Proposed legislation could relegate the Memphis-Shelby County School Board and others to an “advisory capacity”
Members of the Memphis-Shelby County School Board (Photos by Memphis-Shelby County Schools)
When members of the Memphis-Shelby County School Board controversially voted in January to fire former Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins after less than a year on the job, they created more than just a lawsuit. That decision may very well lead to a new state law that could impact school boards across the state.
House Education Chair Mark White, R-Memphis, first brought up the possibility before Feagin’s termination, telling the Tennessee Firefly in January that he was pursuing legislation to create state intervention into Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
Representative Mark White (Photo by the Tennessee General Assembly)
“The challenges are many. With 100 thousand students, the figures are right now their proficiency in reading is 23 percent, not acceptable. Math proficiency, 17 percent, not acceptable. And we’re not moving the needle down there and then when you have issues like right now where the school board now wants to remove the superintendent for whatever reason after 8 months on the job,” said White in January. “We’ve gotta have more consistency.”
On Friday the Tennessee Firefly obtained a copy the legislative amendment supporters believe will provide that consistency.
The legislation, referred to as the Tennessee Public School Accountability Act, would allow the commissioner of the Department of Education to recommend the governor, speaker of the house, and lieutenant governor to create a board of managers over specific school districts.
This board would essentially supersede the district’s existing school board and director of schools. Under the legislation, existing district leadership and school board members would not be able to meet, make key employment decisions, or alter the makeup of the existing school board without approval from the new board of managers.
“Notwithstanding another law to the contrary, the local board of education, director of schools, or an administrator employed by the LEA shall not take an action prohibited by the board of managers and shall take all actions required by the board of managers,” wrote authors of the legislative amendment.
The governor would appoint 5 members of the board of managers and the lieutenant governor and speaker of the house would appoint 2 members each. Under the legislation, the board would serve a minimum of four years and up to six, and each member would be required to reside in the district’s county and have experience in education, finance, facilities, health, management, data, or evaluations.
The legislation would also give the education commissioner authority to recommend that some existing public schools in the district be converted to public charter schools.
Both recommended actions by the commissioner would only be possible under the legislation if one or more of the below criteria are met:
30 percent or more of the schools managed by the district receive a “D” or “F” School Letter Grade.
The district is in the bottom 5 percent of district performance statewide.
25 percent of the district’s students are chronically absent.
The legislative body for the county where the school district is located in approves a resolution expressing no confidence in the school board, as Shelby County Commissioners did following Feagins’ termination.
The Senate Education Committee and House Education Administration Subcommittee are scheduled to vote on the Tennessee Public School Accountability Act next week.
The legislation will face opposition from a newly formed community group made up of Memphis business, education, nonprofit, and faith leaders known as Save Our Students 901. Its members argue the challenges in Memphis-Shelby County Schools are better solved locally.
“Our students deserve a future shaped by their community, not outsiders. Strong schools start with local voices, support, and leadership. Stand with us to protect Memphis-Shelby County Schools and ensure every student has the resources and opportunities they need to succeed,” wrote the group in a Facebook post this week.
