Memphis-Shelby County School Board pauses superintendent search

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) superintendent search is officially on hold, much to the frustration of some residents in Memphis.MSCS school board members called a special meeting to discuss the budget on Tuesday and towards the end of the meeting, the board announced that it will be pausing the superintendent search..“To our dear community, we’ve heard the community’s concern. We’re listening to you. We are listening. Your wants, what you’re saying our community needs, we’re listening to you regarding MSCS Superintendent search. They include the need to be better defined, the candidate selection process, answer unanswered policy questions, and get this right for the benefit of all,” said board member Joyce Dorse-Coleman.Dorse-Coleman will be co-chairing the search committee with fellow board member Stephanie Love.Multiple community members expressed opposition to stopping the search, with some interrupting board members during the meeting.“Our kids don’t have no more time," said one community member.Memphis LIFT founder Sarah Carpenter was among those opposing the decision.“We need a superintendent. Our kids need a superintendent,” said Carpenter. “Our kids’ blood on all ya’ll hands, I want ya’ll to know this. Ya’ll can do better than this, ya’ll are smarter than this.”Pausing the search is intended to allow the board time to focus on finalizing next year’s budget, supporting students taking the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) and end-of-year exams, preparing for summer learning programs, graduation, and addressing concerns with the search process.Memphis-Shelby County Schools has been searching for a new superintendent since last July when former superintendent Joris Ray resigned while under investigation over claims of district policy violations and abuse of power.Tuesday’s announcement follows the earlier decision to postpone finalist interviews due to complaints about transparency and a request from the board to confirm finalists chosen by the hired search firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates.“Thank you to my board colleagues as I’ve been clearly on record since day one that I believe a national superintendent search is imperative. I spoke out as recently as a little over a week ago regarding the need to continue with the search as we have been doing, but it has become abundantly clear that there is question regarding a decade old policy. We’ve heard from many protests, we’ve heard parents who have quietly emailed us as well. So as my board colleague said, it is imperative that we do not rush this process,” said board member Michelle Robinson McKissack.At the start of the search, the board intended for a permanent superintendent to be named in April, however the timeline moved when the finalist interviews were postponed. Since then, at least two more candidates have pursued other job opportunities.“I want to iterate, we are not stopping the search. This gives us a time to set our priorities straight,” said board member Love.The board did not provide a date for when the search will resume.