There are 44 article(s) tagged MSCS takeover:

• July 2026

  • MSCS forensic audit to include new TennCare review

    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.

    By Laura Testino July 01, 2026

• June 2026

  • MSCS sues takeover appointees as oversight board votes to hire attorney

    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.

    By Laura Testino June 26, 2026

  • MSCS takeover board may hire attorney, director

    State appointees to a board responsible for taking control of Memphis-Shelby County Schools also plan to make information requests of Superintendent Roderick Richmond.

    By Laura Testino June 24, 2026

  • MSCS, Shelby County file federal lawsuit over Tennessee’s takeover law

    Memphis-Shelby County Schools and Shelby County government allege Tennessee’s school takeover law unconstitutionally targets Memphis.

    By Laura Testino June 19, 2026

  • Memphis developer Billy Orgel will chair Memphis schools takeover

    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.

    By Laura Testino June 18, 2026

  • Who’s on the Memphis-Shelby County Schools state takeover board?

    Here are short biographies of the appointees to the state takeover board, which will have sweeping powers over Memphis-Shelby County Schools through 2030.

    By Laura Testino June 18, 2026

  • First Memphis schools takeover meeting set for Thursday in Nashville

    An agenda for the meeting calls for election of officers on the state oversight board, as well as the appointment of committees.

    By Laura Testino June 16, 2026

  • Sexton selects final member of MSCS takeover board on eve of first meeting

    House Speaker Cameron Sexton’s second appointee, former Memphis teacher and Tennessee Teacher of the Year, completes the state’s takeover board. 

    By Laura Testino June 16, 2026

• May 2026

  • Sexton adds to McNally’s takeover appointees, taps education-policy leader

    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. 

    By Laura Testino May 26, 2026

  • 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.

    By Laura Testino May 22, 2026

  • 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.

    By Bill Dries, Laura Testino May 05, 2026

  • County Commission to meet on funding for MSCS lawsuit against takeover

    The commission will try again on a resolution to provide county funding for a legal challenge of the state’s pending takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

    By Bill Dries May 01, 2026

• April 2026

  • The AM/DM podcast: Is MSCS state takeover a land grab?

    In part two of our podcast about the takeover, reporter Laura Testino returns to talk about how churn factors in, what we can take from the school system takeover in Houston and what role school closures and land sales might play. 

    By Mary Cashiola April 29, 2026

  • County Commission fails to fund MSCS takeover lawsuit

    A procedural vote Monday, April 27, killed a maneuver to fund a legal challenge by Memphis-Shelby County Schools to the state’s takeover of the school system. But there could be a second try.

    By Bill Dries April 28, 2026

  • The AM/DM podcast: Burning questions about the state’s MSCS takeover

    Who will the new board members be? And is former superintendent Marie Feagins expected to get her job back? 

    By Mary Cashiola April 28, 2026

  • County government could fund legal challenge of MSCS state takeover

    Two contenders in the Democratic primary for Shelby County Mayor, Mickell Lowery and Harold Collins, each said private talks could surface to get around a state law that prevents school boards from using public money to fight a school system takeover by the state.

    By Bill Dries April 25, 2026

  • 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.

    By Laura Testino April 17, 2026

• March 2026

  • Ahead of Memphis schools takeover, Republicans move to block district’s legal pushback

    Two Memphis Republicans are backing legislation to block Tennessee school districts from funding lawsuits that oppose accountability measures like state interventions.

    By Melissa Brown March 26, 2026

  • Primary ejections and the county clerk candidate who survived

    How are candidates booted from primary ballots? Also in the political roundup, heads butt on the Memphis Safe Task Force, where Lee Harris and Edmund Ford Jr. agreed and recent D.C. votes on Iran air strikes.

    By Bill Dries March 09, 2026