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 228 articles by Laura Testino :
Some residents supported the National Guard’s deployment, while others raised concerns that bringing troops to the city under President Donald Trump’s new “Memphis Safe Task Force” could irritate political tensions and cause chaos. See The Daily Memphian’s full coverage of the Memphis Safe Task Force
A former FedEx board member suggested President Donald Trump send the National Guard to Memphis.
“I did not ask for the National Guard, and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime. However, that decision has been made,” Memphis Mayor Paul Young said.
Shelby County Re-Entry executive DeAndre Brown, who was recently indicted on a slate of felony charges related to alleged misappropriation of public money, has stopped another legal effort to regain his gun rights.
MSCS received one bid for the property on 3030 Jackson Ave. from New Day Tennessee, which seeks to create a workforce development training ground for teens aging out of foster care across the state.
The closure proposals, set for the school board’s review in the coming weeks, will be the first part of a larger plan that’s now expected in December. A committee recently reviewed the types of data that district officials will rely upon to determine which schools will be slated to close.
Several donors supporting the renovations at the private school for girls gave in memory of Eliza “Liza” Fletcher, the former student and teacher who was killed three years ago in Memphis after being kidnapped during a morning run.
Roderick Richmond, the interim leader of Memphis-Shelby County Schools, pointed to failures of Tennessee’s state-run Achievement School District during a town hall meeting opposing takeover of the school system.
Damon Curry Morris, a frequent critic of Memphis-Shelby County Schools, faces a misdemeanor charge for violating a restraining order brought by MSCS board member Stephanie Love, according to police and court records.
The district is dealing with teacher vacancies and laptop problems, but otherwise reports a “smooth” first day of school.
As Porter-Leath works to enroll thousands more prekindergarten students, early-childhood education organization First 8 Memphis is continuing efforts toward free, quality classrooms for kids.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools has offers to purchase Humes Middle School in North Memphis from public utility Memphis Light, Gas and Water and local dance studio New Ballet Ensemble and School.
“Something’s going to come out of this audit. And what we’re going to have to be able to talk about — and it’s not good, bad or indifferent — is how we strengthen our internal controls,” a top official told school board members.
The Daily Memphian’s chart includes scores for all public schools in Memphis and Shelby County, including charters and campuses in the suburbs.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools could install new security measures its staff say would prevent vandalism at its vacant buildings.
A new Memphis-Shelby County Schools committee met for the first time Wednesday, Aug. 13, to guide looming decisions on school closures and consolidations, plus plans for repurposing facilities and building new ones.
Results from the audit could chart a path for state legislation to take over Memphis-Shelby County Schools. New documents reveal what firm is doing the audit and what they may be looking for.
A Shelby County Circuit Court judge declined to reinstate Marie Feagins to her former position as superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
With the launch of a second elementary school campus in Sherwood Forest this week, University of Memphis’ new K-12 district began its first expansion effort outside the college’s campus. Even more could be on the horizon.
Rep. Mark White and Sen. Brent Taylor, both Republicans, propose the next steps for their bills that would give the state more power over Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
MSCS board members start another academic year with a temporary district leader, as state takeovers loom, school closures are expected, and new policies could take hold.
This first day of school, Memphis-Shelby County Schools third grader Willie Perry felt “nervous and excited at the same time.” Adults interested in the school system have reasons to feel the same about the new academic year.
In Memphis, significant portions of the teacher population are either new to the profession or nearing retirement eligibility.
According to interim superintendent Roderick Richmond, carving up Memphis-Shelby County Schools prioritizes “localized decision-making.”
The four schools in Southwest Memphis that xAI has proposed supporting have some of the greatest deferred maintenance needs in the district.