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Spending in MSCS-takeover suit nears county’s limit

By  and , Daily Memphian Updated: October 22, 2026 4:00 AM CT | Published: October 22, 2026 4:00 AM CT

Shelby County funding for a lawsuit challenging the takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools is nearing a set spending limit, documents show. 

This means a Shelby County Board of Commissioners decision to continue funding the litigation could coincide with a major milestone in the Shelby County Chancery Court case. 

In the coming weeks, Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins is poised to hear arguments and decide whether to permanently pause the takeover while the case moves through court.

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Memphis-Shelby County Schools Shelby County Government Shelby County Board of Commissioners Subscriber Only

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Laura Testino

Laura Testino

Laura Testino is an enterprise reporter on The Daily Memphian’s metro team who writes most often about how education policies shape the lives of children and families. She regularly contributes to coverage of breaking news events and actions of the Tennessee General Assembly. Testino’s journalism career in Memphis began six years ago at The Commercial Appeal, where she began chronicling learning disruptions associated with the pandemic, and continued with Chalkbeat, where she dug into education administration in Memphis. Her reporting has appeared in The New York Times, The Times-Picayune, The Tuscaloosa News and USA Today. Reach Laura with questions, story ideas or tips: Ltestino@dailymemphian.com or Ldtestino.54 on Signal.

Bill Dries

Bill Dries

Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.


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