On this week's Behind the Headlines on WKNO/Channel 10, Memphis-Shelby County Board of Education members Natalie McKinney and Michelle Robinson McKissack joined host Eric Barnes and Daily Memphian education reporter Laura Testino to discuss the mounting pressures facing the board—from state-level interventions and leadership turnover to low academic performance and urgent facility needs.
In recent months, the school board has come under intense scrutiny. Two Tennessee lawmakers, State Rep. Mark White (R–District 83) and State Sen. Brent Taylor (R–District 31), have pushed for a state takeover of the board and successfully passed legislation to align all board member elections. A measure that could shorten the current terms of some of the MSCS board members.
A state-ordered forensic audit is also underway, part of a broader effort by state officials who have cited instability and dysfunction within the district.
Much of that criticism stems from the board’s decision to terminate Superintendent Marie Feagins earlier this year, marking the second superintendent in a row to exit under contentious circumstances.
McKissack, who has served on the board since 2018, acknowledged public frustration. “I certainly didn’t want to be at this point,” she said. “I thought we had a superintendent… I would have loved to have seen her have more time.”
McKinney, elected in August 2024, defended the decision. “The crux of that [decision] was that Dr. Feagins had a problem with misrepresentation and not accurately depicting the truth,” she said.
The division over Feagins’ departure has become a talking point for lawmakers advocating more state oversight—an idea both board members firmly opposed.
“I do not believe that it justifies at all the state coming in to take over the largest school district in the state,” McKissack said. “That’s very problematic.”
Looking ahead, both board members discussed the Interim Superintendent Dr. Roderick Richmond, who has been appointed for an 18-month term.
McKinney discussed how the board intends to evaluate the next steps once the new school year is underway. "Our intent was to appoint him for 18 months… and then evaluate what direction we need to go in." Until then, both board members said the focus remains on regaining stability after a year of leadership change.
Another major concern raised during the conversation was the district's lack of a clear and updated academic plan. McKinney, who campaigned on that issue, said earlier efforts stalled due to leadership disruption. However, she stated that Interim Superintendent Dr. Roderick Richmond has been assigned to develop this academic plan, as well as present a comprehensive facilities master plan.
Both efforts are part of a broader push to improve student outcomes—an area where progress has been uneven and where poverty remains a major obstacle.
"We're an extremely poverty-stricken city, and that comes into our school doors," said McKissack. "You cannot operate in isolation saying that, 'Oh, they're not educating our children.' That's just simply not the case at all."
McKinney added, "We can't keep ignoring the fact that there are outside factors like poverty."
The board also discussed the state-ordered forensic audit. Though details remain unclear, both members expressed skepticism about the intent behind it.
"What I heard two weeks ago is that [legislators] are anticipating very happily and gleefully that they're going to find something," McKinney said. "We don't have anything to hide. We just want to know that it's fair."
The district also recently lost its $30 million Head Start contract following federal findings of misconduct in MSCS-run classrooms.
"When I first came on the board, I talked about that," said McKinney. She added that Interim Superintendent Richmond is expected to present alternatives for how the district might continue supporting early childhood education. "Ultimately, those students are going to come into our system," she said, referring to roughly 3,000 children served annually through the program.
The episode concluded with a discussion about term changes passed by the state legislature. McKinney, whose term would be shortened if the changes are upheld, suggested a legal challenge may be warranted. "It clearly abridges elected terms," she said, referencing Article XI, Section 9 of the Tennessee Constitution.
While both members voiced concern over state involvement and political pressure, they emphasized that their focus must remain on the students.
"What can we do now, to move forward as a district," McKissack said, "is to take the information that we have, to try to help children—that's what it's all about."