A controversial bill aimed at placing Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) under heightened state control failed to pass the Tennessee Legislature this week, marking a victory for local advocates who called the proposal undemocratic and racially motivated.
Senate Bill 714, which would have established a powerful oversight board appointed by state and local leaders, was pulled from consideration Tuesday by its sponsor, Sen. Brent Taylor (R-Memphis), after he acknowledged a lack of consensus in the Senate.
โWeโre not trying to dismantle local education,โ Taylor insisted during debate. โBut this is a system thatโs been failing children for decades. Doing nothing isnโt an option.โ
The billโs House counterpart, HB 662, had already cleared that chamber, raising concerns that the legislation might be rushed through before sessionโs end. But stiff resistance from Memphis lawmakers and community stakeholders slowed its momentum.
Taylor, whose district includes parts of Memphis, defended the bill as a necessary intervention to improve outcomes in a chronically underperforming school system. Speaking on the Senate floor, Taylor painted a stark picture of MSCS, describing the district as a โbad school systemโ and claiming that โtrying to fix our school system down in Memphis is about like trying to baptize a house cat.โ
Citing low proficiency rates, Taylor argued the measure was a necessary intervention, citing low academic performance and teacher shortages. โThe state canโt keep funding failure. Memphis isnโt just any city โ itโs the biggest investment we make in public education. If this was a business, weโd demand a transformation plan,โ he said.
โThe Memphis-Shelby County School system gets $900 million annually from the state of Tennessee,โ Taylor added. โAnd yet, despite that investment, we continue to see decades of underperformance.โ
His bill would have defined a โchallenged school districtโ and triggered escalating interventions, including the potential removal of superintendents and school board members. A state-appointed advisory board โ with members named by the governor, legislative leaders and local mayors โ would have gained the authority to review and comment on major contracts, property usage and policy decisions.
โThis isnโt a takeover. This is a cascading set of interventions. Weโre trying to empower the county commission and school board โ not replace them โ and guide them toward better decision-making for the students they serve,โ Taylor said.
โWe just need to quit passing this problem around more than a joint at a Willie Nelson concert and finally decide that weโre going to do something about education in Shelby County,โ he said.
Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis) called the bill โdeeply insulting,โ accusing the legislature of scapegoating poor Black children while ignoring structural issues such as poverty, housing insecurity and low wages.
โIf you want better schools, then invest in our families,โ Lamar said. โThis bill doesnโt empower parents โ it punishes poverty.โ
She also took issue with the fiscal burden the legislation would have placed on local government, requiring the Shelby County Commission to fund an unelected oversight board with full-time staff and stipends.
โWeโre being asked to double the cost of decision-making,โ Lamar said. โMeanwhile, the people who actually vote for school board members are being pushed to the sidelines.โ
Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) pointed out that while MSCS isnโt without its problems, it has made significant progress โ including a Level 5 TVAAS growth score and rising graduation rates.
โThis bill pretends Memphis is broken beyond repair, but the data doesnโt support that,โ Akbari said. โWhat we see here is state micromanagement cloaked as reform.โ
She noted that more than 80 MSCS schools improved their state letter grades last year and that the district has had no recent audit findings โ undermining arguments for a forensic audit or direct state supervision.
โLet us lead. Weโve earned that right,โ she added.
Sen. Jeff Yarbro of Nashville took a broader view, arguing that Tennessee lawmakers were trying to fix a problem they helped create. He reminded the chamber of legislative changes a decade ago that allowed suburban districts to split from Memphis schools, effectively leaving MSCS with a greater concentration of poverty.
โWe changed the law โ not once, but twice โ to let wealthier districts break away,โ Yarbro said. โNow weโre changing the law again to punish the district we left behind.โ
MSCS Board Chair Joyce Dorse-Coleman responded to the billโs withdrawal with cautious optimism, issuing a statement on behalf of the Shelby County School Board:
โThis gives the board an opportunity to continue to work collaboratively with state and local legislators on solutions for student achievement while respecting the will of Shelby County voters,โ the statement said. โThis board would like to continue having dialogue with the state and commission about our district’s needs and ways legislators can support our path moving forward. We look forward to that dialogue and partnership.โ
The billโs proposed oversight board would have included nine members โ three appointed by the governor, two by the House Speaker, two by the Senate Speaker, and one each from the Memphis and Shelby County mayors. The board would have reviewed school board agendas, commented on contracts over $50,000, and offered input on superintendent decisions.
Critics said the structure allowed state officials โ most of whom do not represent Memphis โ to override the voices of parents and educators on the ground.
โIf we passed a bill like this for Nashville or Knoxville, there would be riots,โ said one observer from the Save Our Schools coalition, which helped organize community opposition. โBut somehow, Memphis is always fair game.โ
Though the bill has been withdrawn for now, lawmakers indicated they may reintroduce it in 2026 โ possibly with revisions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
