There are 364 articles by Laura Testino :
Surveillance clips show the shooting that killed Darrin Pigram inside the Burger King where he worked. The release comes days after officials said there would be no charges filed against the officer.
More improvements are coming to internal controls, procurement, human resources and cybersecurity processes at Memphis-Shelby County Schools, Superintendent Roderick Richmond told board members.
MSCS qualifies for a takeover in part because of state test performance, low-performing schools and student attendance. But state appointees to an oversight board don’t have to improve all of those metrics for the takeover to end.
In federal court documents, the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General filed motions to dismiss the school district’s lawsuit and dissolve an earlier court order pausing the takeover.
A forensic audit report found evidence of fraud, waste and abuse at Tennessee’s largest school district. But the most significant claims aren’t news to MSCS, according to court records and additional audit reports detailing the district’s responses.
That alleged abuse is largely associated with a single custodial contract that received elected board approval in 2022.
Even before a federal judge halted the state takeover of MSCS, it’s unclear whether the new oversight board had final-approval authority over any of the other contracts elected board members approved Tuesday. And the questions don’t stop there.Related content:
A federal judge has ordered Tennessee to halt its takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools. In the wake of that order, the state oversight board canceled its Wednesday afternoon meeting.
Auditors reviewed three years of Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ finances and its current internal controls, prompted by lawmakers’ request for an audit in 2025. A final report is expected July 8.
Compare scores on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program tests by subject and student group for districts in Memphis and Shelby County.
Third graders in the Memphis district shined in one subject area, while math scores stagnated for elementary and middle school students.
Attorneys for Memphis-Shelby County Schools and Shelby County government expanded their lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s takeover of the school district to include appointees to the new oversight board.
State appointees to a board responsible for taking control of Memphis-Shelby County Schools also plan to make information requests of Superintendent Roderick Richmond.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members seem poised to renew contracts with some education service providers facing pushback during a meeting on Tuesday, June 23.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools and Shelby County government allege Tennessee’s school takeover law unconstitutionally targets Memphis.
Appointees have sweeping powers over decisions of the elected board and the district until 2030. But Thursday’s decisions focused more on establishing the new board’s own systems and operations rather than decisions about MSCS business — including who will lead the district.
Here are short biographies of the appointees to the state takeover board, which will have sweeping powers over Memphis-Shelby County Schools through 2030.
General Sessions Court judges suspended their clerk with pay two days after she made her first court appearance on federal theft, wire fraud and money laundering charges. Tami Sawyer indictment renews Republican push for state interventionRelated content:
An agenda for the meeting calls for election of officers on the state oversight board, as well as the appointment of committees.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton’s second appointee, former Memphis teacher and Tennessee Teacher of the Year, completes the state’s takeover board.
Local dance director Katie Smythe’s new performing arts school recently bought Humes Middle, Elvis Presley’s alma mater in North Memphis.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members settled on a name for the district’s new high school in Frayser. Neighborhood charter school Libertas is also set to expand into high school grades.
The $1.7 billion plan for Memphis-Shelby County Schools could be shaken up by a new board of state appointees during the 2026-27 academic year.
Lt. Gov. McNally selected a former MSCS board member and a local attorney for the school takeover board. House Speaker Sexton tapped the leader of a Nashville-based education-policy group to the board.
To succeed under Tennessee’s takeover metrics, appointees to the Memphis schools oversight board will likely focus on the district’s lowest-performing schools. Experts say that could result in tremendous academic growth for poor students — or closures of their schools.