The Millington races for seats on the suburb’s Board of Education went as expected, as all of the candidates were unopposed, setting the stage for November’s general election.

Since Memphis-Shelby County School has closed Lucy Elementary a year ahead of schedule, Millington has started the process of transforming the oldest active elementary school in Shelby County.

When the suburban school districts started classes in 2014, it was a huge shift in local education. Now the districts are preparing to graduate students who began at their schools as kindergartners. 

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.

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MSCS school year begins with takeover still paused in court battle

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.

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.

The author, who was 6 when she became the first student to integrate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans, continues to encourage young learners. 

“Here is my challenge to Memphis as a new school year begins: Move Memphis, mane! Move beyond the debates long enough to remember the reason we have them in the first place: our children.”

The many candidates for a wide range of local, state and federal offices were a key theme among journalists on this episode of “Behind the Headlines” on WKNO-TV.

With district leadership still up in the air, Memphis-Shelby County Schools is diving into chronic absenteeism solutions and math-curriculum changes. And more school closures are likely this year.

One of the applicants is a retired GMSD employee running unopposed for the position in August and November.

A year ago, SpaceXAI committed to give Memphis-Shelby County Schools a gift a local pastor called “game-changing.” So far, MSCS has little to show for it. It’s time for that to change.

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SpaceXAI offered major construction upgrades to Memphis schools. What happened?

Fairley High students and athletes have emerged as the early — and only — major beneficiaries of a list of construction projects Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company offered to the Memphis school system last July.

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Calkins: It’s time for SpaceXAI to live up to its promise to Memphis kids

MSCS enrollment has suffered in the past decade. But the district doesn’t just struggle to get students in the door, it also has trouble keeping them in their seats day after day.

MSCS leaders ramped up chronic absenteeism interventions this past year, aiming to reduce chronic absenteeism rates for the first time since 2017.

Superintendents from three suburban school districts appeared on “Behind the Headlines” to talk about the changes and challenges their districts face.

Together4Students is the latest local group to join a cadre of Memphis advocates for school reform. It is urging the district to drop its state takeover lawsuit.

More improvements are coming to internal controls, procurement, human resources and cybersecurity processes at Memphis-Shelby County Schools, Superintendent Roderick Richmond told board members.

The vacancy was created by the resignation of Scotty Hendricks Jr.

MSCS qualifies for a takeover in part because of state test performance, low-performing schools and student attendance. But state appointees to an oversight board don’t have to improve all of those metrics for the takeover to end.

In federal court documents, the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General filed motions to dismiss the school district’s lawsuit and dissolve an earlier court order pausing the takeover. 

The Tennessee State Board of Education is considering a policy to create alternate pathways to pass specialty area content assessments.

Democratic nominee for County Mayor Mickell Lowery talked about state intervention, his vote to raise county property taxes and tax breaks as economic development incentives on “Behind The Headlines.”

A forensic audit report found evidence of fraud, waste and abuse at Tennessee’s largest school district. But the most significant claims aren’t news to MSCS, according to court records and additional audit reports detailing the district’s responses.

A 2004 White Station High graduate co-founded Magnus Labs — an AI, data and robotics company — in Silicon Valley. Now, he wants to bring his expertise and work with Sparco, a computer- and tech-consulting business in Millington, to bring robotics and a curriculum to Memphis-area schools.