Memphis Community Outraged As State Prepares To Take Over County Schools

Source: Pgiam / Getty

The Memphis community is outraged after the state of Tennessee announced that it is preparing to take over the Memphis-Shelby County schools in response to the firing of the former Superintendent, Dr. Marie Feagins.

Speaking as a guest on KWAM’s Wake up Memphis, republican lawmaker Cameron Sexton told the station he believed a state takeover of the MSCS school board was highly likely.

“Very likely, legislation will be filed that will null and void and the school board, the current school board, the state will take over the school system,” Sexton told Commercial Appeal. “The state will put in place a different board made up of various individuals in Shelby County who will oversee the schools and be able to make the changes that are necessary, or hire a new director if necessary, to get the schools back under control.”

According to Local Memphis, the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board terminated  Dr. Marie Feagins’ contract on Jan. 21, citing allegations of financial mismanagement, professional misconduct, and other misconduct. Before her role as Superintendent, Feagins was the chief of leadership and high schools for the Detroit Public Schools Community District.

From Local Memphis:

Among the allegations:

• She’s accused of misleading the board and the public when she told the board that MSCS had paid $1 million in overtime wages for time not actually worked. The resolution claimed Feagins never presented evidence to back that up, and never corrected or clarified the statement.
• She accepted a $45,000+ donation without board approval, and “misrepresented her knowledge of and involvement in depositing the unapproved donation check in violation of Board Policy.”
• She was dishonest when stating that some federal grant funds were still available for MSCS despite “failing to obligate the funds prior to the required deadline.”
• The resolution also accused Feagins of “patterns of behavior that are not conducive to the effective operation of the District in the best interest of students.” It claimed she refused to communicate and cooperate with MSCS partners and failed to report significant matters to the Board.

The resolution claimed that Feagins’ conduct constitutes professional misconduct and is a breach of her contract.

After her termination, Feagins condemned the allegations calling them baseless.

“The stakes are high, the status of education, but certainly with Memphis-Shelby County Schools, could not be any higher than they are right now,” said Dr. Feagins “I have said time and time again if I’m ever the barrier I would leave. No one would have to dismiss me. No one can hold me more accountable and to higher standards than I hold myself.”

The Memphis community also pushed back on the firing, supporting Feagins.

“None of these elected officials came out and said anything about the termination of Dr. Marie N. Feagins over contracts that lined the pockets of people who care very little about the children, Devante Hill wrote on Facebook.

Community leaders also voiced their outrage against the board’s decision to terminate Feagins. Democratic lawmaker Raumesh Akbari called it “an attack on democracy” and a “step backward for improving education in Tennessee.”

“Instead of punishing local decisions, we should focus on moving forward together,” he said in a statement. “By working together, addressing funding inequities, and investing in our schools, we can ensure every child in Tennessee has the opportunity to succeed. Memphis and Tennessee deserve better than political attacks on our right to self-determination.”

Students also protested her termination by staging a walkout last week. According to Action News 5, a group of students, part of the Legacy Builders, a team that worked closely with the superintendent to come up with ideas for the district, organized the walkout.

Feagins is planning to sue the board and Roderick Richmond will be interim superintendent.

SEE ALSO:

Memphis Cops Are Anti-Black And Brutal, DOJ Confirms As City Rejects Accountability

How Ronald McNair Overcame Racism To Become A Space Shuttle Challenger Astronaut