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.

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.

The approval process for proposed new public charter schools is about to begin its second round for school districts across the state.Four school boards will be voting on amended applications this month from nine public charter schools that were all denied in the spring.

Four proposed public charter schools may face a tougher road to finding approval in Memphis.The Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) charter review team is recommending school board members deny applications from every proposed public charter school this year, including Pathways in Education, CHANGE Academy, Empower Memphis Career and College Prep, and the Tennessee Career Academy.

Interim superintendent Tutonial “Toni” Williams is no longer a contender to lead Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) on a permanent basis.At Tuesday evening’s school board meeting members approved a contract for Williams to continue serving as interim superintendent through August 29, with the key stipulation that she devote full-time attention to her duties of interim superintendent and not seek the position permanently.

Shelby County Commissioners voted in favor of building two new high schools and providing a substantial raise to teachers Monday night.Both are key educational priorities in the county’s 2023/2024 budget that could receive final approval Wednesday morning.The capital spending plan approved by commissioners includes $65 million for building improvements and the construction of high schools in Frayser and Cordova. The backing from commissioners follows last month’s event in Frayser where students held a press conference to rally support for the new school.

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools, Tennessee’s largest district, received almost $776 million in federal relief funds to help students recover from the pandemic — more than any other school system in the state.But anyone interested in learning how the district spent that hefty sum might be left scratching their heads.

The path that Pathways in Education (PIE) takes its name from began decades ago with the challenges organization founder John Hall faced when he was in school.Hall has a learning disability and couldn’t read until the age of 13. 

Kalen Sy learned the value of education at an early age.His grandmother and mother repeatedly stressed the importance of education, and it charted a path forward.“I was like, 'I'm gonna go to college, I'm (going to) successfully complete college, get something and obtain something out of it other than just a piece of paper and a handshake.' I wanted to get something out of it. So, yes, my mom, single parent mom, she really wanted my brother and (me) to just be something great. She always wanted us to value education and soak up education and anything that we were doing in a public school. Because like my grandma always told me, she said, after high school you have to pay for every little thing, even a pencil is not free,” said Sy.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools paid a lawn care vendor more than its contract allowed, lost some lawn equipment to theft, and paid an employee for days they didn’t work.The lapses surfaced in a regular independent financial audit of the district for the 2021-22 school year and were detailed in a report shared with state officials in January.

Memphis-Shelby County School Board members voted in a major salary increase for teachers in the district’s 2023/2024 proposed budget.Under the spending plan, the district would increase the starting base pay from $42,000 to $47,000 for new teachers. This increase comes from an additional $27.3 million investment in teacher salaries and a new teacher salary schedule.

School board members with Memphis-Shelby County Schools sent a letter to parents Wednesday to assure them that the turbulent search for a new school superintendent is making "significant progress." 

Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) is down one school board member and is no closer to finding a new superintendent following Tuesday evening’s special called meeting.During a sometimes-heated discussion on the superintendent search, Vice Chair Sheleah Harris announced she’s stepping down from her elected position.“I’ve been on this board for three years and I feel like I have served well. And I’ll continue to serve, to advocate until I leave this earth. But at this point, this is my last board meeting. I appreciate the support, my colleagues, I’m choosing to step down from this board. Like I said, I’ll continue to advocate, I’ll continue to serve, but this is the highest level of ignorance I have ever been a part of and for my own health, I just can’t be a part of it anymore,” said Harris.

Five people who were banned from Memphis-Shelby County Schools buildings and property have filed a federal lawsuit against the district, claiming officials violated their constitutional right to access public meetings.The people banned are activists in Memphis who have called on the school board to increase transparency and integrity in its search for a new superintendent.

Representative Justin J. Pearson (D-Memphis) joined four members of the so-called “School Board Five” in a protest Friday outside the Memphis-Shelby County School Board retreat.Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) banned the five community activists last month following disruptions during a decision to put the district superintendent search on hold.That decision has since faced pushback from the Memphis community, including members of the activists’ families and friends. The “School Board Five” includes local activists Amer Sherman, LJ Abraham and Damon Morris, former teacher’s union president Tikelia Rucker, and former school board candidate Rachel Spriggs.Multiple board members have since expressed a desire to meet with the activists and lift the ban and Board Chair Althea Greene thanked Representative Pearson for helping move that process forward.

About 1 in 5 Memphis Shelby-County Schools third graders who took a state retest in reading last month succeeded in earning an easier path to fourth grade — some 1,200 students in all.

Parent advocacy group Memphis Lift broke ground on a new facility last week designed to not only serve more parents but also provide them with more assistance.“I got your back!” said Memphis Lift members as they celebrated.The new facility will be named the Brenda Rogers Resource Center, after a longtime community advocate and mentor to Memphis Lift Executive Director Sarah Carpenter. It will provide resources such as a food pantry, computer lab, uniform closet, and area for educational programs.

With only a few days left in third grade, LaQuencher Sanders’ 8-year-old daughter, Kamryn, just wanted to be done with school.She had been in the class of kindergartners who were sent home in March 2020 because of COVID.

Members of the Memphis-Shelby County School Board admit they don’t expect to be able to name a permanent superintendent by the start of the 2023/2024 school year.“We, unfortunately, will not have a superintendent by the first day of school,” said board member Joyce Coleman.Coleman’s comments came during Thursday night’s board retreat lead by former two-term board member and education advocate Tomeka Hart Wigginton. Members are utilizing the retreat to continue reevaluating the superintendent search and decide on the qualities and priorities each board member wants.Board members discussed multiple priorities including a focus on the budget, sustainability, literacy, and parental support. The superintendent qualities members discussed prioritizing included political savvy, community advocacy, financial knowledge, and the ability to be a collaborator.