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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.
