Roderick Richmond, EdD, newly appointed Interim superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools, stepped in front of cameras and microphones for the first time since being thrust into the role amid the dramatic ouster of Dr. Marie Feagins.
Speaking alongside MSCS board members at a press conference, Richmond sought to project stability and confidence as he outlined his immediate priorities for the district.
“My focus and vision have not changed—they have always been about the students, this district and this community,” he said in his opening remarks, pledging to focus on getting resources and materials to schools, and reaching out to city, county and community leaders. Then he mentioned what may well be the defining word of his tenure.
“Our success depends on trust—trust in me, trust in the board, trust in our leadership teams, our principals and our teachers,” he continued. “We must work together to move this district and our community forward.”
Feagins may be gone, but her fans are not, and trust will be a challenge to regain. Even at his introductory press conference, Richmond and school board members had to speak above the chants of protesters outside the 901 Cafe, where it was being held.
Some protesters carried signs that read “CONTRACTS AND KICKBACKS!”, while others chanted slogans accusing the board of ignoring the community’s wishes. Among them was Rev. Willie Womack of SCLC Memphis, who voiced frustration over the handling of Feagins’ removal and called for greater transparency in district leadership.
And the ripple effect continues. Just this week, even as Gov. Bill Lee seeks to push through a controversial school voucher program, Tennessee lawmakers are also expected to debate legislation enabling the takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools. In separate legislation, State. Rep. G.A. Hardaway’s effort to enable recall elections on ALL county elected positions—including school boards—certainly will resonate with Feagins’ followers.
Richmond, who most recently served as the district’s transformation officer, inherits a school system still reeling from the contentious 6-3 vote that removed Feagins after just nine months on the job.
Minutes after the vote, Richmond and Deputy Superintendent Angela Whitelaw, PhD, were both nominated for the interim role. Whitelaw withdrew her name from consideration; Richmond did not and was unanimously appointed to the role.
“As the board said, I believe I am the right person at the right time to do this most important work for our community,” he said.
The board’s decision was met with fierce public opposition. For some, their first memory of Richmond was a heated moment where he barked, “Don’t play with me!” at an angry protester.
Moments later, Feagins essentially promised to sue the school board saying, “They chose litigation over leadership, so I’ll see them in court.”
There will be more to learn about why the board stood fast in the face of such fervent support. For now, the TSD wanted to share Richmond’s thoughts on how to heal the divide with the community, what his priorities are and even that testy moment at the meeting. Here are his remarks from the press conference and afterwards, lightly edited for length and clarity:
Tri-State Defender: I mean, you heard the chants. People are still very, very emotional about all of this. They’re literally outside the press conference chanting. And, for good or ill, you’re the face of all of this. How are you approaching it?
Richmond: To rebuild trust, we must operate with transparency and integrity. I often tell administrators and those I mentor that I can coach them through almost anything—except integrity. Integrity must be a given. We must ensure that our actions align with our words in everything we do, every single day.
I also think it’s important for me to get out into the community. People need to know who I am. People need to know that I’m a person of integrity, someone they can trust. We’re trying to operate with full transparency and in the best interest of our children.
Part of that is building relationships with key influencers, but also with this job, it requires you to work with a group of people. So there may be key influencers that I know who may know someone who’s hesitant to trust us. Hopefully, those individuals can be a bridge to bring others in, so we can all agree and get on board with improving our schools and communities.
Even though we may see things differently based on our vantage points, I want to ensure that people understand the “why” behind decisions being made.
TSD: Board members have suggested that the public may not have seen the full picture of Feagins’ leadership struggles. Can you elaborate?
Richmond: There’s a book I love called “Leadership on the Line.” It says a lot, but one thing is that depending on where you stand, your perspective may appear to be different—whether you’re on the dance floor or the balcony. We may see things differently.
We should be careful about condemning people who may not know what we know because there was a time we didn’t know what we know now. So I don’t want to ever condemn people. I want to continue to educate people and to let them know exactly what’s going on, so they’ll have a better perspective around some of the decisions and the “whys” behind them.
TSD: Before all of this happened, what was the biggest issue facing the district? What’s the biggest “fire” that you must turn your attention to now?
Richmond: Well, I’m not gonna call it a fire, but I would just say it’s important for us to be able to recruit and retain effective talent. I want to make sure that in each one of our schools: We have a highly effective teacher in our classrooms to deliver instruction to our students; we have the most effective leaders in our school; and we’re recruiting and retaining highly effective central office staff. That’s indicative to any school district.
Not just to recruit them, but for us to be able to retain those people. When you invest in individuals and you’re not able to retain them, you’re not getting a return on what you poured into them.
TSD: You weren’t a finalist in the original superintendent search. How did you feel about being appointed interim, and do you want the permanent role?
Richmond: I wasn’t involved in the board’s decision to remove my predecessor, but I accepted this role because of my commitment to this district and our children. This is a heavy task, and I knew that stepping into it would come with challenges. But I was willing to do it because I believe in the work that needs to be done.
Do I want the permanent job? Yes. I would not be truthful if I said I didn’t want this job permanently. However, I also respect the board’s process. They will ultimately decide how to proceed, and as I’ve always done, I will follow their policies, processes and procedures.
Again, I ask the community to trust me, to trust our board members, to trust our leadership team, to trust our principals, to trust our teachers. I’m asking them to trust that we can get this right and that we will do it right to move our school district and community forward.
