The governor announced a significant boost to education funding in his State of the State Address on Monday, Jan. 31, with nearly $2 billion going to higher education.

Andy Surber will take the post July 1, succeeding Thor Kvande, who held the head of school position for 10 years. Kvande announced last year he will leave in 2022 to pursue new career opportunities.

Gov. Bill Lee has announced the completion of his review of the Basic Education Program, the formula that decides how much money each school district gets from the state. 

Two North Memphis KIPP schools that were recommended to close will stay open, Memphis-Shelby County Schools decided in Tuesday’s board business meeting. 

Memphis-Shelby County Schools, as the board voted to be called Tuesday evening, decided on a slew of changes that will have hundreds of students start next school year somewhere different.

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Two KIPP schools narrowly avoid closure

The debate over whether to use tax dollars to send children to private schools has reared its head.

Students in these clubs will learn life skills to help them reach their full potential, learning about healthy choices, character development, education and leadership, athletics and the arts. 

Shelby County Schools will formally recommend the closures of Shady Grove Elementary and Alton Elementary Schools. The changes will go to a vote at the board’s business meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 25. 

Scheidt’s children are creating a matching fund, meaning that the goal is that the new fund will raise $1 million total.

Memphis educators share resources they use to teach the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

The University of Memphis and Germantown Community Library are teaming up to set the community’s youngest residents on a path to success.

The grant program would have funded faculty members who are redesigning their curriculum to align with the university’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. 

Shelby County Schools is seeking to rebrand itself as Memphis-Shelby County Schools to be more representative of the students who make up its population.

The Shelby County Board of Education voted to revoke the charter for the network that was at the center of an investigation for misappropriation of funds last month. 

The Tennessee Department of Education released a draft of its new education funding framework Tuesday, Jan. 11, the same day lawmakers began this year’s regular legislative session.

The decision comes eight days after the board did not vote to implement universal masking in schools despite Superintendent Gary Lilly’s concerns about staffing issues.

The area is under a winter weather advisory, from early Thursday until Thursday evening, with total snow and sleet accumulations of up to two inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Three Collierville High classes were unsupervised Tuesday; the first day back after winter break. The district investigated, and Principal Roger Jones communicated with affected parents.

LeMoyne-Owen College and Christian Brothers University will join Rhodes College in delaying spring semester in-person classes amid a spike in COVID-19 cases.

State Rep. Mark White confirmed he’ll file another bill in the upcoming legislative session that could determine who controls Germantown Elementary, Germantown Middle School and Germantown High. The bill could also affect Lucy Elementary in Millington.

Rhodes College is altering its plans for the spring semester after consultation with medical experts. The college will keep its Jan. 12 start date for the semester, but classes will begin remotely before transitioning to in-person classes Jan. 31. 

The new campus in Bartlett will open next month, providing a learning experience in an array of disciplines.

Germantown Municipal School District mulls tuition for Shelby County children who don’t live in the suburb. The district already charges Tennesseans who live outside Shelby County $4,736 per year, and those outside of Tennessee pay $9,733. 

Shelby County Schools library media specialist Alice Faye Duncan examines two critical points in both Tennessee and American history in her newest books “Evicted,” and “Opal Lee and What it Means to be Free.”