Category Archives: Shelby County Schools

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Memphis Lift to Host Fall Festival

From a media release:

The Memphis Lift will welcome hundreds of parents, students and community members from across Shelby County to its Citywide Fall Festival on Wednesday, October 28. The free event will bring families together for an evening of games, music, giveaways, community resources and fall festivities.

The event a offers an opportunity for local media to connect directly with Memphis parents about their hopes, concerns and expectations for their communities.

Reporters are invited to attend; capture footage of families enjoying the festivities and speak with parents about what they want to see change in Memphis public schools. The Memphis Lift Executive Director Sarah Carpenter will also be available for interviews about the organization’s ongoing efforts to elevate parent voices and ensure families have a meaningful role in shaping the future of public education in Memphis.

“Every Memphis parent wants strong schools and a brighter future for their children,” said Sarah Carpenter, Executive Director of The Memphis Lift. “This festival is about bringing families together, strengthening our community and reminding parents that their voices matter. Real change starts with families, and we want every parent to know they have the power to make a difference.”

WHAT:

The Memphis Lift Citywide Fall Festival, a free community celebration featuring games, candy, music, giveaways, family activities, community resources and a Checkers/Rally’s Burger Bar. Approximately 300–500 participants are expected.

WHEN:

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

4:00–7:30 p.m.

WHERE:

The Memphis Lift

1637 Britton Ave.

Memphis, TN

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Paused – AGAIN

The pending state takeover of Memphis schools has been paused – again. The Daily Memphian reports.

The takeover was orchestrated by Gov. Bill Lee and the legislature’s GOP supermajority.

It’s not clear – yet – whether the state-appointed board will actually gain authority over Memphis schools this year.

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Ready to Takeover

The state board assigned to take over Memphis-Shelby County Schools says it is ready to get to work, according to Chalkbeat:

Memphis state takeover board Chair Billy Orgel said in a court filing Tuesday that the politically appointed body is “ready, willing, and able” to assume control of Tennessee’s largest school district.

That comes days after the oversight board met for the first time in months. In Thursday’s virtual meeting, the nine board members fast-tracked approval of key policies and procedures developed largely by Tampa-based consulting firm MGT during the court-ordered pause this summer.

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State Takeover of Memphis Schools Back on Track

After a judge initially stopped the state from taking over Memphis-Shelby County Schools, it appears the plan to let the state run the system is back on track.

Chalkbeat reports:

U.S. District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw filed an order Monday indicating that he will soon remove a temporary block on the state-appointed board after months of delay. That came days after the first hearing on Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ lawsuit against the state takeover, where Crenshaw said he never intended the block to be long term.

Crenshaw ordered the oversight board chair to notify the court under oath once the board is “ready, willing, and able” to begin its work, a step that could allow the politically appointed board to assume control of the district within days.

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Memphis Parent Advocacy Group Asks Court to Put Students First

In a statement released to the media, Memphis parent advocacy group Memphis Lift called on a federal court to allow a state takeover of schools in Memphis. That planned takeover – initiated by state legislators in the most recent session of the General Assembly – is currently stalled as the school system continues its legal efforts to push back against the state.

Here’s Memphis Lift Executive Director Sarah Carpenter:

“The people who filed this lawsuit – and the people who are defending it – are not the ones most affected. Students and families are, so we had to speak up.

“While politicians and government officials argue over who should control our school system, our children are the ones sitting in these classrooms every single day. And they are the ones who will pay the price for more delay.

“That is why Memphis parents filed this brief. Our voices and our children’s interests were missing from this case.

“We are not asking the judge to settle the politics. We are asking the Court to consider what another year of waiting means for a child who cannot read on grade level, who goes to a school that has struggled year after year, or who may graduate before meaningful change ever reaches their classroom.

“For years, parents fought for an intervention because our children are not getting the educational outcomes they deserved.  We supported this intervention because we want better schools and better futures for our children, not because we care which group of adults gets to be in charge.

“A school year is not something you can give back to a child. Our kids cannot put their education on pause while adults fight in court. Memphis parents have waited long enough. It is time to get to work.”

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Monday in Memphis: Parents to Speak Out on Lawsuit Against State Takeover of Schools

From a press release distributed by education advocacy group Memphis Lift:

Dozens of parents and community members will attend the Shelby County Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday, Aug. 24. Several participants are expected to provide public testimony in support of a resolution to halt public funding of a lawsuit challenging the state and local intervention into Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

Parents are coming with a clear message: Memphis students cannot afford more delays, and public resources should be focused on teachers, classrooms and improving academic outcomes — not a prolonged legal battle.

Parents are also expected to remind commissioners that the body previously issued a vote of no confidence in the elected MSCS School Board and will call on commissioners to stand by that message by refusing to spend additional public dollars defending the status quo.

“Memphis parents are tired of watching adults spend time and taxpayer money fighting while our children are still waiting for better schools,” said Sarah Carpenter, Executive Director of The Memphis Lift. “The Commission has already said it has no confidence in the current School Board. Now it has an opportunity to stand with parents, stop funding this lawsuit and let the real work begin. Our children need action, not another delay.”

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Memphis Lift Issues Statement on Court Hearing, School System Audit

With a hearing today on a potential state takeover of Memphis schools, a parent advocacy group calling itself Memphis Life released a statement about recent audit findings.

In a statement provided to the media, Sarah Carpenter, Executive Director of Memphis Lift, said:

“While lawyers argue over what to call this report, Memphis parents are focused on what it uncovered. The state’s independent forensic audit identified $54.2 million in transactions consistent with evidence of potential fraud, waste or abuse, another $65.1 million involving potential violations of district policies and procedures, and widespread failures in governance, contracting, oversight and accountability. Those findings cannot be explained away with legal technicalities.

“The people bringing this lawsuit are trying to divert attention from the real issue. Based on an annual per-pupil allocation of $12,773, $54.2 million is equivalent to an entire year of MSCS’s budgeted investment in more than 4,200 students. Imagine 4,200 Memphis children standing together and then tell their parents that the money that could have supported their education is too small to matter.

“Call it an audit, a review or a consulting engagement. Parents call it proof that the system failed to protect money intended to educate children. The question is not whether $54.2 million looks small compared with a multibillion-dollar budget. The question is how many students those dollars could have served and why the adults responsible for protecting those resources failed to do so.”

A judge previously issued an order pausing the state’s planned takeover of Memphis schools by way of a state-appointed board.

BLOCKED: Judge Temporarily Halts State Takeover of Memphis Schools

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Memphis Schools Audit Findings

Tennessee’s Comptroller says the final results of an independent audit of Memphis-Shelby County Schools raise serious concerns.

WREG reports:

A final state review of Memphis-Shelby County Schools was released on Wednesday morning by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office in Nashville.

The report documents more than $119 million in fraud, waste, abuse or questioned costs, State Comptroller Jason Mumpower said.

“The findings in this report represent some of the worst organizational management we have ever seen anywhere in government,” Mumpower said. “The failures are both unacceptable and indefensible.”

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BLOCKED: Judge Temporarily Halts State Takeover of Memphis Schools

A federal judge says the state can’t (yet) take over Memphis schools and must wait while a lawsuit against the takeover proceeds.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Memphis school takeover board’s authority, after school officials said it could delay the start of the school year or even force building closures as the district prepares to welcome students back to class in less than five weeks.

Memphis-Shelby County school board members and local officials asked a federal judge Tuesday to temporarily halt the oversight board or, at minimum, block its power to disrupt contract payments and fire top district officials ahead of the 2026-27 school year, which begins Aug. 3.

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Shelby County Sues Over State Takeover of Schools

The Shelby County government is challenging the state’s takeover of public schools in Memphis. A new state law passed this year created a state-appointed “Board of Managers” to oversee the Shelby County School Board.

This unelected board, appointed by politicians from Nashville, has the power to usurp decisions made by the elected leaders of the Shelby County Schools.

Tennessee Lookout reports on the lawsuit:


The Shelby County government sued Tennessee lawmakers in federal court last week, hoping to regain local control over the board that oversees the Memphis school system. 

State lawmakers passed a bill earlier this year disbanding the locally elected Memphis Shelby County Schools board and replacing it with a nine-member one, all appointed by Republican leaders in the state. 

Lawyers for Shelby County argued in their complaint that the law “dismantles” the structure that allows “110,000 children and their families to have a voice in the most consequential local decisions affecting their daily lives.” 

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