Memphis-Shelby County Schools has a lot going on. Here are 5 things to watch.
MSCS board members start another academic year with a temporary district leader, as state takeovers loom, school closures are expected, and new policies could take hold.
Topic: Memphis-Shelby County Schools
RSSThere are 388 article(s) tagged Memphis-Shelby County Schools:
-
August 2025
-
-
‘Nervous and excited': MSCS students embark on new school year
This first day of school, Memphis-Shelby County Schools third grader Willie Perry felt “nervous and excited at the same time.” Adults interested in the school system have reasons to feel the same about the new academic year.
-
Memphis board leaves in-school literacy tutoring program in limbo days before classes start
More than 1,500 students in Memphis-Shelby County Schools could lose access to targeted in-school literacy tutoring this year as nonprofit Literacy Mid-South faces budget challenges.
-
Last year, MSCS started school missing 478 teachers. This year, it’s hoping to be down to 240 vacancies — or fewer
In Memphis, significant portions of the teacher population are either new to the profession or nearing retirement eligibility.
-
-
July 2025
-
Interim head is breaking MSCS into regions. Here’s what they are.
According to interim superintendent Roderick Richmond, carving up Memphis-Shelby County Schools prioritizes “localized decision-making.”
-
MSCS directs xAI to move forward with school building upgrades
The four schools in Southwest Memphis that xAI has proposed supporting have some of the greatest deferred maintenance needs in the district.
-
Board refuses last remaining ASD schools’ applications to become charters
MSCS rejected requests for Kirby Middle and Hillcrest High to become district charter schools once their ASD terms end. The denials could carry consequences, under a new state law.
-
XAI could tackle some MSCS building upgrades
“You should look forward to going to school,” said Brent Mayo, a key executive of xAI in Memphis, in talking about the company’s plans to invest in upgrades at schools near its data centers.
-
In deposition, Marie Feagins was pressed on private meeting claims and a ‘formal complaint’
During the deposition, Feagins also denied sexual harassment allegations that an attorney for the MSCS board said are part of a “formal complaint.”
-
A Feagins return to MSCS leader would be ‘short-lived,’ attorneys argue
“It would be contrary to and would not serve the public’s interest, in anyway, to legally mandate” that Memphis-Shelby County Schools restore Marie Feagins as superintendent, the school board’s attorney argued in court documents.
-
Feagins made her case to be MSCS’ leader again. Here’s what she said.
Marie Feagins’ attorney argued the public termination meetings were just a “rubber stamp.” The school board’s attorney argued Feagins lacked evidence of direct knowledge of violations and instead relied on secondhand information.
-
Porter-Leath beats MSCS in local battle for pre-K money
Porter-Leath, a local early childhood education organization, appears to be taking over local management of a $30 million, federally funded preschool program known as Head Start.
-
At six months with Richmond as interim, what’s next for MSCS leadership?
Roderick Richmond is one third of the way through his interim superintendent contract, which expires in July 2026. MSCS board members haven’t discussed how long his role will last.
-
After axing hundreds of jobs and adding new ones, where does MSCS stand?
The Daily Memphian analyzed public records to determine what Memphis school district jobs were cut and which ones were created for this 2024-25 school year.
-
Two state lawmakers plan to push for MSCS takeover
Rep. Mark White and Sen. Brent Taylor, both Republicans, propose the next steps for their bills that would give the state more power over Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
-
Richmond’s MSCS team includes mix of new and familiar faces
In hires announced late Thursday, July 10, Memphis-Shelby County Schools interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond restored some former administrators to senior roles and delivered new faces from FedEx and elsewhere.
-
6 charts show how Memphis-area students stack up on TCAP tests
Have Shelby County districts improved third grade reading scores under the new retention law? How do Memphis students compare to students across Tennessee? Answer these questions and more.
-
TCAP scores 2025: See how MSCS students did on Tennessee tests
The Tennessee Department of Education issued results from its state exams Tuesday, July 8. “Growth is not optional; it’s our mandate,” MSCS Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond said in a statement.
-
Amid federal funding uncertainty, Memphis schools could lose $17M
Memphis-Shelby County Schools may lose federal funds used to pay for translators and district-level staff who help educators in what a former MSCS board member calls a “lose-lose” situation.
-
MSCS lost money it needed for air-conditioning and roofs. Feds gave that $55M back.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools had abruptly lost access to leftover pandemic-era federal funding in March.
-
-
June 2025
-
MSCS board approves $12.3M in property sales, finalizes new buildings team
Final votes from the school board on Tuesday, June 24, moved four properties toward final sales and all other district property toward a final plan for school closures and consolidations.
-
Feagins pushes court to get job back as MSCS head
Ousted Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins told a local court she “was publicly humiliated for following the law” in new documents requesting a judge overturn the school board’s vote to fire her.
-
Excess xAI tax revenue could be earmarked for Memphis pre-K
The council also talks Tuesday, June 24, about an MPD plan to install license plate readers along the city’s rights of way of state highways as a crime-fighting measure.
-
MSCS to sell $12M of property, but building donations, demolitions paused
MSCS board members are poised to finalize four property sales in June, one each in northeast Shelby County, Parkway Village, South Memphis and Whitehaven.
-
Head Start grant may not be awarded until beginning of school year
Federal officials say they are negotiating with finalists who want to operate Head Start preschool programming, which funds 3,200 seats, for students from low-income families in Shelby County.
-