LOCAL EDUCATION NEWS

Williamson County Schools (WCS) leaders recently recommended allowing over 40 of the district’s 50 schools to have open zoning next school year.

The Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Board of Education voted Tuesday to renew the ten-year charter agreements for Valor Voyager Academy, Rocketship United Academy, STEM Prep High School, Explore! Community School, STRIVE Collegiate Academy, and KIPP Kirkpatrick Elementary.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins issued another defiant response to allegations of professional misconduct and recent efforts to fire her Tuesday, when school board members were expected to vote on whether to terminate her contract after less than a year leading the district.

The book ban debate continued to rage at Thursday’s Rutherford County Schools Board of Education meeting, when school board members ultimately voted to remove several more books from school library shelves.

Hamilton County Schools students will soon play a role in renovating the center to gain more workforce experience, a recent district announcement said.

Shelby County Commissioners voted Monday in favor of a no-confidence resolution against the Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board of Education over school board members’ recent efforts to fire Superintendent Marie Feagins.

The Knox County Schools Board of Education voted to keep the district’s first public charter school open for another ten-year term Thursday night, but not without renewing questions for how supportive members will be of charters moving forward.

Rep. Mike Sparks, R-Smyrna, has proposed reducing the minimum age for school bus drivers from 25 to 21 to help school districts find more qualified bus drivers to cover routes.

The Knox County Schools Board of Education is expected to decide the future of Emerald Academy on Thursday, following a recent recommendation from the district’s charter review committee to renew the charter school’s contract for another 10 years.

The Shelby County Commission postponed a vote on a resolution Wednesday that would’ve expressed "no confidence" in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board of Education due to the board’s recent efforts to oust superintendent Marie Feagins.

According to Knox County Schools’ Assistant Superintendent of Student Success Dr. Andrew Brown, students with disabilities have demonstrated notable improvements in English Language Arts (ELA) and math amid ongoing efforts to strengthen special education programming in the district.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) Superintendent Marie Feagins said in a Monday statement that she “will not resign” amid recent efforts to oust her over allegations of professional misconduct. 

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins is expected to respond this evening to allegations of misconduct as the school board gets set to decide whether her contract should be terminated. 

Two University of Memphis researchers recently received a $2.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Professional Development program to address a “critical need for highly qualified licensed ESL teachers in the Memphis area.”

A group of students at Towne Acres Elementary School in Johnson City Schools got a chance to learn more about the practical applications of technology lessons they’ve been learning in class on a recent field trip to Science Hill High School.

Since opening its doors nearly a decade ago, Libertas School of Memphis has gained support from local community members in the Frayser area for showing a “strong trajectory of student growth” and tackling chronic absenteeism.

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board of Education approved contract extensions for custodial services within the district at Thursday’s special called meeting.

Firefly staff compared each MNPS charter school’s performance on the State Report Card to traditional and magnet schools serving the same age students in the same school cluster and 44 percent of those charters outperformed every comparable district run school in at least a majority of subjects.

The Hamilton County Schools (HCS) Board of Education passed a resolution on Thursday urging Tennessee lawmakers to oppose the expansion of school vouchers that would allow more parents in the state to use public funds for private school enrollment.

The parent advocacy organization Memphis Lift held a press conference Thursday to voice their support for Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) Superintendent Marie Feagins amid efforts by some school board members to terminate her contract.

CMCSS Director of Opportunity Culture Lisa Baker provided an overview of teacher residency programming within the district at Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting.

The Rutherford County Schools Board of Education approved new zoning rules for high schools in the county at Tuesday’s school board meeting.

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board of Education voted 5-4 on Tuesday to postpone a vote on whether to terminate Superintendent Marie Feagins’ contract.

Memphis Shelby County Schools (MSCS) could be without a leader once again after tonight’s special called Board of Education meeting.  

Eric Dailey has been named the new executive director of Rocketship Public Schools in Tennessee, according to a Monday announcement from the charter operator.  

On Monday LEAD Public Schools filed a lawsuit challenging a rezoning plan for LEAD Cameron as a violation of its charter with the district.  LEAD is asking a Davidson County Chancellor to stop the rezoning from going into effect and potentially force the Tennessee school district to pay financial damages.

Metro Nashville Public Schools reached several milestones in terms of academic growth and performance in the 2023-24 school year, according to recent data from the district.

The Williamson County Board of Education voted Monday to ban three books and restrict access to two others at Monday’s school board meeting, following months of debate between parents and educators about K-12 book bans throughout the state.

The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission has approved changes to a charter agreement with Empower Memphis Career and College Prep Charter Schools that would allow the operator to open a new school in a different location next school year.