MEMPHIS NEWS

Richmond has been serving as interim superintendent since the board fired former superintendent, Dr. Marie Feagins last year.

The district has received a waiver covering five impacted days and will not need to adjust its school calendar.

County commissioners approved the plan last year to align all nine school board seats on the same 2026 election cycle. 

The district closed schools for the ninth consecutive day on Thursday.

Those schools have been without formal custodial services this year, following a decision last month against approving a contract with ABM Industries.

At Tuesday night’s board work session, multiple members expressed support to keep interim superintendent Dr. Roderick Richmond on the job.

State Senator Brent Taylor has agreed to move forward with State Representative Mark White’s plan to create a state-appointed oversight board for Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

Commissioner Sugarmon’s resolution would allow five school board members to serve out their complete four-year term.

Just 11 percent of participating students tested proficient in math on state testing during the program’s initial 2022-23 year. That number rose to 19.5 percent in the 2024-25 school year.

56 percent of the commission’s schools received either an A or a B letter grade, 7 percentage points higher than the state average.

355 schools across the state received an overall A letter grade, compared to 290 last year.

Board attorneys argue that election officials had no authority to place the terms of five school board members up for re-election two years early.

Members failed to approve a $7.2 million contract with ABM Industries to clean all district buildings in the region for the 2026 calendar year.

If approved, the proposed Music City Academy would serve up to 500 high school students in Nashville with a team-centered, career-connected learning model that utilizes athletics and multiple career and technical education (CTE) paths.

The district estimates that expanding busing to more students by reducing the parent responsibility zone could increase costs by $9.7 million to $20.5 million.

Sixteen of Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ 44 Reward schools are public charter schools, along with eight of Nashville’s 28 Reward schools.

Last month, commissioners voted to put all nine school board seats on the ballot in 2026, including five board members elected last year who would now face re-election two years early.

The Memphis-Shelby County School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to expand bus eligibility for all students, citing attendance declines and safety concerns amid recent ICE and National Guard activity in Memphis.

Shelby County Commissioners voted 8–4 to override Mayor Lee Harris’ veto and put all nine Memphis-Shelby County School Board seats on the ballot in 2026.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools is proposing a sweeping consolidation plan that would merge or close several campuses across the city, saving more than $6 million in the first year

The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission voted Friday to deny four Memphis charter school proposals, including two new schools and two currently operating under the state-run Achievement School District.

Last school year, 3,693 students in Nashville, Memphis, and Chattanooga received assistance for private school expenses through the Education Savings Account (ESA), frequently referred to as school vouchers.

Tennessee Charter Commission Executive Director Tess Stovall has recommended denying four Memphis charter school proposals, citing concerns over financial readiness, governance, and academic planning.

The expense of maintaining and repairing both buildings played a key role in each decision, as the district has faced challenges in recent years keeping up some of its older facilities.

A wizarding world. A magical farm. Other places human beings can scarcely imagine. These are just some of the places the Tri-Star Reads summer reading contest winners traveled to this summer…

All nine Memphis-Shelby County Schools board seats will be back on the ballot in 2026 after commissioners voted to move up the election cycle, shortening terms for members elected just last year.

Both leading Republican candidates in the 2026 governor’s race are applauding President Trump’s decision that also appears to have given one Democratic candidate a larger spotlight.

New research by the Tennessee Charter School Center found public charter school students, including those in Nashville and Memphis, are making more academic progress than their peers in traditional public schools.

Lawmakers passed the legislation last year, requiring every public school district in the state to develop an age-appropriate curriculum for all grade levels, including kindergarteners.

Statewide, three percent more charter students tested proficient in math on the TCAP than last year and English language arts proficiency grew by a single percentage point.