Judges, law clerks and private firms across the city have retooled their externship programs for this virtual age.

Tennessee Department of Education has also warned districts to plan for driver shortages. On social media, some drivers have suggested that returning to their bus jobs may not be worth the hassle.

The school board voted 8-1 at a special meeting Monday to approve $11 million toward a four-year lease for laptops and tablets from Microsoft and Hewlett Packard.

Union and Macon Cove campuses will open for classes that require hands-on learning. Lecture-based courses will still be online for summer session.

The district plans to present a proposal to the school board on Tuesday, and estimates a longer school year would cost between $25 million and $30 million. 

The school board planned to vote on the purchase of take-home laptops and tablets for students.

Providing take-home devices for students is the focus of a special called meeting of the Shelby County Schools Board on Thursday.

Research funding at the University of Memphis is up 70% in the last year. 

Gov. Bill Lee’s school voucher program is out for the 2020-21 school year that begins this fall.

A Davidson County chancellor in early May ruled the voucher program unconstitutional, saying the Legislature forced the program on Shelby and Metro Nashville without local approval.

School board chairwoman Miska Clay-Bibbs said with so many questions about electronic devices for students, it's not yet time to vote on the purchase.

With an assist from ALSAC and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the University of Memphis plans to offer an interdisciplinary online master’s degree in nonprofit management, which could begin in January 2021.

Staff likely will not get 1.5% pay hike; tuition not expected to rise.

SCS board members agree that students need digital devices, but say they want a better plan from the school district.

It will be up to the state Legislature to set priorities on new education spending, such as a teacher pay hike, a scaled-down literacy initiative, and the state’s embattled education savings account program, the governor said.

Classes will be held on Labor Day; fall break will consist of one day. 

The nine-member commission would report its findings to the Legislature by Jan. 1, in the face of learning setbacks for school children, disruptions to university life and the likelihood of more school closures next year.

As lawmakers begin returning to the Capitol, they’ll face cratering revenues and the need to make deep cuts to Tennessee’s spending plan.

The school was unable to withstand the impact of a world pandemic, economic recession and competition from other schools.

Classes will be a combination of face-to-face and online; in some cases, double occupancy will be possible in dorms.

Memphis nonprofit will donate 1,300 summer learning kits for area children.

The Shelby County Health Department has advised against large in-person graduation ceremonies, according to a letter by Gary Lilly sent to Collierville seniors and parents.

“My sense was that the money should have been distributed in the same way we distributed Title I money. I think that’s what most of Congress was expecting,” the Tennessee Republican said, referring to the federal program that supports students from low-income families.

As our new normal emerges, we must remember that SCS students are children first, and admonitions of “social distancing” go against the very notion of being a child. Students need authentic opportunities to interact with one another, be seen, and be heard and we commit to making that happen.

Superintendent Joris Ray said a plan to return to school could be a mix of in-person and online instruction. It’s still not clear when the 2020-21 school year will start, but Ray said he expects to present a school re-entry plan in early July.