After more than three months of legal delays, Tennessee’s state-appointed board can now take control of Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS).¶
U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. lifted his temporary order Thursday, days after oversight board Chair Billy Orgel declared the board was ready to begin its work. The decision gives the nine-member board authority over major district operations while MSCS continues challenging the intervention in court.¶
Oversight Board Can Now Act
The board can now direct major MSCS decisions, including the budget, school closures and leadership changes. It also has the authority to appoint a superintendent and make changes involving curriculum and instruction. The move follows an Oct. 8 meeting where members approved operating rules, committees and procedures for reviewing district spending.¶
The board spent more than three months unable to exercise that authority after Crenshaw blocked the intervention in July. During an earlier federal hearing over control of the district, the judge made clear that the pause was not intended to continue indefinitely.¶
One of the first major questions the oversight board addresses could involve district leadership. Consulting firm MGT, which helped the board prepare during the pause, recommended hiring a new “transformational superintendent” by December, according to the Daily Memphian. That could mean replacing current Superintendent Dr. Roderick Richmond, but board members have not said whether they plan to follow that timeline.¶
The leadership question comes only weeks after the elected school board selected Tamarques Porter as chair and Sable Otey as vice chair. MGT’s involvement has also faced questions from oversight board member Dedrick Brittenum, who raised concerns at the board’s Oct. 8 meeting about adopting work prepared by the consultant and potentially entering a future agreement without a formal procurement process.¶
Legal Fight Continues
MSCS’s court challenges are not over, though, as its federal lawsuit remains active, and MSCS and Shelby County have filed a separate case in Shelby County Chancery Court seeking to stop the district intervention. District leaders argue the oversight board takes governing authority away from elected officials.¶
The state-appointed intervention followed several concerns about the district. A state audit identified millions of dollars in questionable spending, and problems with procurement and internal controls. MSCS has also lost more than 2,000 students this school year, while nearly one in five district educators resigned in 2024.¶
The elected local school board continued running MSCS while the state intervention was blocked, with local leadership saying literacy and TCAP results would remain priorities. The oversight board now has the authority to approve, reject, or change many major district decisions.¶
The lawsuits are still unresolved, but the immediate question has changed to what oversight will look like in practice. The oversight board now must decide what changes it will make and how quickly.¶
