Memphis-Shelby County school board delays vote to terminate Superintendent Feagins’ contract

MSCS Superintendent Marie Feagins addresses allegations of misconduct at Tuesday’s special called meeting. (Screenshot)

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board of Education voted 5-4 on Tuesday to postpone a vote until January 14 that could terminate Superintendent Marie Feagins’ contract after less than a year leading the district.

According to board documents, board members were considering firing the former Detroit Public Schools leader for allegations of “professional misconduct.” Among the allegations, Feagins has been accused by some board members of failing to communicate important decisions with the board, such as a personnel plan earlier this year that aimed to cut and restructure over 1,000 positions, and misleading the public about overtime wages in the district.

Memphis parent Ian Ripple speaks in support of Superintendent Marie Feagins at Tuesday’s school board meeting. (Screenshot)

“The board believes that Dr. Feagins has engaged in conduct detrimental to the district and the families it serves,” MSCS Board of Education Chair Joyce Dorse-Coleman said introducing the resolution.

A handful of local parents voiced their support for Feagins during public comments. Among them was Ian Ripple, who said he supports Feagins despite the fact that his wife was impacted by recent personnel changes in the district. He said the district spent “countless dollars and time” to find a new superintendent over the spring and believes her resume shows that she is “fit for the job.”

“My wife was displaced because of the restructuring within this district. Our family took financial impact because of this, but yet I still stand here and support the work of this superintendent. She has spent countless hours listening to the students, and she has spent hours listening to the educators,” he said. “We are here for the children. We are witnessing a leader that has the courage to make tough decisions for our students.”

Tuesday’s school board meeting came just after Shelby County Commissioners voted 10-0-0 on Monday to approve $33,910,683 in additional funding for a new high school in Frayser to accommodate growing enrollment. In addition, commissioners expressed their commitment to finding a new school site in Cordova.

JR Robinson, a local resident and cofounder of the community media outlet JustMyMemphis, said the board should have been celebrating the commission’s decision to fund a new high school in Frayser rather than holding the vote to oust Feagins. He added that students and parents need “stability in our education system.”

“We should be celebrating. Instead, we’re here doing this,” he said. “Instead of terminating Dr. Feagins, let us provide her with the time and resources she needs to succeed. As board members, your role is to support her not undermine the leadership of our district.”

Feagins defended herself against the allegations in the resolution, calling them “meritless” and “baseless.”

“No one can hold me more accountable and to higher standards than I hold myself. I have yet to see this resolution,” she said. “I've been transparent and can refute every single thing that has been stated.”

She thanked community members for their support amid the controversy.

“To be here is not even about me. It's about the people that are sitting out in front of me that have risen that shared just today that I don't know if I would be the leader that I am today if you did not push us. I don't know that we would look at things the way that we have been if you were not here,” she said.