Judge keeps MSCS takeover paused as legal battle continues
Shelby County Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins is expected to hear a new round of technical arguments on Dec. 2, and the takeover board remains paused at least until then.
Laura Testino
There are 395 articles by Laura Testino :
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November 2026
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Education MSCS sells shuttered Frayser elementary school to Montessori charter operator
The sale of Georgian Hills Elementary leaves MSCS with three vacant campuses from a round of five school closures at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
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2026 elections
ElectionsRepublican Brent Taylor flips US House seat from blue to red
Republican Brent Taylor flipped Tennessee’s new 9th Congressional District Tuesday, Nov. 3, delivering the party the win it sought through a swift redistricting effort that diluted the state’s lone Democratic stronghold by carving majority-Black Memphis into thirds.
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EducationMSCS cleaning contracts offer first test for audit-response plan
In response to recommendations from a state-ordered forensic audit, Memphis-Shelby County Schools officials say they are changing some of the ways they monitor contracts and document procurement processes.
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October 2026
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Education Feagins’ nudity contributed to ‘hostile’ environment, former MSCS employee claims in new suit
A former Memphis-Shelby County Schools employee is seeking $1.5 million in damages from the school system for the “hostile and abusive” work environment she claims Marie Feagins created.
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Education MSCS takeover to remain paused at least 2 more weeks, judge says
“They can meet. They can talk. They cannot act,” Shelby County Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins said of the state-appointed oversight board on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
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Shelby CountySpending in MSCS-takeover suit nears county’s limit
A Shelby County Board of Commissioners decision to continue funding the litigation could coincide with a major milestone in the Chancery Court case.
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Update
EducationMSCS takeover paused again
Tennessee’s takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools has been paused again.
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EducationTakeover consultant wants MSCS to have a ‘transformational superintendent’ hired by December
None of the nine state appointees poised to take control of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools system will say whether they intend to act on the superintendent hiring timeline included in documents most of them voted to accept.
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Update
EducationState takeover of MSCS can proceed, judge rules
U.S. District Court Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. lifted an earlier block on the State of Tennessee’s takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
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EducationAfter 1 meeting, MSCS takeover board ready to go, chair says
Takeover board Chair Billy Orgel’s sworn statement is expected to lift a three-month hold on the state’s takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools. But its unclear if the board’s new plans will capture all expenses it should review under state law.
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Education Donor-funded consultant helped ready Memphis school takeover board during pause
A consulting firm that worked with Houston’s school system during its takeover has quietly played a key role in readying the state-appointed board to resume control of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
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Education MSCS asks another court to halt takeover in new suit
Attorneys for Memphis-Shelby County Schools and Shelby County government filed a new lawsuit in Shelby County Chancery Court
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Education MSCS takeover board to reconvene Thursday
The meeting comes less than a week after a judge said he “didn’t mean to imply” the oversight board couldn’t do its work with a July 1 order, which MSCS and the state interpreted as a temporary halt.
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Education MSCS takeover could resume when board is ‘ready,’ judge rules
How the oversight board determines what “ready” means could revive early criticisms from MSCS that the appointees lacked necessary structures to assume power over the school system.
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EducationJudge says he never meant to pause MSCS takeover
It is unclear what the judge’s clarification from the bench on Friday, Oct. 2, may mean for control of Tennessee’s largest school system.
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September 2026
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EducationMSCS board picks new chair as takeover challenge looms
Amid Tennessee takeover uncertainty, Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ elected board picked new leadership and added its 10th member: a student from Middle College High.
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Education Will MSCS takeover remain paused? Federal court could soon decide
Arguments in the case are expected to determine whether the takeover remains paused or whether the new state-appointed board of nine regains control over Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
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EducationMemphis Lift, Seeding Success join Tennessee’s legal defense of MSCS takeover
“The MSCS system is in crisis,” attorneys for Memphis Lift, Seeding Success and three family members of Memphis-Shelby County Schools students wrote.
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August 2026
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Public Safety Tennessee National Guard members halt patrols Friday for ‘administrative work,’ Marshals Service says
The Tennessee National Guard remains deployed as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force, according to Gov. Bill Lee’s office. Lee commands deployment of the state’s guard.
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Education TCAP results 2026: See how your Memphis-area school scored
Search The Daily Memphian’s chart to see how Memphis and Shelby County public schools scored, and whether they improved from last year.
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Education All MSCS campuses reopen for students Thursday
School is reopening to all Memphis-Shelby County Schools students as Memphis Light, Gas and Water approaches its target date for power restoration.
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Education 10 MSCS schools to remain closed Wednesday due to power outages
Memphis-Shelby County Schools officials said persistent power outages are forcing some schools to remain closed.
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Update
EducationMSCS keeps 19 campuses closed Tuesday due to lingering power outages
Families of students who attend the 19 closed schools can receive free meals on Tuesday. Food will be available at each closed campus between noon and 2 p.m., through a partnership with the YMCA.
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EducationExclusive: Legal fees mount in MSCS takeover lawsuit
Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ court challenge of the state’s takeover of the school system has cost at least $211,700 in legal fees, according to MSCS and Shelby County government officials.
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