What persuaded the SCS board to name Joris Ray superintendent
School board members cited Ray’s firm hand while serving as interim — effectively a tryout — in their unanimous selection of the 22-year Memphis educator.
Laura Faith Kebede
There are 166 articles by Laura Faith Kebede :
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May 2019
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Education Shelby County Schools hires Joris Ray as next superintendent
A resolution approved by the nine-member school board said a national search for a superintendent was unnecessary and would cost the district time and resources. Ray’s selection marks a reversal for board members, who signaled early on they planned to conduct a national search.
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April 2019
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Education Joris Ray wants to be Shelby County Schools superintendent; here’s what we know about him
Here's a look at what we know about interim Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray as board members prepare to consider dropping its search for a new superintendent and giving Ray the job outright.
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Education Memphis school board appears poised to make superintendent choice with little public discussion
The Shelby County Schools board postponed discussion Tuesday of a resolution to suspend a national search for a superintendent and hire interim leader Joris Ray – setting members up to make a critical decision with minimal public discussion.
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Public Safety Harassment claim against interim superintendent ‘without merit,’ district says
An investigation into a sexual harassment complaint lodged against Joris Ray several months before he was named interim superintendent concluded there was “no evidence” of wrongdoing.
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Education To slow rising costs, district wants to help new Memphis teachers pay for college debt instead of retiree benefits
New Shelby County Schools employees would be eligible for student loan assistance next summer instead of retiree medical benefits, under a district proposal.
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Education This program put arrested teens on track, but funding is set to expire
With its funding expiring, a Memphis program for students coming out of juvenile detention could end soon, despite a three-year record of job placement and low recidivism.
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Education Memphis students, once in juvenile detention, offer ideas to reduce suspensions
Many of the student recommendations were rooted in Project STAND, a federally funded program at Carver Academy for students transitioning back to school after juvenile detention. Currently, there are 66 students in the program.
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Education SCS board members disagree on how to pick next superintendent
Board members are expected to vote on suspending the search for a superintendent at their regular meeting later this month. If that resolution fails, the board recommended that the Iowa-based firm Ray & Associates conduct the search for about $44,000.
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Education Few charter schools want to open where SCS says they’re needed
The district’s new analysis on where charter schools are most needed was based on the number of students in various Memphis neighborhoods and the school seats available for them.
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Education Lawmakers lower income limit for school voucher eligibility
Gov. Bill Lee had campaigned on giving more educational choices to low-income families in districts with failing schools. But the original income cap was criticized for being well above what’s considered low-income in Tennessee.
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Education Voucher opponents shift strategy as bill barrels through Legislature
In the past, critics of vouchers have had more time to mount spirited public opposition, often in the form of rallies in Nashville and Memphis, the city that would likely be most affected.
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March 2019
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Education About 700 students at five schools will be rezoned
Amid concerns over declining enrollment and aging campuses, the changes are the first step in former superintendent Dorsey Hopson’s facilities footprint plan that could consolidate 28 old facilities into 10 new ones.
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Education SCS board voices opposition to vouchers
School board members in Shelby County have consistently opposed using state funds for private school tuition, and the latest proposal, which expands eligible expenses to tutoring and online courses, is no different, they said.
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Education First look at Joris Ray’s SCS budget priorities
Even though the Shelby County Schools board is about to hire a national search firm to look for a new superintendent, Joris Ray has not been shy about pushing through initiatives that he believes will improve academic performance in Memphis schools.
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Education Will Tennessee vouchers help black families go where they were once shunned?
Black Memphians make up a large portion of the people who will qualify for the governor’s proposal, but they are hesitant to trust predominately white private schools.
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Education How Tennessee’s latest voucher proposal differs from past plans
The biggest difference – and most costly for parents – is that traditional vouchers would have covered all tuition costs. Education savings accounts would not necessarily cover all of a student’s private-school tuition.
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Education Tennesseans consider Gov. Lee’s voucher plan – and wonder who benefits most
Some Tennesseans say the income threshold makes vouchers appealing to families for which private school is within reach, compared to students from low-income families who may be looking to escape low-performing schools.
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Education Teachers are ‘ready to fight,’ says Tennessee coalition inspired by strikes in other states
The coalition, called TN Teachers United, launched last week after meeting with two teachers who helped organize statewide walkouts last year in Arizona and West Virginia.
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Education Memphis school leaders consider proposal to hold back second-graders who can’t read
A proposed policy would require Shelby County Schools' 8,700 second-graders to meet eight of 12 points the district tracks to be promoted to third grade.
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February 2019
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Education Study coming on free bus passes for Memphis high school students
The board resolution made the case that free bus passes students would help reduce absences in a school district where most students live in poverty and are less likely to have access to a car or enough money for public transit.
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Education SCS board approves U of M middle school, teaching lab
The university aims for a third of students to be children of University of Memphis full-time faculty and staff, a third to live within two miles of the school, and a third to be from elsewhere in the district.
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Education TNReady scores won’t count much in Memphis student grades
State testing is the linchpin of Tennessee’s system for evaluating student achievement. But as technical failures have marred the rollout in recent years, educators have clamored for limits on how the scores are used.
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Education New Memphis charter school guidelines would help decide if there are too many in one neighborhood
Under new guidelines being developed, Shelby County Schools board members would be able to systematically slow growth of Memphis charter schools.
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Education Memphis interim superintendent adds two cabinet-level positions in first month on the job
Less than one month after Joris Ray was named interim leader of Shelby County Schools, he has added two cabinet-level positions and replaced the district’s chief of staff.
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