Latest news with #Feagins'
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Makeover, not a takeover': Faith leaders denounce state's efforts to takeover MSCS
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — 'Save our students, save our schools!' is part of a slogan that was pushed by faith leaders as they came together to speak against a bill that would allow the state takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools. The bill would allow the state to replace locally elected school board members with a state-appointed Board of Managers for at least four years if certain criteria are met, as well as remove much of board members' powers. This bill came to fruition after the chaos that has unfolded following the ouster of former Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins earlier this year. While some elected officials might have been divided when it came to Dr. Feagins' firing, they're united on the belief that Nashville doesn't know what's best for Memphis. DeSoto County deputy honored for stopping wrong-way driver Faith Leaders gathered at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, where they claimed the state's attempts at a takeover come down to 'money and power.' 'Now admittedly, we may need a makeover but we do not need a takeover,' said Bishop Linwood Dillard. 'I don't believe for one minute that Republicans in middle and east Tennessee care anything about our children,' said Reverend Bill Adkins Jr. 'You're not going to convince me that they care. Now what I believe they care about is a $2.1 billion annual budget.' Board member Towanna Murphy, who voted to fire Dr. Feagins, said she doesn't see how there could be some kind of compromise with the state when it comes to the bill. 'We were well within our rights and we did our jobs and we followed the rules,' Murphy said. 'We followed the policies and we were in our rights of what we had to do.' Hours before the rally, another group made up of other board members, concerned citizens and leaders gathered at MSCS headquarters. MSCS board members call state takeover bill 'attack on democracy' They also spoke out against the bill, acknowledging families are upset and they too want action, but this would give the state unprecedented power. 'This is about control,' MSCS board Member Amber Huett-Garcia said. 'So we're all standing here united saying that we want a path forward. We understand that you all want to see change, but this is not the answer.' 'I want to emphasize that we don't need any more rash, knee-jerk decisions regarding Memphis Shelby County Schools,' MSCS board member Michelle McKissack said. 'I think that is partly the reason of how we got where we are today of acting and moving too quickly.' That bill is expected to be introduced on Tuesday. Save our Students, Save our Schools, is inviting those in the community to come to 6727 Raleigh LaGrange Road to ride the bus to Nashville on Tuesday. They ask that those interested be there at 5 a.m. Breakfast and lunch will be served. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some wonder if money spent on superintendent saga could have been better spent
SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — Many question whether the money spent on finding and firing a Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendent could have been better spent, as the district faces serious issues of academic performance, truancy and deferred maintenance. Some of those asking stood in a long line in January as they waited to go into the Memphis Shelby County School board meeting. They were anxious to chime in on the fate of Dr. Marie Feagins, who was terminated by the board. School board to search for new superintendent, again 'I would hope the focus would be more clearly helping the scores and standards go up, rather than worry about this,' Noel Hutchinson said. He called it a distraction from the countless problems piling within the district and community. 'We have buildings that are in deteriorating conditions. We have issues with literacy and other things,' MSCS alumni Cameron Kuykindall said. According to the state, there are about 105,000 students enrolled at MSCS. Nearly 74% are African-American and about 50% are economically disadvantaged. The state grades the schools they attend. While 81 schools improved their grade last year, two dozen schools were given a C or below. The state also reports a majority of MSCS students, especially in middle and high school, are struggling in math. English is also an issue. Of the students who graduated from the district last year, the state says not even 37 percent were ready for postsecondary education or a career, meaning they had to get at least a 21 on their ACT, earn industry credentials or participate in advanced coursework. 'I've been in the meetings where the where developers and business people coming in from out of town who want to build something in Memphis and bring economic opportunity,' said Alan Crone, once Feagins' attorney and a former council member. He said the state's data should matter to everyone. 'First question they ask is, tell us about the workforce that you're training,' Crone said. 'What's the graduation rate? What are the test scores? We do not have good answers to those questions.' For years now, WREG Investigators have reported on issues within the district that are exacerbated by the pandemic, poverty, gangs and violence. Last year, 29 percent of MSCS students were chronically absent, meaning they missed at least 18 days of class. That number grew 10% since 2019 and is above the state average. 'This board should be doing everything that it possibly can to make sure students are retained and to reduce the amount of truancy that is happening,' said TN Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis). State lawmakers have told us time and time again, they're paying close attention. 'We've got a billion dollars plus of deferred maintenance,' said TN Rep. G.A. Hardaway (D-Memphis). Aging infrastructure has forced MSCS schools to close, sometimes for months and some permanently. One teacher told us off camera her classroom's heater was out in December. Her repair requests to the district and her board member went ignored until mid-January, which was after a big snow storm. County orders forensic audit for Memphis-Shelby County Schools financial records Records we found show 11 HVAC upgrades, but as of October, there were 995 work orders for heating, ventilation or air conditioning. Another 5,400 were for other issues including mold, roofing and plumbing. 'It matters, in terms of positive academic outcomes, on what type of facility our children are sitting in,' Hardaway said. A study was done to find out what all needs to be fixed and how much it will cost. Our requests to district for the results have gone unanswered. We filed an open records request on January 7, but were told it will take at least until February 28 for an answer. We have nearly a dozen more requests pending that date back months as we keep digging to answer your questions. Get the latest from the WREG Investigators in your inbox Feagins had said she was creating a plan based on the facilities assessment results. The new interim superintendent said he's now working on his next steps. 'I don't have a 100-day plan. I am starting to develop it,' Interim Superintendent Dr. Roderick Richmond said at a press conference January 23. Who is MSCS Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond? Those who voted to oust Feagins argue the money has been spent wisely. 'It was time for us to act. We did what was best for our community and for our students,' MSCS board member Towanna Murphy said. But many who stood in line at the January meeting feel differently. It was the longest line seen at a school board meeting in quite some time. 'Superman is not coming to save us,' Hutchinson said as he got in line. 'It's up to us. We have to fix this. We can't be distracted by stuff like this.' ► DO YOU NEED A STORY INVESTIGATED? WREG Investigators want to hear from you! Call our tip line at 901-543-2378. You can also send an email to wreginvestigators@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State confirms MSCS received grant funds at center of Feagins' termination
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — WREG Investigators have uncovered new information about the grant to help Memphis Shelby County homeless students at the center of Dr. Marie Feagins' termination. It was one of the alleged misdeeds listed on Feagins' termination resolution presented at a special meeting in December. 'Grant mismanagement. Some clear examples include not being honest with us about a United States Department of Education award,' said MSCS Board Chair Joyce Dorse-Coleman at that meeting. Dorse-Coleman claimed under Feagins' leadership, $300,000 in federal funds were squandered that would have helped homeless students and their families, and stated Feagins was 'dishonest' when she said the funds were still available. 'Contrary to the information we have received from state officials, she continues to convince the board the grant can be saved,' Dorse-Coleman went on to announce. According to an agenda from a board committee meeting in October, the grant was supposed to be discussed and a short presentation was supposed to be given. It noted the funds would help the district identify 'homeless families and students' and provide them with 'emergency shelter, transportation, food and other essential supports.' It seems it wasn't brought up in that committee meeting. We didn't see it on another agenda either. It was mentioned at a meeting on December 3 during the public comment. 'I'm about serving the vulnerable population,' Vincent McCaskill said. 'On September 25, I received a letter of intent in your Homeless Identification and Support work.' He is in charge of School Seed, a non-profit that helps the district fulfill its needs and often times raises private funds. He said they won the contract to help with the work connected to the grant funds, but they never heard anything else. 'And it is my understanding from the State now, the district will have to forfeit that money,' he added. That was reiterated again by the board chair two weeks later at the special called meeting. 'The state has now informed us due to missed deadlines and incomplete paperwork under Dr. Feagins' administration, the funds must be returned,' Dorse-Coleman said. Feagins countered. She admitted they missed the deadline, but she said her team figured out a way to fix it. She said the grant was for a reimbursable expense for anything connected to homelessness. 'What we asked the state to do is still allocate the funds in a different way that did not require a contract. The state honored that,' Feagins said. The back and forth only created more confusion. Many of you asked — what really happened? WREG Investigators we went straight to the source. The Tennessee Department of Education distributes the federal grant to the districts. We got a hold of their records. We found out MSCS submitted its final expenditure report pertaining to this homeless grant in July. It shows $430,000 in unspent funds. Those funds carried over to this fiscal year. The district was supposed to submit an application by September 30, and the state stressed in a statement they distribute 'monthly newsletters that cover grant time frames and deadlines.' MSCS didn't submit its spending plan until December. The state confirmed that MSCS still received the unspent funds, and the district liquated those funds or used all of it. They went on to say no funds were released to the TDOE, meaning no funding was returned. The state also confirmed the district received all that it could and wouldn't have received anything more had they submitted the application prior to the deadline. Feagins' attorney gave a statement. It read in part this is 'just one example of the blatant lies levied by the board against Dr. Feagins in its sham resolution.' He went on to say the 'actions taken by the Board were unfounded, unjust and illegal, and we will continue to pursue all necessary legal remedies available to right this egregious wrong and any others.' We reached out the outside PR firm the school board hired for a response from the board, but as of Tuesday afternoon, we have yet to hear back. The school board also hired an outside law firm to look into the allegations against Feagins. The firm's report claimed the district lost the funding because it couldn't use the funds for the intended recipients and could only use it for expenses and salaries. The district's spending plan submitted in December shows the funding would cover two positions plus student transportation, school supplies, after-care services and a long-term stay hotel. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
