Together4Students is the latest local group to join a cadre of Memphis advocates for school reform. It is urging the district to drop its state takeover lawsuit.

More improvements are coming to internal controls, procurement, human resources and cybersecurity processes at Memphis-Shelby County Schools, Superintendent Roderick Richmond told board members.

The vacancy was created by the resignation of Scotty Hendricks Jr.

MSCS qualifies for a takeover in part because of state test performance, low-performing schools and student attendance. But state appointees to an oversight board don’t have to improve all of those metrics for the takeover to end.

In federal court documents, the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General filed motions to dismiss the school district’s lawsuit and dissolve an earlier court order pausing the takeover. 

The Tennessee State Board of Education is considering a policy to create alternate pathways to pass specialty area content assessments.

Democratic nominee for County Mayor Mickell Lowery talked about state intervention, his vote to raise county property taxes and tax breaks as economic development incentives on “Behind The Headlines.”

A forensic audit report found evidence of fraud, waste and abuse at Tennessee’s largest school district. But the most significant claims aren’t news to MSCS, according to court records and additional audit reports detailing the district’s responses.

A 2004 White Station High graduate co-founded Magnus Labs — an AI, data and robotics company — in Silicon Valley. Now, he wants to bring his expertise and work with Sparco, a computer- and tech-consulting business in Millington, to bring robotics and a curriculum to Memphis-area schools.

Here’s what you need to know about tax-free weekends in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. 

That alleged abuse is largely associated with a single custodial contract that received elected board approval in 2022.

Even before a federal judge halted the state takeover of MSCS, it’s unclear whether the new oversight board had final-approval authority over any of the other contracts elected board members approved Tuesday. And the questions don’t stop there.

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Auditors reviewed three years of Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ finances and its current internal controls, prompted by lawmakers’ request for an audit in 2025. A final report is expected July 8.

A federal judge has ordered Tennessee to halt its takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools. In the wake of that order, the state oversight board canceled its Wednesday afternoon meeting.

A group of residents at Youth Villages received training and certification in forklift operations — preparation for a potential career.

Compare scores on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program tests by subject and student group for districts in Memphis and Shelby County.

Attorneys for Memphis-Shelby County Schools and Shelby County government expanded their lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s takeover of the school district to include appointees to the new oversight board.

State appointees to a board responsible for taking control of Memphis-Shelby County Schools also plan to make information requests of Superintendent Roderick Richmond.

Suburban school districts have strong reading scores, according to Tennessee testing data.

Third graders in the Memphis district shined in one subject area, while math scores stagnated for elementary and middle school students.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members seem poised to renew contracts with some education service providers facing pushback during a meeting on Tuesday, June 23. 

“I know I have work to do,” Superintendent Russell Dyer said. “I know areas I need to get stronger in and areas I’m going to work on this upcoming school year.”

Memphis-Shelby County Schools and Shelby County government allege Tennessee’s school takeover law unconstitutionally targets Memphis.

The new board overseeing Memphis-Shelby County Schools convened for the first time Thursday — in Nashville, with little notice, at 8:45 a.m. If the hope was to win over conflicted Memphians, this was a bizarre way to start.

Appointees have sweeping powers over decisions of the elected board and the district until 2030. But Thursday’s decisions focused more on establishing the new board’s own systems and operations rather than decisions about MSCS business — including who will lead the district.