Tennessee would spend around $303 million next school year to fund private school tuition costs for 40,000 students if Gov. Bill Lee’s proposal is successful.
Tennessee would spend around $303 million next school year to fund private school tuition costs for 40,000 students if Gov. Bill Lee’s proposal is successful.
Some Memphis board members want to establish a bipartisan accountability council to help guide district decision-making. The proposal comes over a year into the state GOP-backed effort to take over the district.
Tennessee Republicans are moving forward with efforts to track the immigration status of K-12 students. But an effort to charge undocumented students tuition for public schools appears dead for the year.
Gov. Bill Lee has declined federal funding to help feed low-income students over the summer. A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to change that.
Could you pass a 100-question U.S. citizenship test? A new Tennessee bill would require aspiring teachers to do so, on top of existing licensure requirements.
The MSCS school board voted last week to shutter five schools by the end of this year. That leaves over 1,200 students to find a new place to go next fall, with the district extending its priority transfer deadline to accommodate last-minute changes.
Two MSCS board races will be decided by the first ever partisan primary for the position on May 5. Seventeen candidates are vying for the four open spots.
The case between a fledgling Christian charter school and the Knox County Board of Education could bring a fresh challenge to the religious charter issue that deadlocked the U.S. Supreme Court in 2025.
That means around 12,000 high schoolers would miss more than 10% or 18 school days in a year. That’s significantly higher than the statewide average.
Over 1,200 Memphis students will attend a new school in August as part of the first round of a long-term district closure plan.
After months of legal debate and challenges, 17 candidates will vie for four open MSCS board seats. Districts 1 and 9 will be decided by a May 5 primary, since only Democrats are running.
A new bill would allow some Tennessee private school teachers to get an emergency teaching waiver to teach at a public school but don’t have a bachelor’s degree.
A new bill that could require Tennessee teachers to track and report on their students’ immigration status cleared its first hurdle in the General Assembly this week.
The school board will vote next Tuesday on whether to close five schools at the end of this year. But parents say they’ve come to rely on Wells teachers and services.
Tennessee House Republicans passed a measure allowing public schools to display the Ten Commandments over Democrats’ objections of constitutional concerns.
Board members were divided in a vote Wednesday to promote the interim leader to a full-time gig. Some argued a full search would be needed for transparency, while others stressed the urgency for stability.
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Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond said Tuesday that no official findings or conclusions have been reached in the $6 million investigation, despite state lawmakers insisting on ‘concerning’ early results.
The district received a waiver from the Tennessee Department of Education after taking two full weeks off of class. That exceeded MSCS’ built-in snow days by two, prompting the need for state assistance.
The MSCS board is set to vote Wednesday on whether to initiate a full search process as interim leader Roderick Richmond’s contract expires. The decision comes as state lawmakers push to upend the district leadership system.
The judge ruled Monday that the county commission’s bid to put all nine school board seats up for election this year is invalid. That saves five MSCS board members from facing shortened terms.
The district says state auditors haven’t presented any evidence of fraud or abuse to constitute further investment. Republican lawmakers didn’t name specifics either.
The district used up all of its built-in snow days as of Wednesday. Thursday’s closure means MSCS students could lose scheduled break time or face an extended school year.
Democrats opposed to the bill argued prominent displays of religious texts would violate the U.S. Constitution and expose schools to lawsuits.
Tennessee Republicans have been pushing for an MSCS takeover since July. Community advocates say they’ve been working behind the scenes to protect local control.
In his final year in office, Gov. Bill Lee is pushing for an aggressive expansion of the state’s new voucher program. Teacher pay bumps are also on the horizon.
After a week of school closures, many Tennessee districts are running low on snow days. What happens next?
The district is moving quickly through its allowance of inclement-weather days.
The district has cancelled class for three days in a row this week in the aftermath of last weekend’s winter storm.
While Memphis dodged anticipated power outages, officials are still working to clear local streets buried in snow.
According to Saturday’s social media post, the district will continue to monitor weather conditions to see if additional cancellations are needed.
The MSCS board rejected a contract with ABM Industries twice, leaving the schools without cleaning services through January. Parents say conditions are “deplorable.”
Lawmakers say they want to improve Memphis academic performance like a 2023 Houston takeover did. But Texas measures school progress differently, so results may not be the same.
In December, MSCS board members filed an initial lawsuit against local election leaders for putting all nine seats on the ballot. Now, they’re also targeting the county government for authorizing those changes in the first place.
It would be the second donation this year from an entity tied to Musk. MSCS approved the first in July, sparking backlash amid community protests over xAI data centers.
Roderick Richmond’s temporary contract expires in July. Two board members want to appoint him as the full-time leader without a search, despite a gap in favorability among principals and school-level staff.
Tennessee GOP officials want to start tracking the immigration status of all K-12 students. They won’t yet say whether the state would share that data with law enforcement.