Tennessee’s school districts are nearly halfway through online testing, and for the first time in three years, no major issues have been reported.

'We hope the governor reconsiders,' said Joris Ray, Shelby County Schools’ interim superintendent, about the education savings account proposal. 'I think the governor’s heart is in the right place. But on this particular issue, I think he needs to listen and have an open heart.'

The statement — released as the governor’s bill is slated for key legislative committee votes this week — marks the first time that the 3-year-old coalition has taken a stand against a major proposal.

Shelby County commissioners will likely get an early preview of the Shelby County Schools budget Wednesday. 

Some of the 109 BSA members arrested in the University of Memphis administration building 50 years ago this month returned Friday as a plaque noting the sit-in protest was unveiled where they were handcuffed in 1969.

With its funding expiring, a Memphis program for students coming out of juvenile detention could end soon, despite a three-year record of job placement and low recidivism.

Rep. Ryan Williams pulled his controversial bill from consideration by the House Education Committee on Wednesday, one week after the measure easily cleared a subcommittee over the objections of teachers and law enforcement leaders.

The Tennessee Senate bill retains House language requiring applicants to provide government-issued documents like birth certificates, driver’s licenses, or passports. That provision could be in conflict with a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that requires states to offer public education to all children, regardless of their immigration status.

The latest amendment would cap the voucher program at 30,000 students instead of 15,000 as approved by House committees. And it would add back homeschoolers who were stripped out of the House bill last month to appease several representatives.

Many of the student recommendations were rooted in Project STAND, a federally funded program at Carver Academy for students transitioning back to school after juvenile detention. Currently, there are 66 students in the program.

Board members are expected to vote on suspending the search for a superintendent at their regular meeting later this month. If that resolution fails, the board recommended that the Iowa-based firm Ray & Associates conduct the search for about $44,000.

The interim superintendent of Shelby County Schools said on Behind The Headlines that a plan to consolidate and relocate some schools on a massive scale should also be accompanied by better school programs and more academic offerings to students.

The Memphis Center for Urban and Theological Studies will gain new advantages for its students when it merges with Union University this summer.

The district’s new analysis on where charter schools are most needed was based on the number of students in various Memphis neighborhoods and the school seats available for them.

Meanwhile, both the Senate and House are expected to pass Gov. Bill Lee’s $30 million school security initiative. The governor wants to prioritize hiring more school resource officers, although the amount falls short of funding an SRO in every Tennessee school.

Tennessee already has walked back its transition to online testing two times since 2016 when a wholesale switch failed miserably, prompting then-Education Commissioner Candice McQueen to cancel most of that year’s tests and fire Measurement Inc.

Gov. Bill Lee had campaigned on giving more educational choices to low-income families in districts with failing schools. But the original income cap was criticized for being well above what’s considered low-income in Tennessee.

Seven Tennessee Board of Education members have unanimously upheld the Shelby County Schools board’s decision to close Gateway University Charter School at the end of this academic year, meaning 150 students will need to find a new high school for this fall.

Shelby County's suburban school superintendents worry about the potential effects of vouchers on public education. While Gov. Bill Lee's proposal affects Shelby County Schools locally, suburban superintendents worry it could expand to affect them as well.

The Tennessee Board of Education staff found that Gateway hired an educator who did not pass a background check, gave grades to students in a geometry class that did not exist, and relied on uncertified teachers in classes.

In the past, critics of vouchers have had more time to mount spirited public opposition, often in the form of rallies in Nashville and Memphis, the city that would likely be most affected.

Germantown's Exceptional Students are serving meals at Houston High's Mustang Café. The goal is to help the students with special needs gain skills for employment.

Fourth- and fifth-graders from several area schools got a look at college life Friday during "Visit Day" at the University of Memphis, sponsored by the university and Shelby County Schools.

ServiceMaster employees fanned out to four area schools Thursday to help beautify the campuses as part of Spring Clean '19.

Tennessee education leaders can now track glitches with the revamped TNReady testing system in real time. But the state education commissioner says she still must decide whether to throw the switch or wait another year to resume online achievement tests.