Memphis-Shelby County School Board denies request from Wooddale Middle School to transition into the district
Ben Frazier says traditional public schools have failed his autistic son.Frazier told members of the Memphis Shelby County School Board last week that his family has faced a lack of communication and accommodation at district-run schools, but everything changed when he enrolled his son at Wooddale Middle School.“When I got my child to Wooddale, everything changed. Wooddale is a family-oriented school. They take care of the kids,” said Frazier. “It’s a neighborhood school, they deal with the community. The staff keeps the parents informed, everything that I was not getting when he was not at Green Dot Schools, I’m getting now. My son is excelling, he came out of his shell, you can’t even tell that my son is on the spectrum because they have worked with him so much and I appreciate Wooddale so much for everything that they have done.
School board members propose separate resolutions to oppose new law allowing teachers to carry guns
Two members of the Knox County Schools (KCS) Board of Education are proposing competing resolutions to push back on a recently passed law to allow armed teachers in classrooms.Board members Kristi Kristy, R-District 9, and and Katherine Bike, D-District 4, are each sponsoring resolutions to reject the legislation passed last week by the Tennessee General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Bill Lee. Both resolutions come to the same conclusion, but Kristy and Bike focus on different reasons.
MSCS’ $200 million funding request reflects soaring cost of new high schools
Memphis-Shelby County Schools is asking the county for more than $200 million in funding for school buildings, both to address maintenance needs at existing schools and to support construction of two new high schools.The request exceeds even the expanded school buildings budget supported by a county wheel tax increase last year, and it’s not clear how much of it the county can provide. Projected costs for the two new high schools have risen by tens of millions of dollars since county commissioners approved initial funding for them.
Memphis-Shelby County School Board rejects three proposed new public charter schools but leaves the door open for one of them
Brittany Jones told members of the Memphis-Shelby County School Board her 13-year-old son has seen real change at the Memphis Grizzlies Preparatory Charter School.She says her son is autistic and she enrolled him there two years ago hoping the all-boys public charter school would be a good fit. Jones says the change has been so positive she’s supporting the school’s plan to offer a similar school for girls.
Knox Prep welcomes new students into a family atmosphere
Tawanya Figgs says she felt her 11-year-old son Ta’vion Wilson needed a change going into his sixth-grade school year.Figgs says the traditional public schools in Knox County aren’t preparing him for high school and she’s been looking into private school options. Her search for an alternative ended after meeting staff at the new Knoxville Preparatory School.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools to make major investment in teacher salaries
The Memphis-Shelby County School Board unanimously approved an agreement Tuesday night to spend $28 million increasing teacher salaries.The historic investment will raise the average teacher with a bachelor’s degree’s salary by more than $4,800 in the 20224/2025 school year. Teachers with a master’s degree will average nearly $4,800 more, education specialists will see more than $6,300 more, and those with a doctorate will average more than a $9,900 increase.
New Memphis public charter school pushing back opening until 2025
Empower Memphis Career and College Prep will begin serving Orange Mound and South Memphis students a year later than planned.Chief Executive Officer Muna Olaniyi announced to supporters this week that the public charter school’s opening has been postponed until August 2025 because of facility-related challenges.
Student Profile: Choice Champions Scholarship grand prize winner E’Janay Reynolds has a personal reason for wanting to help others
When E’Janay Reynolds was eight years old, she, her mother, and two younger sisters found themselves living in the Chattanooga Homeless Shelter for roughly seven months.Though her mother was eventually able to get federal Section 8 assistance to move the family into housing, this drastic change gave Reynolds a push to focus on school.“Academically, it just gave me a push to be better and do better. Because, if I didn’t do it, who else would have (done) it?” said Reynolds. “I just had to push to ‘okay, go in school, be the best you can be because you’re going to need that to get somewhere in life’.”
Scholarship opening doors for KIPP students who worry they can’t attend the University of Tennessee
Daniela Castro Pu says the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) felt like home almost immediately.Castro Pu is now weeks away from finishing her sophomore year at UT and she says the experience has been everything she’d hoped for but the ideal university match wasn’t always in the cards.Castro Pu says she might never have even considered the University of Tennessee if KIPP hadn’t offered a specific scholarship created for students like her.
New Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins receiving advice from a wide variety of sources
New Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins is planning to listen to a diverse set of voices as she charts the path forward for the state’s largest school district.Last week Feagins announced the transition team that will help craft and execute the district’s next strategic plan and over the weekend she joined the co-chairs of that team at a retreat involving education leaders from across the country.
Commentary: Making it in music is tough. A four-year degree in music can offer advantages.
It’s a classic American story: Someone moves to the big city with nothing to their name but a dream. Maybe, with good timing and some luck, they can turn that dream into something tangible. Social media appears to have made finding stardom and success in the music business as easy as posting some TikTok videos. The reality, though, is that it’s difficult to go viral online, and it’s even harder to leverage a few million views on a catchy song into a lasting career.Navigating the music business can be challenging. A recording industry degree can make it easier to build a sustainable career by providing connections, skills and credibility. The same is true for any competitive industry.
School “vouchers” attracted headlines this legislative session, but charter support could have the lasting impact
Members of the Tennessee General Assembly adjourned the legislative session Thursday following more than three months of sometimes contentious and challenging educational debate.Headlining the list of challenges was Governor Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Act that failed to reach either the House or Senate Floor.
Parents lead $5 million fundraising drive to improve three elementary schools
Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) announced a $5 million investment in three elementary schools made possible through a fundraising drive led by parents.Former Percy Priest Elementary School PTO President Katie Agnew and Percy Priest parent Sharon Martin led the fundraising effort that will help improve construction projects already in place to build larger gymnasiums at Percy Priest and Lakeview Elementary along with an expanded cafeteria and playtorium at Paragon Mills Elementary.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools recommends denial for three proposed public charter schools
Three proposed new public charter schools in Memphis may have a challenging road finding approval from school board members next week.Tuesday night the Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ (MSCS) charter review team recommended a denial for all three including Blueprint College and Career Prep, Journey Northeast Academy, and the Memphis Grizzlies Prep STEAM School for Girls.Board members are scheduled to vote on each application at its meeting next Tuesday.
Board of Education turns down expansion of Nashville charter network that's outperforming comparable schools
Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education turns down expansion of a Nashville charter network that's outperforming comparable schools.
Metro Nashville Public Schools and Vanderbilt University create new educational program at John Early Middle School
Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) announced a partnership with Vanderbilt Peabody College to create a new education program at John Early Middle School. The collaboration will create a lab school that provides students with education pathways that help bridging the gap between K-12 and higher education.The lab school will focus on STEAM programming and preparing students for success beyond John Early Middle School.
Senate fails to pass bill to ban pride flags in the classroom
A controversial bill that would ban pride flags in Tennessee classrooms failed to receive the necessary 17 votes needed to reach a constitutional majority for passage in the Senate Tuesday.The vote included a rare show of bipartisanship with Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, joining the five Democrats in voting against the bill. Eight other Republicans skipped the vote altogether, ensuring that it’s done for the legislative session.
Tennessee General Assembly passes legislation to allow teachers to carry guns in school
The Tennessee House chamber once again turned into chaos Tuesday following debate on legislation involving guns.House members voted 68-28 vote to pass a bill allowing teachers and school staff to carry firearms on school grounds and in classrooms. Immediately after the vote, spectators above began shouting, “Blood on your hands,” prompting House Republican leaders to call on state troopers to escort demonstrators out.
LEAD Public Schools proposes creating K-12 school pipelines with two new elementary schools
LEAD runs six public charter schools in Nashville, including four in the Metro-Nashville Public School district serving families in South Nashville and Antioch. What the charter operator believes it’s lacking though, are elementary schools to feed students into those existing middle and high schools.