The Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) superintendent search is finally drawing to a close, with school board members now planning to select a new leader for the state’s largest school district on February 9.
The decision follows a lengthy interview session last week with all three out-of-state finalists.
School board members are considering Atlanta Public Schools Chief Academic Officer Yolanda C. Brown, Portland Public Schools Deputy Superintendent of Instruction and School Communities Cheryl Proctor, and Detroit Public Schools Chief of Leadership and High Schools Marie N. Feagins for the long vacant position.
The three women made their case to board members Friday for how they intend to lead the district if selected.
Leadership is not about one person
Yolonda Brown told board members during her interview session that she needs them. Brown said it’s important to work together and she’ll need the board to help her lead the district.
“I can’t do it by myself,” said Brown. “You don’t come in and automatically say everything’s bad and I’m here to fix it because leadership is not about one person.”
Brown’s plans to elevate the district involve maintaining close communication with the school board, its principals, teachers, labor unions, and community as a whole and continuously listening to those voices.
She says she would bring her experience with the science of reading and phonics to further aid the district’s goals to improve literacy.
“Literacy is social justice. Every single child should be able to learn to read and every single child can learn to read,” said Brown.
Brown also talked about having a data driven approach when it comes to supporting students and teachers. She plans to prioritize using data to continuously provide mental health support to students and teachers and strive to build relationships with mental health partners in the Memphis community.
Brown told board members that even though she comes from an urban district, she’s not from Memphis and would work to learn how the district operates if selected.
“I have to start out by listening and learning cause I’m not from Memphis. I don’t know everything about Memphis-Shelby County Schools. In every school district there are great things going on. In every school district, there are challenges,” said Brown. “I have looked at what works and what doesn’t and when you come in and you turn over the apple cart, you first affect culture. It doesn’t matter how great you know academics or the strategy, if the culture is not right, it doesn’t matter. Because culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
A proponent of the flexibility and autonomy that allows for creativity
Marie Feagins told board members that it will cost something to elevate the district to be excellent. She said it will take some shifts to improve, but the change doesn’t have to be everything at the same time.
“I am a proponent of the flexibility and autonomy that allows for creativity to show up where it needs to show up, being provided now that comes with high level of accountability, people are okay with being responsible for the things that they can directly contribute to and own,” said Feagins.
Feagins called herself a visible individual and said she would make sure Memphis gets to know her if selected.
She told board members that she’ll ensure communication is clear and concise so that all voices can hear the same thing and nothing is lost in translation.
“You model what you expect,” said Feagins. “I am not a micromanager by any means, but I’m very clear about how I say what I say, I think that words matter.”
Feagins intends to address mental health issues by focusing on working conditions.
She also said that as superintendent, she would do the basics better so people can see that she is a leader of her word.
“It is a delicate balance that I honor, and I honor that in every space I’ve been,” said Feagins. “I’ve figured out how to do that with the grace that it takes, with the conversations that it takes, the establishment of the relationships that it takes, and the time that it takes. And so you’ll hear me say often ‘it takes what it takes, whatever that might be.’ It is listening to you, you can point me in the sharpest direction to people who need to be spoken with first because everybody has somebody that they follow and that they listen to.”
Ensure that every child is getting the high-quality education
Cheryl Proctor told board members that she intends to bring her knowledge and experience in numerous educational roles, including as a former special education teacher, to meet the needs of each student.
This also includes championing the cause of education for the most vulnerable population.
“As superintendent, I want to ensure that every child is getting the high-quality education in the city of Memphis,” said Proctor.
Proctor talked about her experience improving literacy in the Portland Public School system and said it involved examining instructional practices and determining that the district needed to go large scale. She worked with a diagnostic team to observe lessons, curriculum, and instructional practices.
That work lead to investment in teacher professional learning and development and adopting high-quality curriculums for early learning and foundational skills.
Proctor told board members that she has experience being new and that she intends to connect.
“I come to Memphis-Shelby County bringing a wealth of experience. I’ve held multiple positions in multiple large urban systems, three specifically across our country. I have demonstrated success. I am a proven leader who can make change happen,” said Proctor. “What I want Memphis-Shelby County and the community to know is that I’m here. I plant my feet. I do the work. I connect deeply with the community. And I have longevity.”
