Are Tennessee Republicans still moving forward with a Memphis schools takeover plan?

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The clock is ticking for Tennessee lawmakers to agree on an intervention plan for Memphis-Shelby County schools as the General Assembly looks to finish its session before April 30.

Republican lawmakers released interim Memphis schools financial audit results last week. These results were expected to inform the supermajority’s plan to effectively take over major controls of the state’s largest school district, though the intervention plan did not advance this week.

Early voting in the Memphis-Shelby County school board elections begins on April 15, before Memphis voters have a clear understanding of who will actually have authority over the school district by next fall.

So, what’s next for the Memphis schools takeover plan?

The Tennessee House and Senate have each passed separate versions of the legislation, which means leaders of both chambers will have to call a conference committee before the end of session. Both lawmakers have indicated they plan to do so, and that could happen as early as April 13.

The conference committee, which is expected to include Memphis lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, can hash out a compromise on the bill. This committee can make significant changes to the legislation very quickly, and legislation often rapidly advances toward the end of the session.

Memphis Republicans Mark White and Brent Taylor, who are sponsoring the legislation, have both said in recent months that they want to align with White’s original bill.

White’s plan would install a board of managers, handpicked by elected state Republicans, that would have significant authority over the Memphis-Shelby County school district. Appointment powers would be given to the governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker, all Republicans who are not from Memphis.

It’s not clear how quickly an oversight board would be appointed if Tennessee Republicans finalize the plan. However, a similar situation played out in 2024 between Republicans and Tennessee State University, the state’s only HBCU, after a financial audit and mismanagement concerns. Gov. Bill Lee appointed a new board of trustees within hours of legislation passing, so state leaders could be poised to appoint a Memphis schools oversight board immediately if a compromise is agreed upon.

The plan would allow the oversight board to seize control of major financial decisions from the elected school board, including hiring and firing superintendents.

In March, the Memphis school board officially hired interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond. His new contract means the district could be on the hook for a nearly half-million dollar payout if a new state board decides to fire Richmond.

Lawmakers have repeatedly pointed to the 2023 Houston school takeover, where the superintendent was quickly replaced, as a model for MSCS intervention.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, a Crossville Republican who has been among the more vocal critics of Memphis schools this year, said Thursday he doesn’t want to be “the one to hire and fire directors of schools.”

“That’s not what we want to do. This is not a state takeover,” Sexton said, arguing the board of managers would be made up of local Memphians. “The board of managers needs to have the capability to make that decision for themselves based on internal reviews, the different processes that are going to be laid out in the bill.”

District officials in recent days have also argued that years of leadership turnover have led to issues within the district. A new website launched this week in response to the state audit said MSCS has made significant progress in the past year to correct missteps made during the tenures of four superintendents in the past five years.

Tennessee Republicans, meanwhile, have argued fraught management at the board level has led to leadership turnover, as well as years of academic underperformance.

Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.