Mauricio Calvo appointed to fill vacant school board seat in Memphis

Shelby County Commissioners chose non-profit leader Mauricio Calvo to fill a vacant spot on the Memphis-Shelby County School Board.District 5 has been without representation since former Board Vice Chair Sheleah Harris’ abrupt resignation last month.At Monday’s meeting, commissioners voted 7 to 4 to confirm Calvo to serve as interim board member until the end of Harris’ term in September 2024. Calvo beat out three other candidates for the appointment.“I want to thank you for doing the work of public service and for welcoming (me) into this important work at this very important moment in the history of Memphis-Shelby County Schools. I pledge to be someone who will work for accountability, for transparency, for collaboration across different ideas and communities, and everything at the end (is) for our children,” said Calvo.Mauricio Calvo is the founder and executive director of Latino Memphis, a nonprofit dedicated to helping provide Latino Memphians with more opportunities by providing assistance with health, education, job resources, and other services.He currently has children attending public school.“As I said during the interview, I pledge to make every decision with (the children) in mind and I expect the people to hold me accountable to that. Even when we don’t agree, I agree to work with everybody,” said Calvo.Calvo’s appointment as the interim District 5 board member was effective immediately. He will play a role in tonight’s vote on four proposed public charter schools along with selecting a new superintendent to lead the district.That tumultuous search played a role in Calvo’s predecessor leaving the seat.Harris stepped down from her elected position during a heated meeting on district superintendent search. The former board member promised to continue to advocate and serve the public, but said she could no longer be a part of the “highest level of ignorance.”She later requested an audit for corruptions allegations.