Chalkbeat Tennessee

by Laura Testino -- Althea Greene will remain chair of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board for a second year as the district continues its search for a permanent superintendent, despite criticism of how she handled the initial search. Greene received seven votes from the nine-member board....

by Laura Testino -- The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board is rebooting its superintendent search, with plans to solicit fresh community input, invite new candidates, and hire a permanent leader in early 2024. The move to restart the search could entice qualified candidates who experts say may have...

by Laura Testino -- Memphis-Shelby County Schools paid a lawn care vendor more than its contract allowed, lost some lawn equipment to theft, and paid an employee for days they didn’t work. The lapses surfaced in a regular independent financial audit of the district for the...

by Laura Testino -- The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board relaxed its minimum requirements for the district’s superintendent role, allowing interim Superintendent Toni Williams to remain a candidate for the permanent leadership job, even though she lacks classroom experience.  But despite months of discussions aimed at forging consensus about what...

by Laura Testino --  Early state test results show Memphis third graders improved in reading this year, and more students in the cohort are mastering state reading goals. But about three-quarters of third graders in Memphis-Shelby County Schools are still not meeting expectations, which means they...

by Tonyaa Weathersbee -- In elementary school several years ago, Olivia Shackelford read about how 6-year-old Ruby Bridges endured racial slurs, ostracism, and death threats for integrating an all-white elementary school in New Orleans in 1960. Groups such as Moms for Liberty that try to get...

by Laura Testino -- A majority of Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members signaled Friday that they want to reopen the search for a new superintendent, consider more candidates and use a different set of criteria to evaluate them. The board consensus, based on an informal vote, emerged...

by Laura Testino -- The search for a new leader for Memphis-Shelby County Schools looks like it won’t be done anytime soon. The school board, which met Tuesday amid sharp divisions over how to complete the selection of the district’s next superintendent, is scheduled to meet...

Laura Testino -- The search for Memphis’ next school superintendent attracted several Memphis-area educators as well as current and former district leaders from across the country, a Chalkbeat Tennessee review of candidates found. But several of the leading contenders have dropped out. And one applicant...

by Marta W. Aldrich -- Plaintiffs behind two lawsuits challenging Tennessee’s private school voucher law plan to appeal a judicial panel’s dismissal of their remaining legal claims. Metropolitan Nashville and Shelby County governments, which jointly challenged the 2019 law that applies only to their counties, notified the...