Laura Testino covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Laura at LTestino@chalkbeat.org.
There are 17 articles by Laura Testino :
Humes, now a middle school, is exiting a state-run turnaround district after 10 years. Its students will be reassigned to a school in a different part of the city.
The Craigmont planetarium is a one-of-a-kind offering in Memphis’ public school system. And it’s an example of how school building improvements can enrich student learning.
But there are still some lingering concerns about the proposal, which would make the proposed University Schools district the 10th public school operator in Shelby County.
The former superintendent departed under an investigation into allegations that he abused power and violated district policies.
Maire Feagins’ temporary employment with the Memphis-Shelby County Schools took effect March 1 on a per diem basis. She’s likely to become MSCS superintendent on April 1, months ahead of the July 1 start that board members had planned.
“Our city is begging for change when it comes to education, and I want to know that this school board has a plan,” said Rep. Mark White, who chairs a House education committee.
Tennessee fourth graders will have to show during state testing this spring that they’ve made progress toward becoming better readers in order to move to the fifth grade.
“I am committed to doing whatever it takes,” said Marie Feagins, currently chief of leadership and high schools for Detroit Public Schools Community District. Board names new Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendentRelated story:
Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) cited prolonged frustration with the board’s locally elected leadership when explaining his plans to Chalkbeat on Tuesday.
Six months after Tennessee hired its first leader to manage school improvement work statewide, the position is now vacant.
In all, nearly half of the district’s buildings, and their communities, could be affected if the district follows through on the plan.
Yolonda Brown, Marie Feagins and Cheryl Proctor will face a round of in-depth interviews in January.
The start of the interview process is a step toward hiring a new leader for Tennessee’s largest school district, which has been operating with Interim Superintendent Toni Williams in charge since August 2022, when Joris Ray resigned.
MSCS leaders have proposed eliminating 675 jobs along with a mix of student programs as they figure out how to cut $150 million in spending from next year’s budget.
As the state prepares to finally issue its first grades in November, the education department and its new leader are revamping the grading formula.
MSCS officials shared the plans on Wednesday during the first meeting of a new steering committee that’s helping the district develop its buildings strategy and generate community support for it.
Relocating for the rest of the school year “is the best and least disruptive option as we restore this historic gem,” Memphis-Shelby County Schools wrote in a letter to families.
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