This is a developing story and will be updated. 

In a fiery and detailed rebuttal to claims of wrongdoing, Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins called accusations from the school board “false.” Her termination effort, she said, was working to “divide a district that is on the rise.” 

Feagins made her expanded response to the allegations during a Jan. 14 committee meeting. The nonvoting meeting included no action by board members, as expected.

But board members had almost no discussion about the future employment of the district’s leader in their initial committee meeting, which was abruptly adjourned by Chair Joyce Dorse Coleman after Feagins read her statement of response.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools board member Amber Huett-Garcia said her resolution to retain Superintendent Marie Feagins should “address any pain points” as she presented it Tuesday evening, Jan. 14.

“The question to my colleagues is: ‘Do you want to work Dr. Feagins?’ If the answer is yes or maybe, let’s make sure this resolution addresses any pain points,” Huett-Garcia said.

She hit the highlights of her resolution, which were:

• The district needs stronger internal controls.
• Communication between Feagins and the board needs improvement.
• A human capital assessment is needed, as is board governance training.

“I am asking for a third party to assess how we all work together,” Huett-Garcia said to cheers from the crowd.

At 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14, the Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board of Education convened an evaluation committee meeting, where the board discussed Superintendent Marie Feagins’ future with the district.

Updates from that meeting follow below.

MSCS Board of Education Board Chair Joyce Dorse Coleman began the Tuesday meeting by providing background up to this point and set up the parameters of the meeting — including that public comments are not allowed.

Feagins began addressing the claims against her around 5:05 p.m. Tuesday.

Scores of Bellevue Middle Schoolers walked out of class for 15 minutes on Tuesday, Jan. 14, in protest of a proposed ouster of Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins. 

Student organizers Chayse Hawkins and America Rodriguez, both in eighth grade, say Feagins has made students feel included through her Legacy Builders initiative, which has offered students a way to share input with top district officials.

“We want to continue to build on to Memphis-Shelby County Schools instead of taking away,” Chayse said. 

Chayse said he and other students have been inspired to speak up since board Chair Joyce Dorse Coleman stunned many in the community with a special-called meeting to bring the termination resolution in December.

A Memphis state representative has proposed a bill allowing school board members to face recall elections. 

State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, proposed a bill to set forth a recall process for county school board members. 

Recently, the idea of recalling Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board of Education members has percolated as the board considers firing Superintendent Marie Feagins. The superintendent’s proposed termination sparked an outcry in some community segments, leading some to question whether board members (four of whom were newcomers to the board following elections in August) can be replaced. 

Feagins and MSCS: Board takes up proposal to keep superintendent

The Shelby County Charter does not allow school board members to face recall elections. 

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board is set to reconvene in a pair of two meetings Tuesday, Jan. 14, to discuss the future of its superintendent of nine months, Marie Feagins.

No vote is scheduled for either meeting.

But deliberations among board members may reveal whether any of them have been persuaded by local or state-level pressures to resolve differences and keep Feagins in the seat. Those are scheduled for a committee meeting at 5 p.m. 

Board members are also set to discuss a proposal from board member Amber Huett-Garcia to keep Feagins, with both the board and superintendent agreeing to certain conditions meant to improve the strained relationships. That is due to be taken up at the end of a 40-item work session meeting that follows the committee meeting.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins’ promises for change at the school district earned some wins but led to early tensions with some school principals, according to documents obtained by The Daily Memphian.

The relatively new school superintendent, currently under the scrutiny of a proposed ouster by one faction of the school board, has enjoyed support from community members who have celebrated what they call a bold and overdue effort to cut down on district spending and streamline operations at the district’s central office. 

But the reality of the changes and district restructuring over the summer appear to have had a more complex impact on schools and students.

Being superintendent of MSCS is high stakes, serving students whose futures are often dependent upon academic success. And leadership churn comes with costs. Tennessee’s largest school district also has little margin for error while under the constant microscope of state-level leaders ready for drastic improvements in students’ academic achievement.