During their meeting Monday, Jan. 13, Shelby County Commissioners opted for a stern message by passing a vote of “no confidence” in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board of Education.
The “no confidence” vote sets the stage for a Tuesday, Jan. 14, MSCS board meeting, where members are scheduled to discuss the potential removal of MSCS Superintendent Marie Feagins.
The board meeting begins at 5 p.m. at the Francis E. Coe Administration Building, 160 S. Hollywood Street.
The “no confidence” resolution passed 8-4. Voting in favor were Commissioners Erika Sugarmon, Edmond Ford Jr., Mick Wright, Amber Mills, David Bradford, Britney Thornton, Brandon Morrison and Chairman Michael Whaley.
Voting against the measure were Vice Chair Miska Clay Bibbs, Henri Brooks, Charlie Caswell Jr. and Shante Avant. Mickell Lowery abstained.
The eight members that approved Mill’s resolution represent a loose coalition that spans the commission’s political spectrum. In addition to the conservative members of the non-partisan body, it includes progressives and a centrist-minded chair.
Whaley was added to the coalition after language was included from an alternate resolution he sponsored. It sought to replace the “no confidence” language with wording that promotes “a strong working relationship” between Feagins and school board members.
Members rejected the alternate resolution 6-7.
“I don’t believe the governance plan is as strong. I believe the public is behind Superintendent Feagins, and I believe she also stands with the students. I am for the original resolution,” said Morrison.
Along with the declaration of “no confidence,” the reworded proposal requests the school board provide a comprehensive governance plan that “ensures outcomes” that are “in the best interests of the students.” The plan would be made public to ensure public trust, transparency and accountability.
April 16 is the deadline for the nine-member school board to submit the plan.
“My hope is that within this resolution we can include some of these things that would help make a stronger system because ultimately we all agree that’s what we should have,” offered Whaley.
With the message sent, some members fear blowback from state lawmakers. Members recounted past state intrusions into the local school system. In 2011, after the City of Memphis dissolved the school charter, Nashville lawmakers passed a law that lifted a ban on establishing new school districts. The legislation only applies to counties with populations that exceed 900,000. Shelby County is the only county in the state that meets the benchmark.
As a result, six incorporated suburbs in the county voted to establish their own municipal school districts. Federal and state school funding flowed with them. Threats by the state have been made again.
“Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton proved my point. While watching the news, he started making noise…first of all, commending the author of the “no confidence” resolution. Secondly, and more importantly, he said the state will take it over,” warned Brooks.
Other members who voted against the resolution expressed similar reservations.
“Whether or not we agree about what the school board has done, I think to create this opening for us to lose autonomy of supporting our students…it’s the wrong way to go in my opinion,” said Avant.
School board members have accused Feagins of misleading them in several instances, including her claim that the district paid $1 million in unearned overtime to employees. According to the board, Feagins has never presented evidence to support her allegation.
Furthermore, Feagins requested and accepted a $45,000 donation without board approval. Members also claim she misrepresented her knowledge of and involvement in depositing the check. Both are policy violations.
Another allegation involves mismanagement of grant funds from the U.S. Department of Education. Feagins allegedly missed a deadline for completing paperwork, so $304,000 in funding was required to be returned. Moreover, Feagins continued to tell the board the money was available contrary to information the board received from the state.
Feagins has vowed not to resign. She has also stepped up appearances at schools since a strident Dec. 17 school board meeting, when members delayed a removal vote to the new year.
The outreach appears to be effective. Prior to the vote, numerous members of the public spoke in support of Feagins. Pro-Feagins sentiments were also expressed by teachers on the MSCS payroll.
The timing of the unfolding drama hasn’t helped the school board’s effort. Chosen by the board, Feagins was hired in February and formally began her duties in April. At that time, MSCS had operated without a permanent superintendent for more than two years.
Some members opposed to the resolution accused the board of operating on behalf of entrenched interests that preceded Feagins.
“I think that the system we have right now is broken. I have no hope that it is going to autocorrect,” said Thornton.
An effort to delay $33 million in funding for a proposed high school for Frayser was given thumbs down. Mills proposed the three-month moratorium while school board members consider Feagins’ fate. The motion failed 4-7.
Commission members recently passed the funding resolution to replace the aging Trezevant High School, which no longer meets the needs of its students.
Voting to maintain the funding commitment were Clay Bibbs, Caswell, Sugarmon, Thornton, Lowery, Avant and Whaley. Ford, Wright, Morrison and Mills voted in favor of the moratorium.
