The Early Word: MSCS is missing teachers, but don’t miss this JEM dish
Howdy on this Monday, Aug. 12. At its meeting today, the Shelby County Commission will discuss whether to send money to Memphis-Shelby County Schools to complete a stalled science lab project at Whitehaven High.
Tonight, the Memphis Area Transit Authority will kick off a series of public meetings on how to reimagine transit in the face of a $60 million budget deficit. The first meeting is at the Ed Rice Community Center at 6 p.m. For a look at what’s happening around town, check out This Week in Memphis.
Vacancies at Memphis-Shelby County Schools are giving new meaning to “no more teachers’ dirty looks.” The district is 478 employees short this school year, and teachers are included in that number. Caldwell-Guthrie, a North Memphis K-8 school that MSCS saved from an abrupt closure this summer, started the year with the highest number of vacancies. Over the summer, Feagins cut jobs in the district’s central office in hopes that those in non-teacher roles would reapply for classroom jobs, but it seems some positions remain unfilled, despite teacher raises and housing discounts. See a full list of vacancies by school here.
In food news, The Daily Memphian’s Jennifer Chandler explains why the Matzo Ball Stuffed Chicken at JEM Dining is the thing you should order on your next visit.
Plus, a Frayser landfill expansion fight isn’t over, New Wing Order closes and we weigh the pros and cons of joining the Big 12 or ACC.
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Bianca Phillips
Bianca Phillips is a Northeast Arkansas native and longtime Memphian who’s worked in local journalism and PR for more than 20 years. In her days as a reporter, she covered everything from local government and crime to LGBTQ issues and the arts. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South,” a cookbook of vegan Southern recipes.
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