Laura Testino is an enterprise reporter who writes about how public policy shapes Memphis. She is currently reporting from Frayser about education and housing. Please write her with your suggestions and story tips.
There are 113 articles by Laura Testino :
With an ouster vote looming, Marie Feagins’ tenure in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendent position could be just as long as her pursuit of it. Related content:
The special-called meeting is set to include a report from unnamed “outside counsel” and, “if necessary,” a vote to select an interim superintendent for Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
In a fiery and detailed rebuttal to claims of wrongdoing, Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins called accusations from the school board “false.”
Scores of middle school students attended a 15-minute walkout on Tuesday, Jan. 14, in support of Superintendent Marie Feagins, who is facing a proposed ouster from the school board.
Deliberations among board members may reveal whether any of them have been persuaded by local or state-level pressures to resolve differences and keep Feagins in the seat.
Feagins, currently under the scrutiny of a proposed ouster, has been celebrated for what some call bold efforts. But the reality of her changes appear to have had a more complex impact on schools and students.
Friday’s snow day made for a long weekend for students in Memphis and Shelby County.
A resolution from MSCS board member Amber Huett-Garcia would keep Marie Feagins in the seat and provide time for the superintendent to remedy the issues board members identified. Feagins tells Frayser Exchange she’s ‘grateful folks are paying attention’Related content:
MSCS Superintendent Marie Feagins spoke Thursday to the Frayser Exchange Club, a long-standing weekly meeting attended by community leaders and politicos.
Weather forecasts predict several inches of snow to accumulate in the Memphis area on Friday, Jan. 10.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins “will not resign” from her post, she wrote to school board Chair Joyce Dorse Coleman, firing back against efforts to remove her as the city’s top education leader.
The Daily Memphian reviewed claims about overtime pay, a check donation and a grant application, and compiled what is known about them.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members have not produced additional evidence to support claims levied against Superintendent Marie Feagins during a Dec. 17 termination meeting, Feagins’ attorney Alan Crone said.
Juvenile Court filed a lawsuit Tuesday requesting the Shelby County Chancery Court stop the Sheriff’s Office from terminating its oversight of Shelby County’s juvenile-detention center.
“Where I come from, you call somebody a liar, you better have plenty to back that up,” said Feagins’ attorney, Memphis lawyer Alan Crone.
In a new statement released to the press on Thursday, Dec. 26, board Chair Joyce Dorse Coleman seemed to provide an accelerated timeline for terminating Superintendent Marie Feagins.
Nevertheless, state law requires Tennessee districts with D and F schools appear before the Tennessee State Board of Education for hearings. Such reviews could result in corrective-action plans or audits for districts or charter operators.
During a Thursday press conference, Tennessee state Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, stopped short of committing to push legislation that would allow voters to recall Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members.
However, the termination proceedings will continue into the new year and be decided in the board’s business meeting at the end of January. Related content:
Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members are scheduled to meet Tuesday to consider terminating Superintendent Marie Feagins’ contract.
More turmoil at Memphis-Shelby County Schools could bring back proposals for state intervention in Tennessee’s largest school district, a state lawmaker told The Daily Memphian.
Memphis students and public education have been through leadership tumult that began with the departure of former Superintendent Joris Ray in 2022 and continued through the interim tenure of Toni Williams.Related content:
By joining TNTP, Toni Williams strengthens the teacher training organization’s ties to Memphis.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins said she may seek community input as decisions are made following a $2 million assessment of each of the district’s 200 buildings
A report from the U.S. Department of Justice found “serious concerns” with the Memphis Police Department’s “treatment of children and the lasting impact of police encounters on their wellbeing and resilience.” Officers arrested and handcuffed children as young as 8 years old.