Latest news with #MemphisShelbyCountySchools
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Summit held allows parents to be involved in children's education
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Hundreds of Memphis parents filled an auditorium today at KIPP Memphis Collegiate High School for the first day of a two-day Parent Summit. The event is organized by Memphis Lift, which attempts to see parents more involved in their children's education. 'We are working all over this county to bring a message that our children are in crisis. We are losing children in America every single day,' said Geoffrey Canada, Founder of Harlem Children's Zone. 'These kids are out on these corners when they should be in these schools, where they should be getting an education and a set of skills that will prepare them for the future.' 'Litigation over leadership': What led to Feagins being fired by MSCS school board? 'What got me here the first time I met with Sarah, it was during Covid and we were all on Zoom, and she told me she had a parent meeting and wanting me to talk, so I expected 20 parents, 30 parents, and there were hundreds it's the biggest Zoom call I've ever done.' Since Dr. Marie Feagins was ousted as the Shelby County Schools Superintendent in January, there has been controversy surrounding local schools. Feagin's firing led to an almost state takeover of Memphis Shelby County Schools. Memphis Lift's Executive Director Sarah Carpenter says she didn't agree with how the school board handled things. 1 injured, 3 suspects flee after Mud Island shooting 'I don't think it was done right. I don't think it was done right. I said it then, and I'm saying it now. I don't think it was done right,' said Sarah Carpenter, Lift Memphis Executive Director. Carpenter and Canada agreed that there may be problems from literacy to violence with the Memphis Shelby County Schools. They called on parents to step in and demand the best for their kids' education. 'Here's my message to parents here in Memphis, don't give up, don't settle for less than you know your children deserve,' said Canada. Tuesday's speaking lineup will feature Michael Bloomberg's daughter Emma and former Shelby County Schools Superintendent, Dr. Michelle Feagins, as Memphis Lift hopes to raise more awareness from parents concerning Memphis Shelby County Schools. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
MSCS passes resolution to protect students from immigration policies
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis-Shelby County School board members approved a resolution that will protect vulnerable students in the community. This comes as federal and state laws continue to tighten around policies regarding immigration. 'I just wanted to be reflective that we abide by the state laws and the federal laws,' said MSCS Vice Chair Stephanie Love. The resolution read in part: 'Memphis Shelby County Schools has a responsibility to ensure all students who reside within its boundaries, regardless of immigration status, can safely access a free public K-12 education.' 'That means a lot to all of us to make sure that our immigrants are protected on the federal level and on the state level,' said board member Towanna Murphy. HS seniors' families stress over limited graduation tickets The response from MSCS comes after state lawmakers considered a bill that would allow schools to deny enrollment of undocumented students. That bill is currently on hold. 'When you have a high population of English as a second language, some of them could be legal here, but when it comes time for growing season, they just don't pick up and they leave school,' said Republican Speaker Cameron Sexton. 'They don't come back, so that's detrimental to the school system.' MSCS board members said federal law requires school districts to educate students regardless of their immigration status. CBU to partner with university in Illinois to boost academic success 'These children don't have — They should not suffer from something that we think their parents did right or wrong,' said board member Natalie McKinney. 'So, I think using children to get to their parents is not right.' 'We had already put that extra layer of protection out there to protect our immigrants and for stopping ICE from coming into our schools,' Murphy said. Both Murphy and McKinney said they have heard concerns from local immigrant community leaders and both said those concerns surround the safety of their children. They said that as long as the federal law allows it, they will fight for their students. 'I can say that for majority of our board- we are going to fight for the rights of children,' McKinney said. 'This is about children. It doesn't matter where you come from, doesn't matter about who your parents are — if you're here, you should be educated.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Memphis schools 'takeover' bill dead until next year
Rep. Mark White, a Shelby County Republican, said he will pursue a measure enabling the state to take over administration of Memphis-Shelby County Schools in 2026. (Photo: John Partipilo) The sponsor of legislation criticized as a 'takeover' of Memphis Shelby County Schools confirmed Tuesday the bill is on hold until 2026. Republican Rep. Mark White of East Memphis, chairman of the House Finance Committee, said House and Senate versions approved earlier in the day were too far apart for passage. The Tennessee Legislature adjourned for the year Tuesday evening without taking further action on the bills. One of the key sticking points was that the Senate bill was amended to enable an advisory board to select replacements for elected Memphis board members removed by the state, a provision considered unconstitutional. It differed from the House version. White said he wants a 'strong oversight board' and that a compromise would weaken the measure. He declined to have competing House and Senate measures sent to a conference committee to work out a compromise. Tennessee lawmakers file Memphis Shelby Schools 'hostile takeover' at last minute 'We prefer we keep the bill alive,' White said, adding he would work on the legislation through the summer and bring it back next year for consideration. The House and Senate passed separate bills Tuesday creating a management group to oversee Memphis Shelby County Schools despite complaints that setting up a 'takeover' board could prove to be unconstitutional. White's decision came as the legislature moved toward adjournment for the year. Earlier, White told colleagues the change is needed after decades of poor performance by the school district and board, including a billion dollars in deferred maintenance and under-used buildings despite a $1.8 billion budget. The advisory board, which would be funded locally instead of by the state, would supersede the elected board on budgets, contracts exceeding $50,000 and some policy. Under one plan, it would be responsible for reviewing the entire system and making an improvement plan. Separately, the legislature approved $6 million for a forensic audit of the school district. But Republicans, who hold supermajorities in the House and Senate, refused requests to complete the audit before embarking on the new format. Later, White said waiting a year would enable the audit to move forward before an advisory board is created. Republican Sen. Brent Taylor of Shelby County, who carried the Senate version of the bill, laid most of the blame for poor performance on school board members, saying students are 'hanging in there like a crackhead's last tooth.' White and Taylor denied the plan is a 'takeover,' with Taylor instead describing it as 'a list of cascading interventions' Republican Sen. Brent Taylor of Shelby County, who carried the Senate version of the bill, laid most of the blame for poor performance on school board members, saying students are 'hanging in there like a crackhead's last tooth.' Votes in both chambers didn't come without opposition from Memphis lawmakers who said the state should allow voters to select new school board members, instead of giving the state's education commissioner authority to remove board members and the district director. Democratic Sen. London Lamar of Memphis was among numerous Shelby County lawmakers who spoke out against the measure. In response to Taylor, she said, 'Memphis is not the last tooth in a crack addict's mouth.' Lamar and other Shelby lawmakers compared the plan to the state's Achievement School District, which is being phased out after a decade and more than a billion dollars spent. They also accused the state of usurping local voters. 'It's not our job to take the power away from the local school board,' Lamar said. Lamar later called the outcome a 'victory for local control.' Democratic Rep. Antonio Parkinson of Memphis, a consistent critic of the Achievement School District for five-plus years, said the bill's provision allowing the state to turn schools over to charter operators shows that the plan is designed to benefit hedge funds and corporations. Shelby County school systems have gone through several stages in the last decade, including dissolution of Memphis City Schools and creation of suburban districts such as Collierville and Arlington, all of which left Memphis Shelby County Schools with a large concentration of low-income students. The Memphis Shelby County School Board also removed its director recently, creating more conflict within the district and giving lawmakers ammunition to single out the school system, even though the bills applied to schools statewide. Republican Rep. Kevin Vaughan of Collierville in Shelby County told colleagues he had shifted views after initially thinking lawmakers should wait until the audit is complete before taking action. 'We've got to turn the ship around in southwest Tennessee,' Vaughan said. 'We're doing a disservice to children who are not getting a fair shake.' The legislation also lifted income caps on the Education Savings Account program in Shelby to enable more families to qualify for funds to enroll children in private schools. Recipients can use about $9,500 in state funds to go toward tuition. Democratic state Sen. Jeff Yarbro predicted such a move would cause confusion and lead to a lawsuit. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
MSCS state takeover bill up for debate Monday
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tennessee lawmakers will begin debates on Monday for a bill that would allow a state-appointed board to take over Memphis Shelby County Schools. The bill, also known as the Tennessee Public School Accountability Act, would authorize the Department of Education to appoint a board of managers, which would remain in place for four years. Today, there will be up to 25 minutes of debate for each side. The House session begins at 10 a.m., while the Senate floor session begins at 4 p.m. House bill for state control of MSCS advances The bill was written by Republican state Representative Mark White and filed for introduction back in February. This all comes following the firing of Dr. Marie Feagins as superintendent. And in January, the district faced a threat of a state takeover by Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton. 'I just think we need to right-size this. We've heard of complaints for too many years, and I think now, with the will of the majority of the communities behind us, that they want us to intervene,' said Rep. White. 'We deserve better than what we're getting': Lawmaker shares more about bill to take over MSCS Locally, the bill has faced opposition from MSCS board members, including Michelle McKissack, who initially opposed the firing of Dr. Feagins. 'This is too serious. We have the state making its assertions of how the board is in a state of dysfunction, so they feel they have to step in. I don't want to see our board lose its local control,' said McKissack. The House version of the bill passed the Finance, Ways, and Means Committee last week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee lawmakers file Memphis Shelby Schools 'hostile takeover' at last minute
A House Democrat is calling a move by Republicans to replace an elected school board with a state-appointed board a "hostile takeover." (Photo: Karen Pulfer Focht) With only days remaining in the 2025 Tennessee session, Shelby County lawmakers filed new legislation Tuesday that critics call a 'hostile takeover' of Memphis Shelby County Schools by the state. The bills sponsored by Rep. Mark White of East Memphis and Sen. Brent Taylor of Shelby County would create a state-appointed board with authority over the locally-elected school board on budgets, contracts, policy and potentially allow district directors and board members to be replaced. White's bill isn't to be taken up until the legislature approves a budget for next year, and Taylor's version was deferred until April 21, then scheduled for Wednesday. I'm disappointed in the tactics that have been used to gain control of the schools. This wholesale takeover is not good for business. – Rep. Joe Towns, D-Memphis Liz Marable, president of United Education Association of Shelby County, called the bills a 'worst-case scenario' because the state could subvert voters' decisions. 'We have so many positive things going on every day in our school district, and the state has shown that they are not in the business of running schools well,' Marable said, referring to the state's failed Achievement School District. 'I just feel like this is another version of the state trying to take over a local school district.' Democratic Rep. Joe Towns of Memphis labeled the situation a 'hostile takeover.' 'I'm disappointed in the tactics that have been used to gain control of the schools,' Towns said. 'This wholesale takeover is not good for business.' Towns acknowledged he isn't satisfied with students' performance, but he said if the state starts overseeing Memphis schools, it could broaden that to cover every district in Tennessee. Tennessee planning $6 million audit of Memphis Shelby schools Memphis leaders have been fighting the proposal for months, even as White has said action is needed to solve a 'decades-old issue of underperformance.' In addition to the state 'takeover,' lawmakers are putting $6 million in next year's budget for a forensic audit of the school district. Both bills create a state-appointed oversight board that would oversee operations of low-performing school systems for at least three to four years. The measures don't name Memphis Shelby County Schools, but the district is clearly the target, even though the law could be used to go after other school districts. The state-appointed board would hold authority over district budgets, contracts exceeding $50,000 and under-used and vacant school properties. Besides establishment of an advisory board, the Senate bill allows the state education commissioner to recommend that the district director and board members be replaced. The commissioner also could propose schools be put under a charter group. Under White's bill, the governor would appoint four members and the speakers of the House and Senate would select two members each, all of whom must reside in the school district's county. The Senate version would give state leaders seven appointments and allow the Shelby County mayor or a designee to serve on the board. Under that version, the board would remain in place for at least four years and would end only if the state education commissioner decides the school district has made 'sufficient progress.' Tennessee lawmakers push Memphis-Shelby schools takeover In addition to veto authority over district budgets, the oversight board would be able to override the regular elected school board's decision to turn down charter school applications. Both bills would kick in if 50% of students fail to meet grade-level standards in math and English; 30% of schools receive a 'D' or 'F' from the state Department of Education; 25% of students are chronically absent, and at least one school school is identified as a 'priority' school for poor performance, and the local elected body declares it has no confidence in the school board. The Senate version is markedly different, requiring the oversight board to make a comprehensive study of the school district and recommend a 'transformation plan,' including goals the district should meet. The review would cover everything from policies and disciplinary incidents to financial statements and accounting principles. The advisory board's meetings would be closed to the public, except for the meeting in which it adopts final recommendations. The advisory board would be able to hire up to three staff members for assistance, and they would be paid by the school district, not the state. Under both bills, the board would be paid by the local district. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
