During committee sessions Tuesday, MSCS discussed safety and security measures and other things that it is doing to curb violence at its schools and keep students safe.

The Collective Blueprint is one part of an attempted solution to the city’s crime and poverty problems, a solution beyond the traditional approaches tried by leaders. 

Since 1923, thousands of students across the nation have vied for an award with the Scholastic Arts and Writing competition to showcase the peak of their creative talents. Notable past winners include Andy Warhol and Stephen King, among others.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools gave an overview of its upcoming budget, projecting increased revenue and proposing new investments.

The Lakeland School System’s annual budget is proposed to increase about $3 million as the district continues to grow, adding grades to its high school.

“We want to keep Hanley in Journey Community Schools because we think it’s the best option for our students, families and community,” said Nickalous Manning, executive director of Journey Community Schools.

Protests were planned at more than 200 schools across the U.S., including White Station High School, Memphis Business Academy High and Crosstown High in Memphis.

As the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board of education is nearing the end of its months-long search for a new superintendent, The Daily Memphian talked to board chair Althea Greene to look back on the process and discuss what lies ahead for the district and its new leader.

Memphis-area private schools are re-assessing the safety and security measures they have in place to protect students.

“That’s what this festival can really highlight: the healing power of the arts, and the significant impact the U of M arts program has on this city to impact change,” said Ryan Fisher, interim dean at the University of Memphis College of Communication and Fine Arts.

The state-funded Healthy Smiles Initiative will tackle Tennessee’s shortage of dentists and work to make dental care more readily available.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools also gave updates about Hanley School, Mt. Pisgah Early College Middle and High School and the former Shady Grove Elementary.

Strom was born in Chicago but moved to Memphis when she was five years old. She founded Facing History in 1976 after piloting a Holocaust curriculum in her eighth-grade humanities classroom in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Officers with the Memphis Police Department responded to the crash at East Mallory Avenue and Prospect Street at 4:46 p.m.

“I always say that my job is to come in and teach them to be champions for the planet,” said Emma Simmons of Clean Memphis.

Collierville is the only high school in Shelby County to have an Anatomage, expanding health science education opportunities on the campus that produced 40 certified nursing assistants in 2022.

“I’m excited for people to drive by and say, ‘There is Merit in Memphis’” said Lakenna Booker, Memphis Merit Academy’s founder and head of school. 

Bartlett City Schools will tackle removing asbestos from Ellendale Elementary, improving a drainage at Bartlett Elementary and projects at Bon Lin Elementary, Bon Lin Middle and Rivercrest Elementary.

New plans for the former Shady Grove Elementary include pre-K classrooms, new playgrounds, office space for district employees and resources for the surrounding community.

MSCS interim superintendent Toni Williams has decided she wants the top job — permanently. 

A tentative repair contract shows a projected final completion date of Aug. 15, a week after the new school year is set to start.

Interim Superintendent Toni Williams said a 10-year plan is in the works that would entail looking at building utilization, enrollment, school combinations, new buildings and wrap-around services for students.

The University of Memphis has brought back a former veteran professor to serve as its new and permanent second-in-command.

“As my school librarian taught me, not all books are right for every reader, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t right for the library.”

Former MSCS deputy superintendent John Barker has proposed a new vo-tech charter school for the district to consider.