During an appearance on this week's WKNO/Channel 10 "Behind the Headlines," Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board member Michelle McKissack and Board Chair Natalie McKinney discussed the $6 million forensic audit mandated by the state. This audit has become a key factor in the ongoing discussions about potential state intervention in the district. Both McKissack and McKinney stated that they have not yet received any preliminary findings from the audit.
"I don't know. We have not seen anything," McKissack said. "We haven't had any sort of preliminary reports on it, only what we've heard through the media."
The audit is being conducted as state lawmakers consider a proposed law establishing a nine-member board of managers. The governor and legislative leaders would appoint this board and would have authority over the elected school board. McKinney believes the proposal is unlikely to move forward, citing potential constitutional issues. "I don't think we [will] get there," she added.
Still, both board members said they are open to the audit, viewing it as an opportunity for improvement rather than a punishment.
"When you have a school district of this size … it's always good to take a look at what can be done better," McKissack said, pointing to years of transition following the merger and demerger of local school systems.
McKinney compared the process to bringing in a new chief executive. "This is what you do when you have a new CEO," she said. "You want to open up your books and you want to open up all your operations and you want to see what's going. What is the issue? What is going well? And, what can we do to make things better?"
Tennessee's largest school district serves roughly 106,000 students across about 200 schools and operates on a budget of approximately $1.9 billion.
The audit debate has occurred alongside ongoing discussions about academic performance. State data from the 2023–24 school year indicates that numerous schools received D or F grades. However, McKinney argued that it ignores broader trends. "We have a hundred and twenty plus schools that are ranged from A to C," she said. "So let's look at the glass half full and actually more than half full in terms of our schools."
McKissack acknowledged perception challenges and said the district could do more to communicate progress. "I think as a district, we definitely need to do a better PR campaign and letting people know outside the MSCS community that the schools are doing and students are doing better than the perception that is out there," she said.
Board members discussed the recently approved school closures, which are part of a long-term facilities plan that may lead to as many as 15 closures over the next three years. The first five schools being closed are anticipated to generate cost savings and decrease deferred maintenance. However, McKissack acknowledged that these decisions are challenging.
"It was just so difficult to say as a board, Ida B. Wells needs to be closed, but it just wasn't fiscally responsible for us to keep that school open," she said.
McKinney said the board will monitor academic outcomes closely as consolidation moves forward. "We want to see the data," she said. "Consolidation and closure are two strategies for us to invest in our schools and invest in our academic programming."
The conversation also turned to Tennessee's school voucher program. McKissack voiced concerns about public funds being allocated to private schools without appropriate accountability standards.
"My biggest concern with the vouchers is, of course, you know, public dollars going into private schools, but also the lack of parity in terms of, if you're receiving these public dollars now, private schools need to be held to the same level of accountability as public schools," she said.
When asked how additional state funding might be used if directed to public schools instead, McKissack pointed to aging school infrastructure across her district.
McKinney said she would prioritize teacher recruitment and retention, in addition to infrastructure. "We don't have enough money to do that," McKinney said. "So that kind of revenue could allow us that."
The board also discussed chronic absenteeism, which spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. McKissack said the district recently launched a public dashboard, My Pathway to Greatness, to help families track attendance and academic progress in real time.
"It's a high priority for all of us," she said of absenteeism. "More importantly, the district can monitor it so they can try to jump in and correct a problem before it becomes more significant and serious."
Board members said new tools, such as the attendance dashboard, are part of a broader effort to improve accountability and outcomes across the district.
