Teacher-contract hiccup inflames conflict-of-interest concerns about Keith Williams
Memphis-Shelby County Schools board member Keith Williams, far right, has served as the executive director of MSCEA throughout his term as a school board member. (Greg Campbell/Special for The Daily Memphian)
Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members struck down a complaint that pitted its two teacher unions against one another and held up expected negotiations over salaries and benefits for educators.
The grievance, filed by the Memphis-Shelby County Education Association, also displayed tensions among some board members and Keith Williams, who has served as the executive director of MSCEA throughout his term as a school board member.
One school board member, Michelle McKissack, accused Williams of “double dipping” by simultaneously serving on the board and with the union, even as MSCEA argued the other teacher union received preferential treatment.
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Subscriber Only Memphis-Shelby County School Memphis-Shelby County Education Association United Education Association of Shelby County Keith Williams MSCS boardAre you enjoying your subscription?
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Laura Testino
Laura Testino is an enterprise reporter on The Daily Memphian’s metro team who writes most often about how education policies shape the lives of children and families. She regularly contributes to coverage of breaking news events and actions of the Tennessee General Assembly. Testino’s journalism career in Memphis began six years ago at The Commercial Appeal, where she began chronicling learning disruptions associated with the pandemic, and continued with Chalkbeat, where she dug into education administration in Memphis. Her reporting has appeared in The New York Times, The Times-Picayune, The Tuscaloosa News and USA Today.
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