support.

In an email to Chalkbeat Friday, Brown thanked the board and wished them success “as they continue the journey to ensure that all students ‘see the future.’” Proctor didn’t respond to Chalkbeat’s invitation for comment.

What to know about new Memphis school superintendent Marie Feagins

Feagins works in Detroit’s public school district with high school academic programming, and acts as a liaison for the district with the mayor’s office and state education department, she wrote in her application. Before coming to Detroit, she was a principal in Cleveland, and started her education career in Alabama.

“The right leader at the right place at the right time changes everything,” she told MSCS board members in December.

Feagins told board members in February that she increased the number of students who were on track to graduate in Detroit by monitoring data regularly and introducing a competition among schools.

Of managing teachers, she said: “People are okay with being responsible for the things that they can directly contribute to and own … I think that when you tell people what to do, you get robots. And when you empower them, then you get the type of creative leaders that we need in our spaces. And that’s how we get the results that we’re ultimately seeking.”

Feagins explained her approach to leading Memphis public schools like this: “I want people to get to know me first, and so that you know that the heart of the decisions are good, they’re pure, the intent is right. But you also know that I honor that the impact is what is felt most, and is what matters most ... and that’s where the leadership begins.”

Laura Testino covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Laura at LTestino@chalkbeat.org.

Tennessee lawmaker to file legislation to add appointed members to Memphis school board

2024-02-07T01:40:58+00:00

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A Tennessee lawmaker said he plans to introduce legislation giving Gov. Bill Lee’s administration the power to appoint up to six new members to the board of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

Rep. Mark White of Memphis cited prolonged frustration with the board’s locally elected leadership when explaining his plans to Chalkbeat on Tuesday.

The nine members currently on the board of the state’s largest school district would remain in office under the proposal.

And the additional members would be appointed later this year based on recommendations from local officials and stakeholders, said White, a Republican who represents parts of East Memphis and the suburb of Germantown.

“I’m very concerned about the district’s direction, and I just can’t sit back any longer. I think we’re at a critical juncture,” said White, who chairs a powerful education committee in the House.

In a statement Tuesday, board Chair Althea Greene said White’s proposal is unnecessary.

“We may have had some challenges, but more interference from the General Assembly is not warranted at this time,” she said. “We have to stop experimenting with our children.”

White’s comments come as the school board is days from selecting a district superintendent to end a tortuous 18-month search process. All three finalists came from out of state last week for final public interviews.

The proposed bill also represents another attempted state foray into oversight of Memphis, spotlighting historic tensions rooted in race, politics, and power, in which both sides claim the moral high ground.

White said he is unhappy with the board’s handling of the superintendent search for a district where strong, stable, and timely leadership is especially critical. Most MSCS students are considered economically disadvantaged and continue to significantly trail state benchmarks in reading and math following devastating pandemic-related academic declines.

“I’m concerned about the three people they’ve whittled it down to, and I’m just not impressed,” said White, who did not specify the candidates’ shortcomings.

There are “highly qualified people in Memphis who know how to improve the system,” White added.

His criticisms echo recent frustrations from some local educators and community members at the prospect of an out-of-state candidate leading Memphis-Shelby County Schools. Some have called for a local candidate or for the board to permanently hire interim Superintendent Toni Williams, the district’s former finance chief.

Board member Michelle McKissack expressed surprise about White’s plan and his comments about the finalists. She praised their qualifications.

“This has been an extraordinarily robust search, and we have listened to all members of the community every way we know how to,” McKissack said.

Adding board members — particularly appointed candidates who don’t have constituents to answer to — would only complicate board governance, she said.

“It’s not going to make board operations any easier when you have a 15-person board,” McKissack said, pointing to the challenges of the previous 23-member body that oversaw the historic merger of the city and county school districts and created Memphis-Shelby County Schools a decade ago.

She added: “They think they have a problem now? Well then get ready.”

White and Sen. Brent Taylor, a Memphis Republican, expect to file their legislation this month and have been working with the state attorney general’s office “to get the language right,” White said.

The legislation could affect upcoming nonpartisan school board elections in which five seats are up for grabs. Greene is the only incumbent to have pulled a petition for the August election since the filing opened on Monday, according to Shelby County Election Commission officials.

White drew a distinction between his proposal and a 12-year-old state initiative to take over low-performing schools, mostly in Memphis, to place them with charter school operators under the oversight of the Tennessee Achievement School District.

“This is not about taking over schools. It’s about putting in place stronger governance over the elected bodies for low-performing districts,” he said.

The Memphis school board is responsible for hiring the superintendent, but also charting the direction for the district, often by prioritizing how to use the $1.2 billion it receives each year, plus the additional hundreds of millions in one-time federal funds. Board members also play a role in addressing issues of their community and educator constituents.

The board struggled with its first superintendent search for a successor to Joris Ray, who left in August 2022 amid a scandal over allegations that he abused his power and violated district policies. Last spring, board members were dissatisfied with the slate of final candidates and chose to scrap the list and reboot the selection process.

The board’s second search last fall generated 22 applicants, according to the search firm the board hired to oversee the process. Just one local candidate, Angela Whitelaw, the district’s top academics chief, was among the five finalists. Following the guidance of their own evaluations and the community’s input, the board selected three finalists:

Yolonda Brown, chief academic officer in Atlanta Public Schools
Marie Feagins, chief of leadership and high schools for Detroit Public Schools Community District
Cheryl Proctor, deputy superintendent of instruction and school communities for Portland Public Schools in Oregon

It’s not the first time that White has introduced bills to give the state the power to intercede in local matters.

He successfully sponsored legislation in 2022 that forced the Memphis district to cede four schools to several nearby suburban districts, including in Germantown, which serves mostly white and affluent students. The move reignited persistent criticisms that the decade-long tug-of-war over the valuable school properties was essentially about race and class. Ultimately, Shelby County commissioners increased taxes, in part to help pay for a new high school for the urban district’s mostly Black students from low-income families.

White also asked the Tennessee attorney general to weigh in last year about potential conflicts of interest for Keith Williams, the executive director of a local teacher union in Memphis who was elected to the board in 2022.

Memphians have long been wary of Tennessee lawmakers who have repeatedly singled out Memphis on education matters. For instance, a controversial 2019 law created a private school voucher program that only applied to Memphis and Nashville, even though local officials overwhelmingly opposed it.

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Laura Testino covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach her at LTestino@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis school board poised to select new superintendent Feb. 9

2024-02-03T03:24:25+00:00

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At last, the Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendent search has an end date in sight.

Board members are set to select a new public schools leader from a slate of three out-of-town finalists in a meeting on Feb. 9, signaling a resolution to a process that is well into its second year.

Finalists Yolonda Brown of Atlanta Public Schools, Marie Feagins of Detroit Public Schools Community District, and Cheryl Proctor of Portland Public Schools in Oregon made their final cases to board members in public interviews on Friday, the culmination of a days-long return visit to Memphis that also included private interviews with community leaders and educators, as well as a tour of school buildings.

Choosing one of the three candidates will be a final step for the Memphis school board, and could be a testament to the work board members did to relaunch a second, smoother search process for a successor to former Superintendent Joris Ray.

A successful appointment requires votes from six of the school board’s nine members, and Joyce Dorse-Coleman, vice chair of the board and co-chair of the search committee, said Friday she had the “utmost confidence” in the board agreeing on a candidate.

“It’s been a journey, and we’re ready to move on,” Dorse-Coleman said, adding that she has appreciated the “strong leadership” of Toni Williams, the district’s former finance chief who has held the interim role since August 2022 following Ray’s exit.

Successful contract negotiations with the board’s selection will bring an outside leader to helm Memphis public schools for the first time in more than a decade. The new superintendent is expected to start by July 1.

Two of the three finalists in Memphis’ restarted search also applied to the role back in the spring. Feagins was among a public list of applicants during the initial search. Proctor revealed during her interview Friday that she was also a contender in the spring, but withdrew before finalists were announced because of a family emergency. Brown appears to be a new applicant.

Board members tailored questions during the second-round interviews to each of the three finalists’ experiences, but themes emerged that reflect the district’s needs and community’s concerns. Chalkbeat selected a highlight of each candidate’s two-hour interview process for publication.

Yolonda Brown, chief academic officer in Atlanta Public Schools

Brown told board members she would consider conducting an academic audit for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, similar to one by the Council of Great City Schools she used to implement changes in Atlanta.

“We were able to streamline the support, and schools knew exactly who they could call, reach out to, and get support from ... and they knew what services we could provide. And so that was the biggest impact,” Brown said.

Speaking about how she would lead as a newcomer to Memphis, Brown said: “It doesn’t matter how great you know academics or the strategy. If the culture is not right, it doesn’t matter ... And so you don’t come in and automatically say, ‘Everything’s bad, and I’m here to fix it,’ because leadership is not about one person.”

Marie Feagins, chief of leadership and high schools for Detroit Public Schools Community District

In Detroit, Feagins said she increased the number of students who were on-track to graduate by monitoring data regularly and introducing a competition among schools.

Cheryl Proctor, deputy superintendent of instruction and school communities for Portland Public Schools in Oregon

Proctor told board members that her experience in large Florida school districts make her familiar with rigorous state accountability systems like the third-grade retention law and letter grades, as well as school voucher programs.

“We need to stay focused on what’s happening in our local environment, and in our local community,” Proctor said of responding to education vouchers in Tennessee. She added: “My priority is going ... to be that our district schools are schools of choice … All of our schools should have high-quality learning programs with specializations.”

Proctor told the board: “I bring perspective … having to find my niche of belonging as a child and as a student — as a student, who also at some point fell through the crack, fell victim if you will, to that soft bigotry of low expectation.”

Laura Testino covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Laura at LTestino@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis superintendent search nears close with final set of candidate interviews

2024-02-01T02:08:12+00:00

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When the top three candidates for superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools make their final cases to community and board members later this week, they will not only be explaining their leadership and academic successes, but also proving how well they can get to know a new community.

The school board’s current attempt at a national search for superintendent has produced three out-of-state finalists, positioning the district to have its first leader from outside Memphis in more than a decade. While new-to-town leaders have helmed Memphis public schools in the past, internal candidates have been favored in the last decade.

Being considered for the role are Yolonda Brown of Atlanta Public Schools, Marie Feagins of Detroit Public Schools Community District, and Cheryl Proctor of Portland Public Schools in Oregon.

Now in its second year and on its second round of candidates, Memphis’ search process for a successor to former Superintendent Joris Ray has been long and winding. It buckled last spring as board and community members disputed interim Superintendent Toni Williams’ eligibility for the role. But now, almost a year later with a smoother search process underway, some Memphians have wondered why a local candidate isn’t in the mix.

“There’s a lot of reason for the community and the educators to be wary of anyone coming in” after such a long process, said Rachel S. White, an assistant professor of educational leadership and policy at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Community members and educators could wonder how long a new leader may stay, why they want to be here in the first place, or how to build trust.

The school board can drive a successful transition for the new leader they select with support, resources, and patience, White said. That could look like a contract with clear evaluation expectations and more than a year to execute changes, plus mentorship by another superintendent.

Whoever emerges as the next leader has a challenging job: Like other public school districts, Memphis is projecting a large budget gap as federal pandemic relief funds expire, leaving leaders to decide which academic programs and personnel they can afford to cut or keep. Plus, the current administration has launched a major facilities overhaul that could involve school consolidations and closures.

The new leader will also have to deal with direct challenges to local control from state leaders and lawmakers, who have stepped up the pressure on public school systems. New policies from the GOP-led state government include restrictions on classroom instruction, changes to school evaluation criteria, and an expansion of private school vouchers.

White’s research suggests that contentious political environments in education are responsible for a growing proportion of superintendent departures in recent years. White, a former school board member, has studied the superintendent position as the founder and director of The Superintendent Lab.

Superintendents “don’t get in this job to be politicians, and to manage politics of communities and boards,” White said. “They get into this job because they want to serve kids.”

National data also show an increase of new-to-the-job superintendents, White said. None of the three finalists for the Memphis role have been superintendents before.

The final round of interviews in Memphis includes a public meet-and-greet on Thursday evening, plus a two-hour long interview with the school board for each finalist during the day on Friday. Community organizations will also meet with the candidates in private sessions, according to the school district.

School board members are expected to vote on a final candidate by the end of February, said co-chair of the search Joyce Dorse-Coleman, but no date has been set yet. The finalist will need support from at least six of the school board’s nine members to become superintendent. The new leader will start by July 1, and is expected to receive support transitioning into the new role from current interim Superintendent Williams, whose contract allows her to return to her former role as finance chief or stay on as a consultant.

Dorse-Coleman and search co-chair Stephanie Love said the tortuous search process has been worth it.

“We have had hiccups along the way, speed bumps along the way,” Love said, “but I am happy with the way it’s going now.”

Having three newcomers has ushered in renewed calls from some community members and educators for a candidate with local expertise. At a recent board meeting, Southwind High School Principal John Bush said he represented Memphis’ principals association in making a plea for a “candidate who has worked and lived in this community.”

Sarah Carpenter, a vocal education advocate who is the executive director for parent group Memphis Lift, said she’ll be watching to see how the finalists can support Memphis’ Black and Hispanic students. But she trusts that one of the three finalists can do the job.

Carpenter said, “We asked for a national search, we got it, and they can’t mess it up this time.”

Laura Testino covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Laura at LTestino@chalkbeat.org.

Q&A: Public school leaders sound the alarm about vouchers, Lee’s education agenda

2024-01-04T23:39:40+00:00

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Tennessee state officials finally released their long-delayed letter grades for schools last month, just before the holiday break, using a new formula championed by Gov. Bill Lee’s administration.

But even before they knew their grades, leaders of a high-performing suburban Memphis school district denounced the system as a sham.

“This is all an attempt to paint Tennessee public schools as failing, thus ushering in a new era of vouchers for all,” a statement from Arlington Community Schools said. It was signed by Superintendent Jeff Mayo and school board members, including Dale Viox, president of the Tennessee School Boards Association.

Meanwhile, other suburban Memphis school districts have begun lining up against private-school voucher expansion, too, another key part of Lee’s education agenda. Lee’s voucher program uses taxpayer money to help families fund private school tuition, and the proposed expansion is expected to be a top legislative priority when the General Assembly returns on Jan. 9.

Lee’s proposal would remove income limits and ultimately extend the program statewide. It would be a huge leap forward for a program that was once billed as a pilot project and barely survived challenges in the legislature and the courts.

Viox said the TSBA is already instructing its members to pass formal board resolutions opposing vouchers. And it’s urging school boards to promote the strengths of their public schools and appeal directly to lawmakers.

“I think you’re going to find more and more people want to speak out about it,” Viox told Chalkbeat, “because there’s a lot of people in this area that I know personally and across the state that care a great deal about public education and doing right by students.”

Mayo and Viox talked with Chalkbeat about their opposition to the voucher program, and why they believe Tennessee’s new letter grade system is part of an attack on public schools.

This interview was conducted on Dec. 11 before school letter grades were released on Dec. 21. It has been edited for length and clarity.

What is it about the A-F letter grades and proposed voucher legislation that warrants the kind of statement you made?

Mayo: The best way that I’ve been able to describe the A-to-F grading system is it’s sort of the appetizer to what’s to come with the voucher system. And I think … if the state or the governor, or (the Tennessee Department of Education) — whomever is pushing for this — can paint the picture that school districts that are successful, high-performing, such as ours, are failing, then that sets the tone for support of the voucher expansion program, which, you know, ultimately, takes money away from public education. …

Jeff Mayo, superintendent of Arlington Community Schools, criticized Gov. Bill Lee for his proposal to expand a private-school education voucher program without plans to hold private schools to the same evaluation metrics as public schools.

We are held accountable for every penny that we receive from the state. … Every dime of it we have to say, ‘How is that contributing to students’ growth, or students’ achievement,’ whereas in a private school, that’s not the case. … They’re not held under the same state accountability that we are. There is no teacher evaluation accountability model that I’m aware of. …

And so to say that it’s going to even the playing field is inaccurate. And that’s the whole reason we’re calling this whole thing a sham. … I believe expansion of this has been part of the roadmap since day one.

Viox: It’s a bad idea to take taxpayer money and give it to private entities. … We know that across the nation … voucher programs are just rife with misuse. … And then if you want to talk about inclusivity and diversity: A private school can refuse you for any reason whatsoever. … So as many kids as you may think that you’re going to be able to include, you’re going to exclude twice as many under this program, because private schools are not going to take them, either for their religious beliefs or sexual orientation or whatever. …

You ask why it’s such a strong statement. Because we’re in a strong position. We have high-performance students, we have a very high-performance district, and this is probably not going to trickle down to us for a long time. But what it does do is it affects our educational partners in Shelby County. And if you think you can just forget about public education in Shelby County, and just focus on Arlington, Tennessee, you’re wrong. Because failing Shelby County schools will impact every one of these districts, and everyone in the state. … Across the state of Tennessee, we need to build up public education to what it can be, and not take money away and give it to private companies.

What do you hope the statement accomplishes?

Mayo: It’s debacle after debacle that we’re dealing with, with no guidance, no real assistance from TDOE when these new mandates are handed down. … My staff has to stop, they have to decide: ‘How are we going to do this? What are we going to do to help our students get on the other side of this?’ …

We keep piling on more ineffective accountability measures to pulverize public schools.
Jeff Mayo, superintendent of Arlington Community Schools

Even if we get an A, that doesn’t change my stance on this. It’s still, it’s a broken process. And instead of scratching that and rebuilding it, we keep piling on more ineffective accountability measures to pulverize public schools. That’s why this statement from my vantage point needed to be as strong as it is. … TDOE asks for input, but we never see our input in the end product of any of these new laws or mandates … . And so it’s exhausting.

Viox: At this point, it is difficult to ignore what the state is doing to attack public education. … And like he said, they’re tired. And as an advocate for public education, I am as well.

Is there any set of accountability metrics that would move you more in favor of voucher expansion?

Viox: Not me. … These guys can go out and raise money for anything they want in any way they want. And public schools can’t do that. … (TSBA is) going to the state to try and say, ‘Hey, look, at least let our PTAs and people do lotteries, because … we can’t do that now.’ But private schools can raise money however they want. ... And what we see with other voucher expansions throughout the U.S. is the private schools are turning around … and raising their tuition for those public school kids by that same voucher amount. So essentially, they’re double dipping.

Mayo: I think it’s a long range plan to continue to siphon money from public schools. … It’s not uncommon for the … TDOE to deliver down mandates that are unfunded, that districts are expected to scramble around and find the money to, you know, make it happen. So if you’re looking at, you know, already being very low-funded when you compare to the nation, what our state funds for education, and then this continuation of vouchers siphoning money away from that, you know, that’s the whole mantra behind this being a sham.

Viox: If you’re this … bent on getting a voucher program, fund it separately. We would have no problem with that. And I think if you look at across the nation, people that have expanded their voucher programs, it’s come with a really hefty price tag.

Dale Viox, the president of the Tennessee School Boards Association, said the organization is encouraging its members to push back against the governor's proposal to expand eligibility of private-school education vouchers.

Can you talk to me more about what specifically that (separate funding) would look like? … If Arlington loses any students, you are losing funding by a declining enrollment.

Viox: If you come to any of our schools and can’t find something you’re interested in, in the various clubs, and school sponsored sports, and all of the things that we offer — just hundreds and hundreds of activities for students. I feel like we would not necessarily lose students to … private schools. … As long as the funding is there and completely separate, that’s honestly not a concern for me. Now, that’s not to say it won’t be a concern for other school districts that are struggling. … There’s always going to be private schools. Any specific government money to help them expand, I wouldn’t be in favor for. …

When you look at all these other states, I don’t know what their oversight is, but I think Arizona in their first year before they expanded their voucher program, on the surface found almost a million dollars, it was over $700,000 in misappropriated funds. … And never forget, that if they give him a year’s worth of public funding, and they live within your district, and they go to that private school, and either don’t make it or don’t actually use it for those (school) funds, they come back to us, and we are going to educate those kids.

If the voucher expansion were to pass as it’s been proposed ... what challenges could you immediately see for Arlington’s district?

Mayo: It will not be immediately impactful to us. But as I stated earlier, I believe the expansion is to continue. I think that is the long-range plan. So eventually, we could be faced with losing students, which impacts funding, which impacts teacher layoffs, it impacts the diminishing of programs that we’ve invested a lot of money in through our capital improvement projects. …

I’m a long-range planner. And I think those are things that you have to look at.

Viox: I’m also a higher level view guy: If it affects Metro Nashville, and it affects Shelby County, then it will affect us. The greatest impact is going to be on them. They are our brothers and sisters in public education, and we cannot just completely discount how it’s going to affect them. Because as it affects Shelby County, it will trickle out into the municipalities as businesses leave.

Private schools are turning around … and raising their tuition for those public school kids by that same voucher amount. So essentially, they’re double dipping.
Dale Viox, Tennessee School Boards Association leader

Mayo: The A-to-F distinction that I don’t think we’ve really talked a lot about is the impact it has just on our local community. Because let’s face it, Arlington is growing because of our schools. Businesses are coming here. Parents are moving here, you know. And then if all they have to go by is they pull up our website … and they see that Arlington, well, looks like a really good community and everything, but their school district has an F. That’s the only piece of information that parents have, if they’re not familiar with what’s been going on in the state of Tennessee.

Is there anything this conversation is missing?

Mayo: It really takes creativity away sometimes from the school district, because I know we’re in the process of developing our 2025-26 school year calendar. …One of the people in the group said, ‘You know, have we ever thought about a year round school?’ ... If we wanted to do that, how could we ever do that, if we’re having to offer learning camps and all of that as a product of third grade retention? … If we wanted to be innovative and wanted to be creative and experiment with that, how could we do that? We couldn’t.

Correction: Jan. 4, 2024: A previous version of this story said Dale Viox is the president-elect of the Tennessee School Boards Association. Viox is the president of the association.

Laura Testino covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Laura at LTestino@chalkbeat.org.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools board narrows superintendent search to 3 finalists

2023-12-20T00:06:20+00:00

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The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board voted unanimously Tuesday to narrow its slate of superintendent finalists from five candidates to three, none of whom are from Memphis.

The three finalists advancing to the next round of interviews are:

Yolonda Brown, currently the chief academic officer in Atlanta Public Schools
Marie Feagins, chief of leadership and high schools for Detroit Public Schools Community District
Cheryl Proctor, deputy superintendent of instruction and school communities for Portland Public Schools in Oregon

You can read more about these finalists at the end of this story.

Carlton Jenkins, who recently retired as superintendent of the Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin, and Angela Whitelaw, MSCS’ deputy superintendent of schools and academic support, the two other candidates who interviewed with the board Friday, won’t advance to the next round of interviews.

With Whitelaw off the slate, Memphis is poised to have a school superintendent from outside the city for the first time in more than a decade.

“This is just the beginning,” said board member Joyce Dorse-Coleman, who is leading the search effort along with Stephanie Love. “We’ve started on this, and we’re going to see it all the way through. … We will continue with our community engagement through this process.”

The top three candidates are expected to return to Memphis in the new year for a round of in-depth interviews. Board members are expected to select a permanent superintendent by the spring, and that person would start the job in time for the July 1 start of the new fiscal year and 2024-25 school year.

The three finalists emerged from a group of five leading candidates that search firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates announced to the board on Friday. All five answered a series of questions from the board in interviews that were open for the public to watch. Most of the interviews were about 45 minutes long.

Board members evaluated each of the candidates on a rubric, and community members who attended — about 30 throughout the day — also filled out scoresheets. Tomeka Hart Wigginton, a former Memphis school board member who has helped the board throughout its superintendent search process, shared composite scores with board members Tuesday. Love called Hart Wigginton’s contributions “instrumental.”

The rubric called for evaluating candidates on student achievement (30%), business and finance (20%), governance and board relations (20%), staff relations and leadership (15%), and community relations (15%).

Rankings from board members aligned with the rankings from the community, she said Tuesday.

Brown, Feagins, and Proctor — the finalists the board voted to advance — received the highest marks from Friday’s interviews. None of them has been a superintendent before.

Of nine people who issued public comments before the board vote Tuesday — including two activists who have been critical of the board — most were supportive of the way the board has moved the search forward.

Some members of the community complained that the initial interviews were held during the workday on Friday. Community advocates have pushed for transparency and integrity in the search, and community members and educators want to remain part of the process.

“No superintendent will be successful without us holding them accountable. And so I want us to keep that in mind as we ask them questions,” said board member Amber Huett-Garcia.

“We still have a lot of tough questions for the candidates ahead of us,” she added.

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board is on track with the hiring timeline it set out over the summer, when it relaunched the search for a new superintendent.

Its first attempt unraveled in April amid a board dispute, partly over whether interim Superintendent Toni Williams, the district’s former finance chief, was qualified to take the permanent job. The board agreed to restart the process it began in August 2022, after former Superintendent Joris Ray resigned in a cloud of scandal.

Williams is expected to assist the new leader’s transition, and can stay on as chief financial officer or a consultant after her term as interim superintendent ends, according to her contract.

Laura Testino covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Laura at LTestino@chalkbeat.org.

Tennessee charter panel leader backs 5 school appeals, including one from Hillsdale group

2023-10-02T23:47:13+00:00

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The head of a powerful Tennessee commission is recommending the state overturn five of eight local school board decisions denying charter school applications, including two in Memphis and one from a group linked with conservative Hillsdale College.

The recommendations from executive director Tess Stovall, released Monday, will be a key factor in votes set for later this week by the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. The panel, whose nine members were appointed by Gov. Bill Lee, was created under a 2019 law pushed by the governor in his campaign to open more high-quality charter schools across Tennessee.

If the commission concurs with her recommendations as it usually does, Tennessee would become home to two classical charter schools operated by American Classical Education, a network affiliated with Hillsdale, a small conservative Christian college in south central Michigan.

Their opening would begin to fulfill a key education priority for Lee, who has said he wants the Hillsdale group to open at least 50 charter schools in Tennessee.

But Lee’s courtship of Hillsdale has attracted controversy. It is part of his ambitious plan to revamp the state’s charter sector in part by widening its student demographics beyond low-income urban areas. The governor is also supporting classroom history lessons like Hillsdale’s that emphasize America’s strengths rather than its shortcomings.

Additionally, Stovall recommended Monday that a Memphis school exiting the state-run turnaround initiative known as the Achievement School District should retain its charter, despite not moving out of the state’s bottom 5% of Tennessee schools academically in 10 years.

Stovall also said the commission should overturn the Nashville school board’s votes to reject two charter applications.

In its first two years of operation, the commission granted five out of 16 appeals.

Tennessee meets Hillsdale

American Classical drew national attention in 2022 after Lee endorsed Hillsdale’s approach to K-12 education, and invited its leaders to apply to open charter schools in Tennessee that align with his conservative beliefs regarding civics and other topics.

That drive stalled over public outrage in response to Hillsdale President Larry Arnn’s comment that teachers are “trained in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges in the country.” And the fallout prompted the network to withdraw applications to open three charter schools.

But this year, American Classical is trying again. It’s already gotten approval by Rutherford County’s school board to open a school in the fast-growing suburban enclave south of Nashville.

Stovall is recommending the state OK another American Classical school in Jackson-Madison County Schools, which is projecting an 8% increase in enrollment because of the impending arrival of Ford’s electric truck assembly plant in nearby Haywood County.

The West Tennessee district’s school board voted in July to deny American Classical’s application, saying the charter school would have a “substantial negative fiscal impact” to the school system. But based on its own financial analysis, staff for the commission rejected that claim, while Stovall commended American Classical’s identification of a school leader and target community.

However, Stovall recommended the state reject another appeal from American Classical to open a school in Maury County, a growing area southwest of Nashville. She cited concerns with the group’s enrollment projections, and dinged the operator for not identifying a school leader or the community in which the school intends to locate.

“Overall, the sponsor has several significant gaps within its proposed plan that it must address before it is ready for approval,” Stovall said.

Recommendations split on four Memphis appeals

In Memphis, Stovall sided with the appeal filed by Capstone Education Group to continue operating Cornerstone Prep Lester, one of five schools seeking to remain open as they prepare to exit the Achievement School District, or ASD, at the close of the 2023-24 school year.

A charter management organization, Capstone has operated Cornerstone in the city’s Binghampton community since the 2012-13 school year but never met its academic goals for automatically exiting the turnaround district.

However, Stovall said Cornerstone has shown improvement the last three years and appears to be “on track” to continue that trajectory.

“A significant reason for my recommendation to approve the application is the track record of the network, [which] has demonstrated that it can have success in school turnaround work in Memphis as it has achieved priority exit status with two of its three ASD-operated schools,” she said.

Stovall also recommended the state OK the application of Empower Memphis Career and College Prep, which wants to open a K-8 charter school focused on career and technical education in the city’s Orange Mound community.

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) board denied Empower’s application over concerns that Orange Mound already has too many unoccupied classroom seats while the district seeks to right-size its footprint. But Stovall said Empower’s application is of high quality, and that the commission may want to let the operator see if it can meet enrollment goals; Empower proposes to start with 100 students and eventually grow to 450.

Stovall recommended that the commission reject the other two appeals from Memphis.

One is from Green Dot Public Schools to continue operating Fairley High School in the Whitehaven area after exiting the ASD. The other appeal is from Pathways in Education, a school for nontraditional high school students that once operated two locations under the ASD.

Stovall agreed with the Memphis-Shelby County board that Green Dot has not shown “a clear path to tangible growth, achievement and success for Fairley students” to merit granting a new 10-year charter.

Without a charter operator, the fate of schools like Fairley exiting the ASD has been left up to local school officials. But Fairley, at least, appears poised to remain open under the oversight of Memphis-Shelby County Schools. Its supporters and alumni have turned out in droves imploring officials to maintain operations.

“I am confident in MSCS’s statement in the public hearing that, if the school is returned to MSCS, Fairley High School will remain open and in operation” under the district’s school turnaround program known as the Innovation Zone, or iZone, Stovall said.

In recommending the rejection of Pathways in Education’s appeal, Stovall noted that both of the applicant’s previous schools under the ASD were contract schools, not charter schools, and therefore were held to a different standard.

“As currently proposed, I have doubts as to whether the sponsor’s proposed plan could meet all requirements of charter schools and be successful under the current school accountability framework,” Stovall said.

Stovall also recommended overturning two Nashville school board denials of charter applications.

Invictus Nashville appealed to the state to let it open a Montessori school next year with up to 144 students in the city’s McGavock neighborhood. And Florida-based Noble Education Initiative proposed to open Nashville Collegiate High Schools in the Cane Ridge area.

The Metro Nashville school board said both groups failed to fully meet the state’s standards in academics, operations, and finance. The board also said opening the schools would negatively impact Tennessee’s second largest school district.

However, the commission’s staff disagreed based on their reviews of the applications and an analysis of the district’s finances.

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Althea Greene remains Memphis-Shelby County Schools board chair for second year

2023-09-27T02:41:06+00:00

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Althea Greene will remain chair of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board for a second year as the district continues its search for a permanent superintendent, despite criticism of how she handled the initial search.

Greene received seven votes from the nine-member board. Board member Frank Johnson, who is recovering from a stroke, was not at Tuesday’s meeting. Newly appointed member Mauricio Calvo voted “present.”

“I pray that my colleagues, that we will lead together,” Greene said Tuesday. “We will march together. We will disagree, but disagree together.”

Greene was first appointed to the board in 2019 and ran unopposed in 2020. She has been part of the leadership for most of her time on the board, serving two terms as vice chair alongside Michelle McKissack in 2021-22 and Miska Clay Bibbs the previous year. Her District 2 seat will be up for election next fall.

Joyce Dorse-Coleman, who is halfway through her second term as a board member, will remain the vice chair for another year.

“The work that I’ve done speaks for itself,” Dorse-Coleman said before the final vote. “That’s what I’m going to say. I’ve been dedicated.”

The vice chair election divided the board, which has strived to present a united front while it seeks a new district leader and develops a plan for its aging school buildings. Dorse-Coleman prevailed over the other nominee, Amber Huett-Garcia, after three rounds of voting. McKissack ultimately switched her vote to provide Dorse-Coleman the needed majority.

Greene’s reelection as chair signals that most board members still trust her leadership, despite some wavering last spring and calls for a change.

The board elected Greene “to finish a job that I know that she’s very focused on and seeing to completion,” McKissack said.

Explaining his “present” vote to Chalkbeat, Calvo said, “I read the news, and I know that the community and the public wants a different direction for the board.”

“We don’t have a great reputation,” he later added.

Greene oversaw the start of the district’s superintendent search in late 2022, along with search firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates. But after Hazard Young presented three finalists for the role at a meeting in April, Greene abruptly paused the search amid rancor over the selection process. Several top candidates withdrew their names from consideration.

Dorse-Coleman and another board member, Stephanie Love, took over for Greene as the search coordinators, and the board ended up rebooting the search in June, with a looser set of job requirements. Interim Superintendent Toni Williams, initially chosen as a finalist to take the post on a permanent basis, agreed not to pursue the post anymore.

New cleaning plan approved, but timing of transition is unclear

MSCS board members unanimously voted to move forward with a new custodial services plan, which will distribute the work among four cleaning vendors, and revamp the way those vendors are evaluated to include more regular input from school staff.

But the timing of the transition to the new plan, most recently set for December, is up in the air.

Board member Kevin Woods suggested a delay due to the disruption of business to the sole current vendor, Service Master Clean, which would share the work under the new plan. Three company leaders and an employee addressed the board in public comments Tuesday.

District officials will review their procurement procedures and consult with the vendors to see whether that’s appropriate, but it means the transition could be as late as July 1, 2024.

Laura Testino covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Laura at LTestino@chalkbeat.org.

MSCS board member Frank Johnson recovering from stroke

2023-09-15T15:44:41+00:00

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Memphis-Shelby County Schools board member Frank Johnson is recovering from a stroke, according to his pastor and social media updates from family.

Johnson, who was appointed to the school board last fall, is “in good spirits,” the Rev. Earle Fisher said, but will need therapy over the next several weeks to address challenges with mobility and speech.

Fisher, the senior pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church, said the stroke is a reminder of the demands of public service roles. Stephanie Love, also a school board member, had a stroke last year.

“The community collectively — and these governing bodies specifically — have to commit to the care of those who offer ourselves up for service,” said Fisher.

Johnson is a community activist, often focused on environmental justice and social determinants of health, Fisher noted.

The former teacher joined the school board last October to represent District 7, which includes east Whitehaven, Oakhaven, and Hickory Hill. His appointment by the Shelby County Commission came at the start of a national superintendent search that would stall six months later. The school board has since faced intense public scrutiny, and restarted the search after a series of meetings this summer.

“I know that some of this is what they might call the nature of the beast,” Fisher said of the stresses of public service roles. But he added: “When you are committed to serving the public, you should not be treated as a beast that has to be broken in order for institutions and organizations to properly function.”

Love had a stroke in February 2022. After several weeks of therapy, she returned to school board meetings that April, with more recovery to go.

She said she was “mentally strained” by the news of Johnson’s stroke earlier this week.

“You have to want (your recovery) more than the doctors, more than your family,” Love said as a message for Johnson.

“Don’t be afraid to get out in public,” she added. “Don’t be afraid to talk. Don’t be afraid to live your life.”

Board Chair Althea Greene and the school district have issued statements wishing Johnson well in his recovery. The board has its next business meeting on Sept. 26.

Laura Testino covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Laura at LTestino@chalkbeat.org.