Education
Legislation for state to take over MSCS still on table, lawmaker says
Tennessee Rep. Mark White, the House Education Committee chair, has been working on the legislation for at least the last month.
Laura Testino
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 134 articles by Laura Testino :
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February 2025
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EducationFormer Superintendent Feagins seeks MSCS board members’ phone records
Subpoenas request call logs and text messages from Marie Feagins’ first day as superintendent, until two days after she filed a lawsuit alleging board members violated Tennessee open meetings law in pursuit of ousting her.
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Education Memphis-area schools close due to winter weather
Memphis-Shelby County Schools and Shelby County’s municipal school districts have canceled classes as some 1-3 inches of snow and sleet are forecasted for Memphis overnight.
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How the Memphis area is preparing for snow; what’s closed Wednesday
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EducationNew audit says MSCS board lacks vision
The Council of the Great City Schools’ report found that a “recent legacy of leadership and organizational change” had contributed to “consistently low and stable” academic progress at Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
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Metro Memphis second grader dies after collapsing on school playground
Memphis Police officers are investigating the 8-year-old’s death, but said Monday afternoon “there were no immediate signs of foul play.”
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Education MSCS literacy director resigns
Jared Myracle is the first top-level departure since Marie Feagins’ controversial ouster as superintendent last month.
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GermantownJudge allows Germantown schools to ban service dog
A federal judge said he would allow Germantown Municipal School District to maintain its ban of Herbie, a seizure-alert dog it claims has been more disruptive than helpful to a student with multiple disabilities.
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Spirit of MemphisShelly Rice created an enviable civic club in Frayser. Now he’s passing the mic.
Shelly Rice invited Mike Ellis, senior pastor of Frayser’s Impact Baptist Church, to helm the weekly Thursday meetings that have become the envy of other Memphis neighborhoods who crave consistent community engagement.
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EducationAfter 20 years, St. George’s will close its Memphis campus
The private school opened the third campus in an effort to diversify its student body. The Memphis campus could become a public school by the fall.
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Education Peer Power, without MSCS contract, seeks distance from Feagins suit
Without a revived contract with Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the Peer Power Foundation began working instead with area charter schools, board co-chair Dow McVean wrote in a public letter Wednesday.
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Education Feagins lawsuit says MSCS board violated law to fire her
Former Superintendent Marie Feagins claims in a new lawsuit that Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members violated the Tennessee Open Meetings Act in their pursuit to fire her. The violation, she claims, should void the vote to oust her.
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January 2025
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Education MSCS advises staff about immigration directive
If ICE officials come to school campuses, Memphis-Shelby County Schools officials have directed principals to ask for identification, the purpose for visiting and whether the official has a warrant or other documents.
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EducationMSCS board rejects recommendation, renews small charter school
City University School of Independence is among a handful of Memphis-Shelby County Schools charters farthest from initial enrollment goals.
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EducationMSCS board member Keith Williams subject of Title IX harassment investigation
The Daily Memphian obtained a document that shows Williams is banned from visiting schools in his capacity as a union leader for the duration of the investigation.
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Education MSCS superintendent search uncertain as interim works on 100-day plan
Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond, a career education administrator in Memphis, said he has interest in the permanent role.
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EducationMSCS investigation focuses on Feagins’ honesty, finds ethics violations
The Daily Memphian analyzed the report that found Feagins violated an ethics clause in her contract eight times. Attorneys investigated a fourth, procurement-related claim, but could not substantiate it.
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Feagins plans legal challenge: ‘I’ll see them in court'
Feagins removal prompts MSCS takeover proposals from state lawmaker
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EducationFeagins removal prompts MSCS takeover proposals from state lawmaker
“We’ve got several pathways,” Tennessee Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, told The Daily Memphian.
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Education Marie Feagins ousted as MSCS superintendent
Marie Feagins’ tenure as superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools is over.
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Feagins plans legal challenge: ‘I’ll see them in court'
Feagins removal prompts MSCS takeover proposals from state lawmaker
Memphians show up to support Marie Feagins
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Education Feagins plans legal challenge: ‘I’ll see them in court’
Feagins has denied wrongdoing, and issued a lengthy rebuttal to the board’s claims during a meeting on Jan. 14.
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EducationWho is MSCS interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond?
MSCS board members voted on Tuesday, Jan. 21, to name Roderick Richmond as interim superintendent moments after terminating former district head Marie Feagins.
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Education MSCS sets meeting for Marie Feagins ouster vote
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.
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EducationHow Feagins, the ‘right leader’ for MSCS, became the center of an ouster vote
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.
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EducationFeagins’ future is up to a divided MSCS board. Here’s how the vote may go.
It’s unclear whether the board will stray from its 5-4 division.
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‘Your vote is bigger than me,’ Feagins tells board members during rebuttal
In a fiery and detailed rebuttal to claims of wrongdoing, Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins called accusations from the school board “false.”
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Education Students at one school walk out to support Feagins
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.
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