Spending in MSCS-takeover suit nears county’s limit
A Shelby County Board of Commissioners decision to continue funding the litigation could coincide with a major milestone in the Chancery Court case.
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A Shelby County Board of Commissioners decision to continue funding the litigation could coincide with a major milestone in the Chancery Court case.
Tennessee’s takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools has been paused again.
None of the nine state appointees poised to take control of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools system will say whether they intend to act on the superintendent hiring timeline included in documents most of them voted to accept. Related content:
Takeover board Chair Billy Orgel’s sworn statement is expected to lift a three-month hold on the state’s takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools. But its unclear if the board’s new plans will capture all expenses it should review under state law.
Tamarques Porter and Sable Otey, two MSCS board members recently elected as this year’s chair and vice chair respectively, say they’re confident they can weather the storm.
A consulting firm that worked with Houston’s school system during its takeover has quietly played a key role in readying the state-appointed board to resume control of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
Attorneys for Memphis-Shelby County Schools and Shelby County government filed a new lawsuit in Shelby County Chancery Court
The meeting comes less than a week after a judge said he “didn’t mean to imply” the oversight board couldn’t do its work with a July 1 order, which MSCS and the state interpreted as a temporary halt.
How the oversight board determines what “ready” means could revive early criticisms from MSCS that the appointees lacked necessary structures to assume power over the school system.
It is unclear what the judge’s clarification from the bench on Friday, Oct. 2, may mean for control of Tennessee’s largest school system.
Amid Tennessee takeover uncertainty, Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ elected board picked new leadership and added its 10th member: a student from Middle College High.
Arguments in the case are expected to determine whether the takeover remains paused or whether the new state-appointed board of nine regains control over Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
MSCS continues to lose students year over year, with over 2,000 fewer enrolled in the district compared to last August.
“The MSCS system is in crisis,” attorneys for Memphis Lift, Seeding Success and three family members of Memphis-Shelby County Schools students wrote.
Search The Daily Memphian’s chart to see how Memphis and Shelby County public schools scored, and whether they improved from last year.Related content:
School is reopening to all Memphis-Shelby County Schools students as Memphis Light, Gas and Water approaches its target date for power restoration.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools officials said persistent power outages are forcing some schools to remain closed.
Families of students who attend the 19 closed schools can receive free meals on Tuesday. Food will be available at each closed campus between noon and 2 p.m., through a partnership with the YMCA.
Shelby County commissioners closed out their four-year term of office Monday, Aug. 24, by capping the county’s share of legal expenses at $200,000 in the ongoing federal-court case about the state takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.Related content:
Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ court challenge of the state’s takeover of the school system has cost at least $211,700 in legal fees, according to MSCS and Shelby County government officials.
Shelby County commissioners debated whether they should do nothing and let the new commission with a new majority start anew on the issue.
No Republicans ran for the Memphis school board seats on the ballot. Democratic nominees bested independent challengers in races for two open seats, while two incumbents on the board secured their victories in May’s primary races.
New York City-based Urban Dove, a charter school organization, won approval to open two campuses in Memphis. Tennessee’s new ‘opportunity’ charter schools seek to reshape what education can look like for students who have fallen behind because of attendance, academics or behavior.
District leaders kicked off the school year with a four-campus tour Monday, Aug. 3, stopping at three schools among the roughly 5,000 students affected by summer closures, consolidations and a district return. MSCS school year begins with takeover still paused in court battleRelated content:
The takeover remains on a federal court-ordered pause issued after the board had met for about two weeks. Meanwhile, school closures, mergers and relocations mean big changes for about 5,000 Memphis students returning to class.