The state-appointed board created to take over Memphis-Shelby County Schools in Memphis, Tenn., is set to reconvene Thursday, Oct. 8, after a federal judge signaled the takeover can move forward once the board says it is ready.
U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw filed an order indicating he will soon remove the temporary block he placed on the oversight board. In a court order filed Oct. 5, Crenshaw directed the board to tell the court when it is prepared to perform its duties. He ordered the board chair to notify the court under oath, a step that could let the board assume control of the district within days.
The meeting comes less than a week after the judge said he did not mean to imply that his July 1 order kept the board from doing its work. Both the district and the state had read that order as a temporary halt.
The board was set to begin its four-year term on July 1, but Crenshaw blocked the takeover the day before, an early win for the district and Shelby County officials who sued over the law passed this spring. Under the takeover, the board would control the district’s annual budget and staffing decisions.
At a hearing Friday, Crenshaw questioned the district’s argument that the takeover violates students’ constitutional rights and dismissed Gov. Bill Lee and other state leaders as defendants. Both sides are expected to file more court documents this month as the judge considers dismissing the lawsuit altogether.
The board is chaired by Billy Orgel, a local developer and former school board member. Its members include Dedrick Brittenum Jr., Beverly Robertson, Tyrone Burroughs, Shanea McKinney, Nisha Powers, Dorsey Hopson, David Mansouri and Karen Vogelsang. Hopson is a former district superintendent, and Vogelsang is a former Memphis teacher and 2015 Tennessee Teacher of the Year.
Separately, the elected district school board has chosen a new chair and vice chair.