Here’s who Gov. Lee tapped for Memphis schools takeover board
Among Gov. Lee’s five appointments to a Memphis schools takeover board are a former Memphis superintendent and former president of the Memphis Chamber.
Laura Testino
There are 340 articles by Laura Testino :
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May 2026
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State Government -
Education Only MSCS 3rd graders at risk of retention to retake TCAP exam on last days of school
Memphis-Shelby County Schools changed its plan for all third graders to retake the statewide exam days before summer break.
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State Government Lee sends Memphian back to Tennessee’s education board in new congressional district
The appointment leaves a vacancy in the 9th Congressional District seat on the State Board of Education, which has an increasingly large role to play in setting the standards for success at Tennessee schools.
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EducationHallmarks of Houston takeover aren’t guaranteed for Memphis schools
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.
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State Government State GOP proposes splitting Memphis into three Congressional districts
The map would make all nine of Tennessee’s seats Republican-leaning districts.
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Education Two Memphis charter schools take different paths toward closure for academics
South Memphis charter schools Believe Memphis Academy and Memphis Delta Preparatory Charter School each received a Tennessee “priority” designation for low performance earlier this school year.
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Education MSCS extends attorney’s contract as it prepares for legal challenge of takeover
The contract extension for attorney Justin Bailey would keep him employed with the district for at least three more years.
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State GovernmentNew congressional map could thwart Memphis representation on state boards
The Tennessee State Board of Education is among at least five state boards that appoint members in alignment with the congressional map.
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EducationAll Memphis third graders to retake TCAP reading exam on last days of school
For some students, improved scores could excuse them from summer school and tutoring interventions required by a state reading retention law.
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2026 elections
ElectionsTwo incumbents among winners in school board primaries
As a state takeover looms, voters retained two Memphis-Shelby County Schools incumbents seeking re-election, according to unofficial election results from the board’s first-ever partisan primaries held Tuesday, May 5.
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Shelby County County Commission approves $200K in funding for MSCS takeover lawsuit
Shelby County commissioners voted to take money from county reserve funds to pay the possible cost of suing the state over a pending state takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
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April 2026
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Education MSCS board meets under shadow of state takeover
The board talked about charter schools, contracts and a response to the state audit at what may have been the final meeting before a state oversight board is appointed.
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Education MSCS board approves teacher raises for 2026-27 school year
On average, Memphis-Shelby County Schools teachers will see a 3.9% increase in their pay next year, not including bonuses, according to the district’s top business and finance official.
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State Government Tennessee lawmakers pass MSCS takeover
The Tennessee Senate and House of Representatives both voted down party lines Wednesday, April 22, to pass a takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools. The bill now heads to the governor’s desk.
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Education MSCS board votes to sue over state takeover proposal
The MSCS board’s resolution claims that Tennessee lawmakers’ takeover proposal “directly conflicts with established constitutional provisions and statutory requirements.”
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EducationClosures, spending, superintendent hires: What could state appointees decide about Memphis schools?
A proposal to take over Memphis-Shelby County Schools would allow a board of appointees the power to reshape how the district educates its 100,000 students, who is in charge of those schools and more.
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Education Takeover plan would give state appointees sweeping power over Memphis schools
Expanded board powers are among several new details of a proposed state takeover legislation targeting Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
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2026 elections
ElectionsPartisan MSCS board races begin as state considers takeover. Here’s who is running for office.
As voters cast early ballots in the primary, Tennessee lawmakers are expected to take final votes on takeover legislation that would strip elected school board members of their powers by granting major decision-making authority to nine Shelby County state appointees.
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State Government TN lawmakers vote to stifle education lawsuits as MSCS takeover legislation advances
“We don’t want anyone using those public dollars that we send down to educate the children to enter into litigation because they might not agree with the high accountability standards that we’re putting in place,” bill sponsor state Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, said.
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State Government TN Senate inches closer to details of an MSCS takeover, which could get $1M in startup money
A small group of state lawmakers is expected to meet Monday, in the waning days of the legislative session, to determine the details of a proposal to take over the Memphis school system.
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2026 elections
ElectionsOnly four MSCS board seats will appear on 2026 ballot, judge rules
A local judge ruled that Shelby County commissioners “exceeded their authority” in passing a resolution that placed all nine school board seats on the ballot last fall.
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Education Memphis-Shelby County Schools sets 2026-27 academic calendar
Beginning next year, the district’s administration has said it hopes to move more quickly on producing a school calendar and potentially consider multiple calendar years at once.
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Education MSCS advances improvement plan, acknowledges ‘critical blind spots’ uncovered by state’s audit
MSCS head Roderick Richmond is advancing plans to improve internal controls and district processes in response to forensic audit findings released last week. Now, the district has launched two websites to track progress.
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EducationCOVID funding, contracts, controls: What’s in the MSCS audit
Here’s what auditors CliftonLarsonAllen LLP found in district finances at a time of high leadership turmoil and financial change, with federal pandemic relief funding and a new state education funding formula.
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MSCS audit yields findings ‘consistent with waste and abuse’
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Education MSCS audit yields findings ‘consistent with waste and abuse’
An interim forensic audit report of Memphis-Shelby County Schools yielded 175 deficiencies.
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