MSCS avoids state takeover this year
Disagreements about what kind of authority an appointed board should have over the Memphis school system stopped the bill from advancing before lawmakers adjourned for the year.
Topic: Tennessee General Assembly
RSSThere are 231 article(s) tagged Tennessee General Assembly:
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April 2025
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MSCS takeover details likely left to special committee
A special committee of state lawmakers is expected to hammer out the details of a proposed takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools in a final push toward passing the legislation before the Tennessee General Assembly adjourns in the coming days.
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Varlas: Legislators have TSSAA in their crosshairs. And that’s not good.
The state governing body for high school athletics is facing the possibility of a government takeover. Or outright dissolution.
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Controversial bail-denial amendment sent to ballot
The Tennessee General Assembly passed three possible amendments, including one that could allow judges to deny bail to defendants accused of certain crimes.
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Downtown safety funds survive state whittling of local programs
Rep. G.A. Hardaway, along with other Memphis lawmakers, expressed concern over the reductions and outright elimination of many Memphis organizations and programs.
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Last-minute updates move MSCS takeover proposals toward compromise
Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, and Sen. Brent Taylor, R- Eads, don’t yet agree on the role of a new appointed board. Here’s what they’ve offered in new proposals aimed at a compromise.
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If sales tax hike is dead, how will Shelby County pay for a new jail?
Options for funding the project, widely agreed upon by state legislators as necessary despite disputes about priorities and timing, are becoming increasingly limited.
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State Senate passes bill aimed at immigrant students
Shelby County’s five state senators voted down party lines for a bill that would allow school districts to deny education to students based on immigration status.
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What’s happening in the waning hours of the 2025 state legislative session
As the current Tennessee General Assembly legislative session draws to a close, bills are facing do-or-die moments in committees.
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Lawmakers look to sales-tax hike for ‘ungodly problem’
“Humanitarian crisis.” “Big liability.” “Ungodly problem.” These are some of the terms Tennessee lawmakers used to describe the Shelby County Jail as they passed a bill to help fund construction of a new one.
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Tenn. House advances its version of Memphis school takeover
The measure, narrowed to Memphis-Shelby County Schools, would strip elected school board members of their duties and assign oversight of the district to a board of state-appointed Shelby County residents.
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Voting-rights bill passes Tennessee Senate committee
SB0336, sponsored by state Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, would remove the requirements for persons convicted of certain felonies to have fully paid all court costs associated with their crime to be eligible to vote.
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March 2025
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Tempers flare between Pearson, Farmer during House committee hearing
A discussion about gun laws lead to Rep. Justin J. Pearson, confronting fellow Rep. Andrew Farmer during a House subcommittee Wednesday, March 26, temporarily suspending the session.
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School districts could deny enrollment to immigrant children if bill passes
The bill passed narrowly in an 11-7 vote, with three Republicans, including Memphis Republican Mark White voting against it alongside all four of the committee’s Democrats.
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MSCS takeover bill would give power to Shelby County leaders
Eads Republican state Sen. Brent Taylor brought the proposal, which targets Memphis by taking aim at Tennessee school districts with high concentrations of poverty.
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Sanford: Proposal puts state’s human rights enforcement in jeopardy
State lawmakers are looking to eliminate the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, which looks into about 180 complaints about discrimination every month.
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New West Tenn. juvenile detention facility plan passes first hurdle
A fiscal note attached to the bill estimates a cost of more than $283 million, a figure that doesn’t include land, staffing or maintenance costs.
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Unlawful photography bills get widespread support in General Assembly
Bills targeting the taking and distribution of unauthorized intimate photos and expanding rights for such victims were not only passed but received a standing ovation in the Tennessee General Assembly.
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Tennessee takes first step toward MSCS takeover
A Tennessee subcommittee passed Rep. Mark White’s school takeover proposal. White suggested his proposal would have a new, narrowed focus on Memphis, likely allaying concerns from other school districts who could have become targets.
Related story:
At MSCS, anti-takeover protestors condemn ‘attack on democracy’
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At MSCS, anti-takeover protestors condemn ‘attack on democracy’
A new state legislative proposal to take over Memphis-Shelby County Schools drew immediate opposition from some local community, church and elected leaders.
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Legislation would strip MSCS board members of most duties and powers
The proposal would transfer authority to a state-appointed board for at least four years.
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Tennessee lawmakers to hear MSCS takeover proposal next Tuesday
Memphis Republican Rep. Mark White, the bill’s sponsor, has yet to file his proposal as a legislative amendment, meaning the concrete details aren’t yet available to review.
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Proposed state tax on vaping products moves forward
The proposal, aimed at removing juvenile access to vaping products and decreasing the industry’s reliance on China, would also pull many vapes off Tennessee shelves.
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Controversial immigrant education bill passes House committee
The bill gives local education agencies the ability to deny enrollment to students unlawfully present in the United States.
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State could scrap Achievement School District for new approach
The proposal calls for dissolving the ASD by the summer and implementing a new model by the next school year. In the most severe cases, it could mean the state-mandated closure of a chronically low-performing school.
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