Here’s Who’s Running for Memphis-Shelby County Schools District 1

(From left to right) Memphis-Shelby County Schools District 1 candidates Michelle McKissack, Delores Missy Rivers, and Hailey Thomas. (Photos Courtesy of Each Candidate)

Three candidates are running for the Memphis-Shelby County school board seat in District 1, and the Tennessee Firefly has put together a breakdown of their ties to Memphis, qualifications, and what they would aim to accomplish if elected.

Early voting begins on April 15, and all three candidates will be on the ballot as Democrats for the May 5 primary. No Republican qualified to run for the seat, so next week’s primary will determine who serves the midtown and westside district.

Michelle McKissack

Incumbent District 1 Representative Michelle McKissack announced that she was running for re-election in a Facebook video last December.

“It has been my absolute honor to represent and serve students, teachers, and families in the entire community on the school board,” McKissack said in the video. “And if you've seen a school board meeting in the last year, you've seen me in action. You know that I am a fierce advocate for public education, students and teachers.”

McKissack has served on the MSCS board since 2018. She has been present through various controversies surrounding the board, including the firing of former Superintendent Marie Feagins in 2025, where she was the only board member to vote against it, and the current pending state takeover of the district after the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office released the results of a preliminary audit that found widespread fraud and waste.

She went on to highlight her commitment to public education, advocating for students and teachers, and closing the digital divide by investing in laptops, tablets, and other devices so students can have one-on-one time with technology they might not have access to otherwise.

“I’d love your support to continue to be the voice of reason on the school board,” McKissack said.

Delores Missy Rivers

Delores Missy Rivers says she is tired of the drama. That’s one of the key lines in a video she posted to her campaign’s Facebook page.

“Let’s face it; this is a soap opera,” Rivers said in the video. “We need to get back to the business of supporting students, teachers, and families.”

Rivers is a retired educator with 30 years of experience, most of which were spent teaching at Ross Elementary. She is also the daughter of a former teacher and has five adult children, all of whom were educated by Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS). She recently served one term as the Interim Executive Director of the Memphis-Shelby County Education Association. She is also the District Education and Interpretation Chair for the United Methodist Women of Faith.

Her platform includes a variety of initiatives, such as protecting instructional time and expanding classroom supports for educators, increasing teacher salaries, creating a Parent Advisory Council and monthly school listening sessions, strengthening tutoring and SEL supports, and expanding college and career readiness pathways.

She also criticized the board for not doing enough to fight the impending state intervention, and called on parents to vote for her because she wants to help clean up MSCS’s messy state of affairs.

“Words open the door, but somebody has to have the courage to actually walk through it,” Rivers said in another video. “Eight years, multiple superintendents, a district audit, and now a state takeover. This isn't a personal attack, but it certainly is a timeline, and timelines show us patterns, and patterns matter when our children's futures are what's at stake.”

Hailey Thomas

Hailey Thomas introduced herself as an educator, community advocate, and lifelong Memphian who believes it is time for change in MSCS in a video on her campaign’s Facebook page.

“I want to break the status quo,” Thomas said in the video. “I know that the children of Memphis deserve so much more than what they’re receiving. What does a vote for me mean? A vote for me means parents actually being held accountable and receiving support. It means teachers receiving support and actually being able to teach, and children having resources, especially programs that will help them in the real world.”

Thomas began working as a teacher in District 1 at Larose Elementary School in 2021 and is now a literacy instructor at the Beacon College Preparatory public charter school. She wants to give teachers pay raises and target student deficiencies by adding programs that prepare students for the real world.

She is also running on fighting the state’s looming takeover of the school district if she is elected.

“The parents are fed up, the teachers are fed up, and the children deserve better,” Thomas said in another video. “The city of Memphis educational system needs serious reformation. We need politicians in our educational system that are not afraid to break the status quo and will actually go for legislation that will be beneficial for our children and think outside of the box.”