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.
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.
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.
Each year, teachers from all seven Germantown Municipal School District schools gather at Houston High for a party and inspirational speech from Jason Manuel, the superintendent.
When Tennessee State Board of Education Chairman Bob Eby mentioned at a May board meeting that he wanted to launch a study of the state’s language graduation requirement, he kicked off a firestorm of public response.
In Memphis, significant portions of the teacher population are either new to the profession or nearing retirement eligibility.
Schwinn enjoyed a good reputation among conservative education advocates for her work in Tennessee to boost reading proficiency and target pandemic relief dollars toward academic recovery.
Germantown Municipal School District recently changed its clear-bag policy, joining the majority of public school districts around Memphis.
According to interim superintendent Roderick Richmond, carving up Memphis-Shelby County Schools prioritizes “localized decision-making.”
“We can decide we have a medium-tier school system or a top-tier school system, and that determines how we have to fund it,” a Houston High alumnus and parent said.
Students will be required to keep personal devices, including smartwatches, turned off and put away during school hours. Violating that policy could come with consequences, up to suspension.
“Whatever you think of the members of this particular school board, even they couldn’t screw this one up.”
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.
The four schools in Southwest Memphis that xAI has proposed supporting have some of the greatest deferred maintenance needs in the district.
While some commissioners said the resolution the could end terms early for some MSCS board members is “unfair” and that there were “pure hypocrites in this room,” unhappy community members said, “It’s time for change.”
During the deposition, Feagins also denied sexual harassment allegations that an attorney for the MSCS board said are part of a “formal complaint.”
The new $90 million Hernando High has more than 200,000 square feet and is situated on an expansive 94-acre lot.
The move is expected to restore $17 million in federal funds to Memphis-Shelby County Schools, which pays for school-based translators and helps educators hone their teaching strategies.
More than half the money raised will go toward other university operations.
Memphis school board members will vote next week on a revised student cellphone policy to align with new state standards.
Five of seven County Commissioners present for a Wednesday test vote supported a move that ultimately would cut in half the terms of five school board members elected in 2024.
“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.
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, 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.
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.
Middle schoolers and high school students got to explore computer science and coding during a three-day event at the University of Memphis.
“This is a complete case of abandonment of 185 students on scholarship,” said one student. “It’s a break of trust. It comes as a betrayal.”
The Lakeland school district will add its first-ever senior class this year.
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.