Overview
- The Senate passed a bill to let the state install a nine‑member oversight board over districts that hit at least four of six warning signs, and Memphis-Shelby County Schools is the only system that qualifies right now with a House vote still pending.
- The Memphis-Shelby County school board voted unanimously to hire outside counsel to fight the measure, but Gov. Bill Lee signed a separate law this week that bars districts from using state funds to sue over accountability rules, which could block payment for that case.
- The oversight board would be appointed by the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the House speaker — five, two, and two picks respectively — and lawmakers signaled the panel could be seated by July 1.
- The board’s powers would cover budgets, staffing, curriculum, school closures, charter approvals, and access to student discipline and teacher evaluation records, and it could hire or fire the superintendent, including for cause.
- State control would run for four years with a possible two‑year extension if the district still meets the triggers, which include low math and reading proficiency, many D or F‑rated schools, high chronic absenteeism, and an ongoing state forensic audit of district finances and controls.