Memphis-Shelby County School Board approves charter school council
The Memphis-Shelby County School Board unanimously voted Tuesday to establish a special council to help guide decisions about public charter schools.The new Charter Partnership Council will provide feedback and make recommendations to the board to ensure continued accountability and access to high-quality public charter schools for the Memphis community.“We thank the School Board for tonight’s vote and for their ongoing support of local public charter schools and students. By working together, we know the members of the new Charter Partnership Council, in partnership with our elected school board members, will help ensure that all Memphis-Shelby County students have access to a great public school education,” said Maya Bugg, CEO of Tennessee’s Charter School Center.The council will have nine members and one school board member liaison appointed by the board chair. The members will include three external stakeholders or community representatives such as members from organizations, three internal stakeholder representatives such as someone from the Office of Charter Schools, and three charter school stakeholder representatives.The board will last up to four years, and each member will have a one-year term.
Superintendent search reaches final stage
The final phase of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) superintendent search is also currently underway and Memphis principals asked school board members Tuesday afternoon to continue communicating with them as they choose the district’s next leader.
The district is 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 position.
Southwind High School principal John Bush also asked to meet with the school board members individually and take the needs of the MSCS principals into consideration.“The key characteristics of the next superintendent that the principals desire is a candidate who has worked and lived in this community. Considering the many changes that we have at the state level, i.e. the new state report card and political landscape, we would like someone who has a vested interest and awareness of what’s taking place in our community. Someone who works to ensure that that Memphis-Shelby County Schools remains a public education institution. We would like to meet with each board member individually to have more dialogue,” said Bush.Board members will hold live-streamed interviews with all three candidates tomorrow.The board aims to have a new superintendent selected by spring and have that superintendent starting by July 1.
