Hundreds of Memphians made something very clear Tuesday night at a special call meeting of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board of Education:
If you want to terminate Superintendent Marie Feagins, you’re in for a fight.
As for Feagins, she lives to fight another day. By the end of a meeting where tempers flared, allegations were lobbed and angry citizens were shown the door, the school board voted to take the matter up again in January.
That’s when Feagins will get a chance to formally respond to allegations by school board members that her administration mishandled money, misled the public and presides over a toxic work environment — and therefore must go for the good of the students.
How We Got Here
While she’s enjoyed a lot of public support—more on that in a moment—it’s no secret that early in her short tenure, Feagins has stumbled at times and ruffled feathers at other times. Whether it’s been moving central office staff back into the classroom or botched communications around school shutdowns, she’s made both allies and adversaries.
Plus, the school board that hired her last spring was essentially blown up when five new board members were elected in June. Imagine being hired one day, your boss leaves, but now you have to report to a new boss who had nothing to do with hiring you.
Still, a hastily called meeting to discuss terminating Feagins’ contract blindsided almost everyone. During the meeting, one board member said she had not seen the allegations before the meeting, and Feagins’ said she only learned of the allegations against her as they were being read by Board Chair Joyce Dorse Coleman, who was seated right next to her.
“I understand the gravity of what I am about to recommend,” Coleman told a raucous pro-Feagins crowd. “It is not going to be popular with some, but we were not elected to make popular decisions. We were elected to make decisions in the best interest of students and families we serve.”
Resolution Full of Allegations
Coleman read a lengthy resolution aloud, laying out a litany of allegations against Feagins, including financial mismanagement, unapproved transactions and unfounded accusations of employee misconduct. Among them:
- Misleading Statements: Claimed the district paid $1 million in employee overtime for hours not worked, but Feagins failed to provide evidence and did not correct the statement publicly.
- Unauthorized Financial Actions: Accepted a $45,000 donation on behalf of the district without Board approval and misrepresented her knowledge of depositing the funds, violating Board policy.
- Grant Mismanagement: Claimed federal grant funds for homeless students were still available despite missing deadlines to obligate the funds, resulting in the district having to repay $304,000.
- Communication Failures: Allegedly refused to communicate and cooperate with district partners and failed to promptly report significant matters to the Board.
- Pattern of Detrimental Behavior: Accused of actions and behaviors inconsistent with effective leadership and the best interests of the district and its students.
If released, Feagins could still be contractually owed nearly $500,000 over 18 months, board counsel said.
“Colleagues, we need a leader who sets a vision for the district, collaborates effectively with this board, communicates transparently and acts with integrity,” Coleman said. “We have seen a clear pattern of behavior that undermines these qualities and raises concerns about professional conduct, accountability and alignment with the best interests of the district.”
The People vs. The Board of Education
Board members looking to oust Feagins may not have been looking for a fight, but they sure got one.
Hundreds packed the board chambers to capacity. Another 50 or 60 watched the meeting in an overflow area down the hallway. And dozens more waited outside the building in line, even as rain threatened, watching the livestream on their phones. That livestream on YouTube had well over 5,000 people watching live at one point.
For context: This was how the public responded with just 24 hours notice.
In a normal meeting, guests get three minutes to comment. But when it was announced that 57 people had signed up to comment and more wanted to, the board gave each commenter one minute to say their piece.
But in an extremely heated environment, some in the crowd disregarded protocols and shouted their disapproval at the board: “We hired you! If you fire her, we’ll fire YOU!”
“Dr. Feagins has brought hope to this district,” said Sandra Boyd, a retired teacher and union member. “She’s a visionary leader who cares deeply about our children and their future.”
Frederick White, a principal and member of the district’s leadership association, credited Feagins with tackling long-standing challenges.
“She’s worked tirelessly to address teacher shortages, reduce truancy and improve outcomes. Let her finish the job she started,” White said.
The tension in the room occasionally boiled over. At one point, security escorted several attendees out after shouting matches erupted between Feagins’ supporters and critics. Out in the hallway and overflow areas, police officers tried to calm angry citizens still demanding to be let in.
One particularly fiery speaker, Spanish teacher Noah Nordstrom, accused the board of acting illegally before rattling off the exact number of signatures needed to recall each board member who votes against Feagins. “We know the process, and we’re ready to act!”
A Board Divided
Five board members are clearly in favor of termination: Coleman, Natalie McKinney, Stephanie Love, Towanna Murphy and Sable Otey. And while they understand Feagins’ popularity, they said they have access to information they can’t ignore and a responsibility to act on it.
“This isn’t about popularity or personalities,” Coleman said. “It’s about integrity, accountability and ensuring the future of our district is in capable hands. These allegations undermine trust in our leadership.”
However, the board was far from unified in its stance. Board member Michelle Robinson McKissack pushed back against what she described as a rushed and flawed process.
“This feels like a kangaroo court,” McKissack said. “I only received this resolution hours ago. We are supposed to uphold due process—not undermine it.”
Board member Amber Huett-Garcia added her voice to the opposition, questioning the lack of communication and transparency leading up to the meeting.
“We cannot make decisions of this magnitude without thorough deliberation,” she said. “The stakes are too high to rush to judgment.”
But board member Sable Otey made a point to speak on behalf of a quieter constituency, telling stories of educators and district employees who were texting her in real time about the stresses of working under Feagins’ regime.
“I’m getting messages from teachers. One teacher, one principal, said they’ve been thinking about committing suicide,” Otey said. “They’re texting me and telling me, ‘Thank you for speaking up, because no one else has done this.’”
“We have to consider the climate, the culture and the well-being of our people—our teachers—because that’s going to trickle down to our children,” Otey continued. “If we don’t address this, it’s not just our educators who are at risk—it’s the students who will feel the impact.”
When it was time to vote, a motion to postpone indefinitely, which would have effectively killed the ouster attempt, failed on a 5-4 vote. McKissack, Huett-Garcia, Porter and Williams voted to postpone; Murphy, Love, McKinney, Otey and Coleman voted against.
Feagins: “I’m not a victim.”
Feagins sat silently for nearly two hours as the meeting unfolded and wave after wave of support poured in for her. It was followed by the formal presentation of the resolution to remove her from office and a motion to postpone indefinitely.
When she did lean forward to speak into the mic, she gave a full-throated defense of her record, her team and her integrity, saying “no one would have to dismiss me if I” were standing in the way of students succeeding.
“No one holds me to higher standards than I hold myself,” Feagins said. “I have yet to see the resolution; I only heard it read aloud this evening. What I’ve heard is meritless and baseless. I’ve been transparent and can refute every single claim.
“I’ve been told by some board members that my transparency has been weaponized against me,” she continued. “I’m not a victim. I came here to do a job I was called to do, and I stand by the work my team and I have accomplished since day one.”
Point by point, Feagins briefly countered each allegation, noting that she would gladly prefer to tender a written response to the proclamation before the board votes.
“I knew the challenges when I accepted this role, and I wake up every day ready to do the work Memphis deserves,” she said. “If the board decides I am not fit to continue, it has been an honor to serve.
“I am unapologetic about wanting more for the 901. I’m not apologetic for wanting more for people who want more,” she continued. “I stand by my integrity and my team’s dedication to our mission. If there’s an internal or external review, I’m confident of what would come out of it.”
What Next?
The board voted 5-4 to send the matter to committee, presumably giving Feagins time to prepare a formal response to the allegations, while also allowing other board members time for due diligence. It’s also safe to expect an even larger public turnout for the hearing, currently set for January.
But given how entrenched Feagins’ opposition is on the board, it’s hard to imagine them changing their vote, no matter how vocal her supporters are.
But it’s also hard to imagine smooth sailing if she stays. Even if board members succumb to public pressure and keep her, a heated public ouster attempt has certainly damaged trust between the Board and Feagins, as well as between the Board and their constituents.
The sides would be stuck with each other until at least the next school board election in 2026.
For now, Feagins remains at the helm, determined to continue her work.
“I have absolutely nothing to hide,” Feagins said. “ I still wake up every day excited about the work to be done in Memphis and with Memphis.”
