Chalkbeat Tennessee
There are 159 articles by Laura Faith Kebede :
Joris Ray said he still supports the proposal to spend $5.6 million next school year on Educational Epiphany’s teacher training and take-home literacy flashcards for Memphis students, but he pulled a vote on the contract from this week’s school board meeting agenda.
Charter schools run by nonprofit organizations are allowed to make their own plans about reopening buildings. That means about a quarter of Memphis students attend public schools that are not obligated to follow Superintendent Joris Ray’s decision to continue all-virtual learning.
Superintendent Joris Ray presented updates for reopening during a board committee meeting Thursday, including creating a district contact-tracing team and using district buildings to administer vaccines to teachers. But he has delayed reopening classes indefinitely, citing high community spread of COVID-19.
Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray has stood firm with all-remote learning, and accuses state leaders of being out of touch with the needs of Memphis students, who are mostly Black and disproportionately affected by the deadly virus.
Memphis students are struggling with material taught during virtual learning, a top Shelby County Schools official said, pointing to test results.
Superintendent Joris Ray posted a video Friday, Jan. 22 urging state legislators to vote against a bill that could “defund public education” if Shelby County Schools remain closed.
If it passes, Tennessee’s two largest school systems would have to reopen quickly to meet that threshold.
Nineteen KIPP Memphis Academy Middle staff members sent a letter to the board of directors asking them to remove Kendra Ferguson, who has led the charter network of five schools since 2016 and reports to the board.
District officials said they expect money they will get from the latest federal relief package could be about four times higher than last time, or about $190 million.
The tension between the Memphis leader and state officials illustrates the differences in how Tennesseans are responding to school safety concerns related to the virus.
Shelby County Schools leaders recently revised how the Memphis district handles sexual harassment complaints after pressure from former and current students who championed the change starting four years ago.
During a November video call with his algebra teacher, the 14-year-old had a terrible realization: There was a tab he never clicked on, where his teachers had noted missing assignments. Jalan, typically an A student, had 73 assignments in seven classes that were overdue.
The request would increase to about $50 million annually in the third year as the Memphis district hires more teacher assistants for students in K-2.
The Tennessee Department of Human Services child care assistance program for workers deemed “essential” during the pandemic expires Dec. 31. The state has no plans to renew the program.
The contract amendment increases Joris Ray’s annual salary to $293,550, up 3% from $285,000.
A Shelby County Schools presentation to school board members this week provided the first systemwide look at student learning loss in the months since school buildings closed due to the coronavirus crisis.
Shelby County Schools identified $7.6 million in savings from switching to all virtual instruction since August to make the increases happen. They apply to all full-time and part-time employees, regardless of performance.
Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn believes some families opted to home-school their children, and others enrolled their kids in private schools, especially in Memphis and Nashville. But the biggest decline was in kindergarten enrollment.
Shelby County Schools leaders said survey results won’t be released this week as school leaders do “one last sweep” with parents who have not responded.
There could be a shortage of teachers and monitors in January if survey results reflect what association leaders are hearing.
Shelby County Schools plans to phase in students with disabilities by their grade, some as early as Jan. 4
The board voted unanimously Tuesday to give the public notice that it would discuss and vote on amending the annual $285,000 contract sometime in November.
National public health officials have encouraged businesses and schools to improve their air systems to reduce the chances of infection through the air.
Joris Ray’s overall score was 4.13 out of 5, showing that he “completely met expectations” during the 2019-20 school year.
District leaders speculate some students left in favor of in-person learning at charter or private schools because SCS started the year all online.