The Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board of Education voted 8-1 to approve Superintendent Marie Feagins’ plans to cut over 1,000 district positions and a $1.8 billion budget for the 2024-25 school year at Tuesday’s special meeting.
According to a news release from the district, the new budget “reflects the district’s unwavering commitment to student achievement and inclusive excellence with historic investments in infrastructure and teacher salaries.”
“Thank you to our Board Commissioners for their support of a budget that prioritizes learners and leaders,” Feagins said of the new budget. “What happens next for a generation of children depends on the decisions we make and the actions we take now. These bold strategic investments hold the potential to profoundly impact our students and shift the trajectory of Memphis and Shelby County.”
According to the superintendent, a total of 1,163 positions were cut in the plan, including 551 vacant positions.
District officials said that the budget aims to prioritize students’ academic support needs, as the district anticipates more than 115,000 students next school year and the return of three schools from the state’s Achievement School District.
The vote follows a recent special meeting where board members approved a resolution asking Feagins to hold off on further layoffs until she can present a more detailed personnel plan to the community.
Of the $1.8 billion approved by the board, $21.8 million will go toward “targeted coaching and tutoring” to improve Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) and End of Course performance metrics, while about $1.5 million will go toward graduation coaches. Over $14 million will help expand after-school programming and activity bus routes. Nearly $3 million will go toward programming aimed at bolstering attendance, according to the budget.
In addition, the budget noted, the district will use nearly $96.7 for facility enhancements focused on “revitalizing learning environments and addressing urgent structural challenges to create safer spaces for learning.” The budget also marks a “historic” $28.4 million investment in teacher salary raises.
Board Member Mauricio Calvo provided the lone vote against the plan.
