State Sen. Lee Harris easily beat County Trustee David Lenoir to become the next Shelby County mayor in the Thursday, Aug. 2, county general election, leading a Democratic resurgence in county politics.

2. Harris Elected County Mayor, Bonner as Sheriff - Friday, August 3, 2018

State Sen. Lee Harris easily beat County Trustee David Lenoir to become the next Shelby County mayor in the Thursday, Aug. 2, county general election, leading a Democratic resurgence in county politics.

3. SCS Closes On Bayer Building To House New Central Office - Thursday, August 2, 2018

Shelby County Schools board members voted Tuesday, July 31, to buy the Bayer Building, 3030 Jackson Ave., as the new central office of the school system for $6.6 million.

4. Shelby County Schools Closes on Bayer Building As New Central Office - Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Shelby County Schools board members voted Tuesday, July 31, to buy the Bayer Building, 3030 Jackson Ave., as the new central office of the school system for $6.6 million.

5. SCS Puts Cost of TNReady Preparations at $46M - Friday, April 27, 2018

Shelby County Schools spent $46 million in the preparation for new TNReady testing this school year, according to a preliminary estimate by the school system.

Given the problems in administering the online version of the achievement tests this month, SCS superintendent Dorsey Hopson said this week he is “frustrated and a little disappointed.”

6. Three Incumbents Unopposed at August Primary Ballot Deadline - Monday, April 9, 2018

Three incumbent Democratic state House members in the Shelby County delegation to the Tennessee Legislature were effectively re-elected Thursday, April 5, at the noon deadline for candidates in the Aug. 2 state and federal primaries to file their qualifying petitions.

7. Three Incumbents Unopposed at August Primary Ballot Filing Deadline - Friday, April 6, 2018

Three incumbent Democratic state House members in the Shelby County delegation to the Tennessee Legislature were effectively re-elected Thursday, April 5, at the noon deadline for candidates in the Aug. 2 state and federal primaries to file their qualifying petitions.

8. Two Downtown Hotel Projects Moving Forward After Delay - Thursday, April 5, 2018

Two Downtown Memphis hotel projects that were seemingly in stasis appear to moving forward.

Though unrelated, both projects have filed paperwork indicating physical progress may soon be around the corner.

9. Two Downtown Hotel Projects in Question Appear to be Moving Forward - Thursday, April 5, 2018

Two hotel projects Downtown Memphis that were seemingly in stasis both appear to moving forward.

Though unrelated, both projects filed paperwork Tuesday, April 3 that indicate physical progress may soon be around the corner.

10. August State and Federal Primary Ballot Taking Shape - Thursday, March 15, 2018

With less than a month to file for the August state and federal primary elections, there are still a few decisions to be made by would-be candidates working in the shadows of those running in the May 1 county primary elections.

11. Orgel, Caldwell Prepare For School Board Races - Saturday, January 27, 2018

Incumbent Shelby County Schools board members Billy Orgel and Chris Caldwell have pulled qualifying petitions to seek re-election to the nonpartisan positions in the August elections.

Caldwell faces a challenge in District 1 from Michael Scruggs, a motivational speaker, and Katherine Ayers, who have each pulled a petition for the race.

12. Caldwell and Miller File for August Ballot - Saturday, January 27, 2018

District 88 state Rep. Larry Miller and Shelby County Schools board member Chris Caldwell have filed for re-election on the August ballot.

13. Caldwell and Miller File for August Ballot - Thursday, January 25, 2018

District 88 state Rep. Larry Miller and Shelby County Schools board member Chris Caldwell have filed for re-election on the August ballot.

14. Orgel, Caldwell Pull Petitions In School Board Races - Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Incumbent Shelby County Schools board members Billy Orgel and Chris Caldwell have pulled qualifying petitions to seek re-election to the nonpartisan positions in the August elections.

15. SCS Board Opposes Frayser Dump Expansion - Saturday, September 2, 2017

As another attempt at a construction landfill in Frayser bordering Whitney Achievement Elementary School drew vocal opposition at a community meeting Tuesday, Aug. 29, Shelby County Schools board members also came out against the Memphis Wrecking Co. project.

16. SCS Board Opposes Frayser Dump Expansion - Thursday, August 31, 2017

As another attempt at a construction landfill in Frayser bordering Whitney Achievement Elementary School drew vocal opposition at a community meeting Tuesday, Aug. 29, Shelby County Schools board members also came out against the Memphis Wrecking Co. project.

17. Hopson On SCS TnReady Results: 'Sober But Not Surprising' - Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Ahead of the state’s Wednesday, Aug. 30, release of high school student achievement test results for school districts across Tennessee, Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson has described the overall results for SCS students as “sober but not surprising.”

18. 3-Attorney Panel to Review Mackin's Allegations Against Shelby County Schools - Friday, June 9, 2017

A panel of three attorneys, including former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton are investigating allegations of a cover-up, sexual harassment, theft and widespread grade tampering made last week by former Trezevant High School principal Ronnie Mackin.

19. Shelby County Schools Board Seeks Role in Grade-Tampering Investigations - Thursday, June 8, 2017

Shelby County Schools board members will meet in special session Thursday to talk about allegations of grade tampering renewed June 1 when Trezevant High School principal Ronnie Mackin resigned from the school system.

20. SCS Board Members Huddle With Attorneys On Grade Tampering Allegations - Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Shelby County Schools board members meet in special session Thursday to talk about allegations of grade tampering renewed June 1 when Trezevant High School principal Ronnie Mackin resigned from the school system.

21. Shelby County Schools Debates Funding Strategy for Budget - Thursday, June 1, 2017

Shelby County Schools board members approved a two-year contract extension through the 2019-2020 school year for superintendent Dorsey Hopson Tuesday, May 30, with no debate or discussion and sent a combined $1.3 billion operating and capital budget proposal to the Shelby County Commission for approval.

22. Shelby County Schools Board Wants More Detail on Germantown Schools Offer - Friday, May 12, 2017

Shelby County Schools board members want more information about the offer this month from Germantown leaders to buy Germantown Elementary, Middle and High Schools from SCS for $25 million.

The school board’s discussion in a committee session Thursday, May 11, included questions about school age population projections in the general area and how the “three Gs” – as they are known – becoming part of the Germantown Municipal School District would affect SCS school feeder patterns..

23. Coalition Urges City Funding For Schools - Wednesday, April 19, 2017

A coalition of 13 organizations and 17 citizens, including Shelby County Schools board chairman Chris Caldwell and state Reps. Raumesh Akbari and G.A. Hardaway, are calling on Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland to include at least $10 million in funding for schools in the budget he takes to the Memphis City Council next week.

24. Coalition Urges City Funding For Memphis Schools - Tuesday, April 18, 2017

A group of 13 organization and 17 citizens including Shelby County Schools board chairman Chris Caldwell and state Representatives Raumesh Akbari and G.A. Hardaway are calling on Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland to include at least $10 million in funding for schools in the budget he takes to the Memphis City Council next week.

25. Hopson Admits System Neglect in ‘Critical Focus’ Pitch - Wednesday, March 29, 2017

The best budget situation he has had in four school years as leader of Shelby County Schools has prompted Dorsey Hopson to do something he was unable to do before he became superintendent.

With enough fiscal room to set aside $47 million to fund a turnaround model aimed at 19 schools, Hopson is saying what critics of five rounds of school closings have been saying frequently.

26. Hopson Pitches 'Critical Focus' to Parents and Teachers - Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson made the case for his “Critical Focus” plan to turn around 19 schools Monday, March 27, to a group of 250 parents, teachers and students of those schools.

27. Last Word: 'Ono Poke and the Ghost of The Luau, Council Day and $3 Concerts - Tuesday, March 21, 2017

The ghost of the Luau lives on. Loeb has a new tenant for the Shops of Chickasaw Gardens called ‘Ono Poke that features Hawaiian cuisine. And the restaurant will be just about on the other side of Poplar Avenue from where the Luau used to stand with its large concrete Easter Island head, Polynesian dishes and Hawaii Five-O era architecture – not the remake, the real Five-O and the real McGarrett.

28. Hopson, Caldwell Plan for SCS Long-Term - Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Five years into historic changes in public education locally, the rapid pace of change is starting to give way to longer-term views and plans.

“This has been the first year since the merger that we actually are in a position to do some strategic investments in our schools,” Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson said on the WKNO/Channel 10 program “Behind The Headlines.”

29. Last Word: James Cotton, A Quiet Jackson Day in Memphis and 'A Football School' - Friday, March 17, 2017

When you think of the blues and harmonica – James Cotton probably comes to mind – Sonny Boy Williamson too, who taught Cotton how to play.

30. Critical Focus Plan Gets Good Initial Reviews - Thursday, February 16, 2017

The 19 low-performing, low-enrollment schools in Shelby County Schools’ “critical focus” group would share in 20 new behavioral specialists SCS plans to put in its budget proposal.

31. Trump Nominee Decried Criticism of Judges, Senators Agree - Friday, February 10, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump insisted Thursday that comments by his Supreme Court nominee criticizing his own attacks on the judiciary were "misrepresented," even as Republican and Democratic lawmakers vouched for the veracity of the remarks.

32. Hopson Begins Mapping Out Schools ‘Transformation’ - Thursday, September 29, 2016

Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson says his plan to right-size the school system to emerge in October will be about “transformation” including turning East High School into a “magnet school.”

33. East High Magnet School Planned as Part of Larger SCS "Transformation" - Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson says his plan to rightsize the school system to emerge in October will be about “transformation” including turning East High School into a “magnet school.”

34. ‘Critical Mass’ - Saturday, June 4, 2016

Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson calls it “a brave new world” after four years of unprecedented changes: the merger and demerger of the county’s public schools systems, the rise of charter schools, the formation of both the state-run Achievement School District and locally run Innovation Zone model, and declining SCS enrollment.

35. Commission, Shelby County Schools Leaders Talk Funding - Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Shelby County Commissioners set the stage for a Wednesday, May 25, budget committee session on school funding by holding up $2.8 million in redirected Shelby County Schools funding at its Monday meeting.

36. Crosstown High Organizers Say It Will Be Innovative, Whether Charter or Optional - Saturday, May 21, 2016

Crosstown High School could be a charter school after all.

That was the original plan when charter operator Gestalt Community Schools signed on as one of the early tenants of Crosstown Concourse, the transformation of the old Sears Tower on Cleveland Avenue. When Gestalt pulled out of the project in late 2015, a group of philanthropists and community leaders rallied to recruit another school for the mixed-use high-rise.

37. SCS Budget Plan Goes To School Board For Vote Monday - Monday, May 16, 2016

Shelby County Schools board members meet Monday, May 16, to vote on a budget proposal that goes to the Shelby County Commission for funding.

The budget proposal up for a vote Monday has $27 million in red ink – the gap between revenues and expenses.

38. Last Word: Mud Island Money, Elvis Mystery and Beyond Barbecue - Friday, May 13, 2016

It looks like the dry rub will be in order for Memphis in May's barbecue weekend with a shower or two keeping the dust down in Tom Lee Park Wednesday.

If you can see it through the smoke, Mud Island might strike a first-tme observer as a marked contrast to all of the activity in Tom Lee Park that goes right up to the bluff's edge.

39. Shelby County Schools Board Eyes Wheel Tax to Bridge Budget Gap - Friday, May 13, 2016

Shelby County Schools board members are looking at the county wheel tax to bridge some, but not all of the $27 million gap in their still tentative budget for the new fiscal year.

The specific solution they are looking at is the half of the $32 million in annual revenue from the wheel tax that Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell has proposed go instead to capital projects across all seven public school systems in Shelby County. The new fiscal year begins July 1.

40. SCS Board Eyes Three Charter School Closings - Thursday, April 28, 2016

Shelby County Schools board members voted Tuesday, April 26, to close three Memphis charter schools performing in the bottom 5 percent of all schools statewide in terms of student achievement.

And the board set in motion a series of public hearing on closing two conventional high schools – Northside and Carver – as well as the Messick Adult Center.

41. SCS Board Votes To Close Three Charters - Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Shelby County Schools board members voted Tuesday, April 26, to close three Memphis charter schools in the bottom five percent of all schools state wide in terms of student achievement. And the board set in motion a series of public hearing on closing two conventional high schools – Northside and Carver -- as well as the Messick Adult Center.

42. SCS Board Authorizes More Discussions On Crosstown High - Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Shelby County Schools board members have authorized superintendent Dorsey Hopson to continue discussions about a Crosstown High School.

The board approved a resolution Tuesday, Jan. 26, that also sets some parameters for the talks with the developers of Crosstown Concourse and Christian Brothers University about the collaboration.

43. Crosstown High School Plans Emerge - Thursday, January 21, 2016

As more details emerged this week of a new high school in the mammoth Crosstown Concourse redevelopment, there remained many other details to work out before the August 2017 planned opening.

Crosstown High School, which would use the University of Memphis’ Campus School as a model, has been talked about behind the scenes since Gestalt Community Services pulled out of Concourse last year. SCS board members got their first look at the plan Tuesday, Jan. 19.

44. Memphis Legislators Sound Off On State-Run School District - Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Armed with a Vanderbilt University study showing Shelby County schools that were taken over by the state’s Achievement School District are showing little to no improvement, Memphis legislators are nearly ready to kill the experiment.

45. School Changes Fuel Door-to-Door Advocacy - Friday, September 25, 2015

Since its launch in July, the group Memphis Lift says it has contacted 14,000 families in Memphis to tell them where the schools in their community stand in terms of student achievement.

The group marked the end of its summer push Wednesday, Sept. 23, at Dave Wells Community Center in North Memphis, next to Caldwell-Guthrie Elementary. It’s one of several low-performing schools the state-run Achievement School District is considering taking over in 2016-2017.

46. NCRM Highlights Teacher Effectiveness Initiative - Saturday, September 19, 2015

It’s not the kind of history you normally see at the National Civil Rights Museum, even with the museum’s 2014 technological update and expanded exhibits.

A temporary exhibit on display through Oct. 4 reviews Shelby County Schools’ historic shift in teacher effectiveness training that began in 2009.

47. Shelby County Schools Files Suit Over State Education Funding - Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Shelby County Schools leaders announced Monday, Aug. 31, that the system has filed its own lawsuit against Tennessee state government over public education funding.

The school system filed its lawsuit Monday in Davidson County Chancery Court in Nashville.

48. Daniel Allen Joins Red Door As Financial Adviser - Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Daniel Allen has joined Red Door Wealth Management as vice president, financial adviser, marking Red Door’s first hire of a financial adviser since its inception in 2010. In his new role, Allen helps develop client relationships and financial strategies that solve complex financial issues and create value for clients.

49. Shelby County Schools Hires Lawyer in State Funding Dispute - Thursday, May 28, 2015

The Shelby County Schools system moved a step closer Tuesday, May 26, to joining a school funding lawsuit against the state of Tennessee.

The school board voted Tuesday, without discussion, to direct superintendent Dorsey Hopson to hire an attorney to weigh and consider all options for forcing the state to fully fund the Basic Education Program, the state’s formula for how it funds the public school districts.

50. Extra Schools Funding Request Gets Good First Reviews - Thursday, May 7, 2015

Shelby County Schools officials took a request Wednesday, May 6, for $14 million in new funding to Shelby County Commissioners and got lots of general support.

But the budget committee session probably means more specific questions to come through emails and phone calls before a majority on the commission considers putting up the extra money. “We have made the tough choices,” SCS board member Chris Caldwell told commissioners, referring to 17 school closings in the last three years. “There’s a method to our madness. We’re not just saying we need more money.”

51. Dr. Neil Bomar Joins Support Solutions - Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Dr. Neil Bomar has joined Support Solutions as its first staff psychiatrist, a role in which he will help individuals with intellectual disabilities and those with a history of long-term mental illness who are currently supported by the organization. Bomar’s addition makes Support Solutions one of the only industry providers in the Mid-South to provide this level of support.

52. School Competition Shows Promise, Threat - Tuesday, April 7, 2015

The competition among Shelby County Schools, the Achievement School District and charter schools has been a positive for public schools, say two Shelby County Schools board members.

But board chairwoman Teresa Jones and board member Chris Caldwell say the competition of the last three school years also has split the funding and could threaten classroom success.

53. School Leaders Concerned About Closing Disruptions - Thursday, March 26, 2015

Orleans Elementary School closed last year and its 169 students were transferred to Lincoln Elementary School for the current school year.

Under a proposal the Shelby County Schools board votes on next week, Lincoln Elementary would close at the end of this school year and in August its students would attend A.B. Hill Elementary School.

54. Shelby County Schools Board Moves Closer to State Funding Lawsuit - Thursday, February 26, 2015

The Shelby County Schools board voted unanimously Tuesday, Feb. 24, to hire an attorney to work with Tennessee’s other major urban school systems in weighing a possible lawsuit against the state that would force full state funding of the Basic Education Program.

55. Achievement Schools Opposition Finds Frustration - Thursday, October 30, 2014

Charter school operators who are being considered for the next round of schools entering the state-run Achievement School District are facing the most organized opposition effort in the three-year history of the district in Memphis.

56. Cops Talk Changes in Youth Crime Strategy - Thursday, October 2, 2014

Memphis Police brass plan to put uniform police officers on some Memphis Area Transit Authority buses.

The effort aimed at teenagers riding city buses before and after school is one of several indications Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s administration continues to search for answers to youth violence after two reported teenage mob attacks in three weeks.

57. Wharton Suggests Moving High School Football To Days - Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson said Tuesday, Sept. 30, that Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. has suggested the school system move its night football games to day time hours as one answer to mob violence by teenagers.

58. Democratic Divide Widens in Election Results - Friday, August 8, 2014

Democrats have retained their seven-vote majority on the new single-district Shelby County Commission that takes office Sept. 1.

That and the re-election victory of Democratic incumbent Cheyenne Johnson in the race for Shelby County Assessor of Property were the only bright spots for a divided local Democratic Party that lost every other countywide partisan elected position to Republicans in the Aug. 7 county general election, just as they lost every countywide position to Republicans four years earlier.

59. Cohen Prevails, Incumbents Dominate - Friday, August 8, 2014

Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen held off Thursday, Aug. 7, the most serious electoral challenge he’s faced since winning the Congressional seat in 2006, in the form of attorney Ricky E. Wilkins.

60. Game Changer - Saturday, June 7, 2014

One educator’s reform is another educator’s wrong move.

Dorsey Hopson doesn’t use the word “reform” as often as he uses the term “game changer.”

But the superintendent of Shelby County Schools has himself become a game changer as the school board that signed him to a three-year contract last September weighs a further extension of his three-year contract that for now runs through September 2016.

61. Harris Files Ford Challenge at Deadline - Thursday, April 3, 2014

Memphis City Council member Lee Harris is challenging Democratic state Sen. Ophelia Ford in the August primary for District 29, the Senate seat held by a member of the Ford family since 1975.

62. Filing Frenzy - Thursday, April 3, 2014

Until Tuesday, no one was running for the District 7 seat on the Shelby County Schools board. No one had pulled a qualifying petition from the Shelby County Election Commission until just two days before the filing deadline for candidates on the August election ballot.

63. Bailey Files for Circuit Court Return - Saturday, March 29, 2014

Former Shelby County Circuit Court Judge D’Army Bailey filed his qualifying petition Wednesday, March 26, to run for Circuit Court Judge Division 3 in the August judicial elections.

Bailey filed one week before the April 3 deadline for candidates in those nonpartisan races and as well as the state and federal primaries on the ballot. He also had pulled a petition to possibly run for judge of Circuit Court Division 1.

64. Bailey Files for Circuit Court Return - Thursday, March 27, 2014

Former Shelby County Circuit Court Judge D’Army Bailey filed his qualifying petition Wednesday, March 26, to run for Circuit Court Judge Division 3 in the August judicial elections.

Bailey filed one week before the April 3 deadline for candidates in those nonpartisan races and as well as the state and federal primaries on the ballot.

65. County Commission Delays Schools Redistricting - Friday, February 7, 2014

With candidates in the August Shelby County Schools board elections already a month into their filing period, the Shelby County Commission delayed Wednesday, Feb. 5, any vote on changes in the number of seats on the school board as well as the district lines until its Feb. 24 meeting.

66. County Schools Weighs Charter Rent Waiver - Thursday, January 30, 2014

Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson is considering waiving rent payments by charter schools that lease the school system’s old buildings in return for them taking all children in an area and coordinating their location with Shelby County Schools.

67. Suburban School Boards Set, Other Issues Remain - Monday, November 11, 2013

Voters in Shelby County’s six suburban towns and cities completed the process Thursday, Nov. 7, of establishing the basics of their municipal school districts, with elections for their respective school boards.

68. Suburban Mayors, Schools Leader Discuss Negotiations - Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Germantown Mayor Sharon Goldsworthy is still “hopeful” that Germantown Elementary, Middle and High schools can remain part of the coming Germantown municipal school district under some kind of negotiated agreement between the Germantown school board and the Shelby County Schools board.

69. School Board Votes Down Charter Schools Moratorium - Saturday, September 21, 2013

Countywide school board members voted down a resolution Tuesday, Sept. 17, by board member David Pickler to call for a moratorium on the approval of any new charter schools statewide until the 2016-2017 school year. Pickler cited the financial impact of charter schools on the school system, as well as legislative proposals pending in the Tennessee Legislature that would allow even more charter schools, some requiring only state approval with no local school board approval.

70. School Board Votes Down Charter Schools Moratorium - Thursday, September 19, 2013

Countywide school board members voted down a resolution Tuesday, Sept. 17, by board member David Pickler to call for a moratorium on the approval of any new charter schools statewide until the 2016-2017 school year. Pickler cited the financial impact of charter schools on the school system, as well as legislative proposals pending in the Tennessee Legislature that would allow even more charter schools, some requiring only state approval with no local school board approval.

71. Hopson Three-Year Contract Approved By School Board. - Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Countywide school board members approved a three-year contract Tuesday, Sept. 17, that makes Dorsey Hopson the superintendent of Shelby County schools through Sept. 2, 2016 at a starting base pay of $269,000 a year.

72. School Board Recognizes Labor, Gets Security Update - Thursday, August 29, 2013

Interim countywide schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson told the school board Tuesday, Aug. 27, that “jurisdiction issues” between the Memphis Police Department and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office were the primary cause of security problems at schools this month.

73. School Board Recognizes Labor Groups, Moves Toward Smaller Size - Wednesday, August 28, 2013

The last meeting of the 23-member countywide school board ended Tuesday, Aug. 27, with gift bags for the 16 school board members whose positions are abolished Friday, as the month ends.

The board becomes a seven-member body starting Sept. 1, dropping the nine legacy Memphis City Schools board positions and the seven legacy Shelby County Schools board positions that were part of the board starting in October 2011.

74. Anderson Embarks on New Chapter in Education Career - Friday, August 9, 2013

With the first semester of the newly consolidated Shelby County Schools in full swing this week, all eyes are on this mammoth system and what it might mean, if anything, for education’s progress, efficiency and reform in the Mid-South.

75. Anderson Embarks on New Chapter in Education Career - Friday, August 9, 2013

With the first semester of the newly consolidated Shelby County Schools in full swing this week, all eyes are on this mammoth system and what it might mean, if anything, for education’s progress, efficiency and reform in the Mid-South.

76. Schools Look to State for Money Owed - Thursday, August 1, 2013

When the Tennessee Legislature returns to session in January, the consolidated school district will ask legislators to pass a law compelling the city of Memphis to pay a court judgment it owes the school system or lose state funding.

77. Events - Saturday, April 13, 2013

New Ballet Ensemble will present Springloaded Friday, April 12, through Sunday, April 14, at Playhouse on the Square, 66 S. Cooper St. The annual event fuses ballet, contemporary and urban dance with works by local and guest choreographers. Visit nbespringloaded13.eventbrite.com for times and tickets.

78. Board to Weigh School Closings - Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Countywide school board members are scheduled to vote Tuesday, March 26, on the closings of four schools at the end of the current year.

And they could see additions to the agenda that put the Achievement School District’s Gestalt Community Schools charter operation in Humes Middle School with the new school year. That would also come with an end for the time being of plans for a new optional school the school board had approved for Humes at the start of the school year.

79. School Board Restructuring Plan Goes to Mays - Wednesday, March 20, 2013

On the way to U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays is a plan by the Shelby County Commission to convert the countywide school board to a 13-member single-district body effective Sept. 1.

80. County Commission Weighs School Merger Changes - Monday, March 18, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners might discuss Monday, March 18, the idea of restructuring the countywide school board for a third time in the last year and a half.

But they are likely to delay action on a resolution that would create a 13-member school board effective Sept. 1 by appointing six new members to go with the seven existing members.

81. School Board Expansion Advanced - Thursday, March 14, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners advanced in Wednesday, March 13, committee sessions a general plan to restructure the countywide school board.

But the plan to turn the 23-member board into a 13-member board on Sept. 1, instead of the seven-member board it is now scheduled to become on that date, is far from complete. And lots of legal questions remain about the details.

82. Alternative Spring Break on Docket for Law Students - Wednesday, March 6, 2013

The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and its Public Action Law Society are sponsoring the fourth annual alternative spring break next week.

It’s a series of events that will involve 48 law students from seven law schools, some of whom will come here from out of state to participate alongside Memphis law students.

83. Hopson Is Interim MCS Supt. As School Board Sets Merger Calendar - Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Countywide school board members appointed Memphis City Schools attorney Dorsey Hopson as the interim superintendent of the Memphis City Schools system at the board’s Tuesday, Jan. 29 meeting.

The meeting was the last for Kriner Cash who becomes an advisor to the school system through the end of July under terms of his resignation after four and a half years heading the school system.

84. Kelsey Discusses School Vouchers Bill - Wednesday, January 23, 2013

The bill to come in the Tennessee Legislature that permits school vouchers will be built around the more than $9,000 in state funding per school child, in the case of Memphis, and the ability of parents to use it to move their child to a private school.

85. School Board Divisions Resurface - Thursday, December 20, 2012

Countywide school board members already had a lot on their agenda Tuesday, Dec. 18, when they were surprised by an internal ethics investigation.

Near the beginning of this week’s meeting, school board member Martavius Jones offered a resolution calling on board member David Pickler to resign over money put aside by school districts under the Tennessee School Boards Association to cover the liability of other post-employment benefits (OPEB).

86. Conflict Charge Roils Busy School Board Meeting - Wednesday, December 19, 2012

One countywide school board member called Tuesday, Dec. 18, for the resignation of another board member over an alleged conflict of interest.

School board member Martavius Jones offered a resolution calling on board member David Pickler to resign over money put aside by school districts under the Tennessee School Boards Association to cover the liability of OPEB amounts – other post-employment benefits.

87. Achievement School District Weighs 10 Additions - Friday, November 9, 2012

The state-run Achievement School District will add 10 more Memphis schools in the 2013-2014 school year, the first year of the schools merger in Shelby County.

The 10 schools to be run under state control or with charter school operators selected by the state will be announced Dec. 17. That’s also when leaders of the district will announce which schools they will run directly and which ones will be operated by charters.

88. School Board Members Look to Post-Election Direction - Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Once the winners are certified in the six sets of suburban school board races on Tuesday’s ballot in Shelby County, the first order of business for all of the boards will be selecting superintendents to run the six fledgling school systems.

89. Airports and Stock Exchange Reopen After Superstorm Sandy - Thursday, November 1, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Two major airports reopened and the New York Stock Exchange got back to business Wednesday, while across the river in New Jersey, National Guardsmen rushed to feed and rescue flood victims two days after Superstorm Sandy struck.

90. School Board Majority Backs Sales Tax Hike - Friday, October 26, 2012

Twelve of the 23 countywide school board members have signed a letter urging voters to approve a half-cent countywide sales tax hike in the Nov. 6 elections.

The letter dated Thursday, Oct. 25, refers to using half of the estimated revenue from the extra half cent for an expansion of pre-kindergarten. But it mentions pre-k as one of several possible uses for the $30 million that would go to local education under state law.

91. School Board Debates Sales Tax Support - Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Countywide school board members debated Tuesday, Oct. 23, the idea of backing a half cent countywide sales tax hike.

Half of the estimated $60 million in revenue from the tax hike on the November ballot would got to local education by state law.

92. Support Given to Hire Schools Search Firm - Monday, September 17, 2012

The countywide school board could start getting information from search firms this week and probably vote on a process for picking a merger superintendent by the end of October.

A committee of countywide school board members and community leaders is recommending that the school board hire a search firm and conduct a national search for the superintendent of the merged school system.

93. Ad Hoc Group Recommends National Search for Schools Merger Leader - Friday, September 14, 2012

A committee of countywide school board members and community leaders is recommending that the school board hire a search firm and conduct a national search for the superintendent of the merged school system.

94. School Board Cautioned About Superintendent Search - Monday, September 10, 2012

At one point in a two-hour presentation and discussion with the countywide school board last week, Mike Casserly of the Council of the Great City Schools warned the board that going with an advisory committee in the search for a superintendent could present problems.

95. School Board to Consider Aitken’s Role in Transition - Monday, August 27, 2012

Countywide school board members have been known to debate what is on their agenda for as long as an hour or so before moving on to other matters.

That may be the case Tuesday, Aug. 28, when the board picks up where it left off at their work session a week ago.

96. Work Remains for Superintendent Selection Group - Tuesday, August 21, 2012

The group trying to come up with a process for selecting a superintendent to lead the merger of Shelby County’s two school systems has a lot of lead work to do in a short time.

The group is likely to have numerous discussions in the coming weeks about what kind of school system that superintendent will be leading. The countywide school board hasn’t yet acted on the set of recommendations from the planning commission that will define the merged school district’s structure and scope.

97. Six Chosen for Selection Process Committee - Monday, August 20, 2012

The ad hoc committee to recommend a process for selecting a single superintendent for the coming Shelby County Schools merger is complete.

It took countywide school board members about 45 minutes and 10 rounds of balloting at a special meeting Thursday, Aug. 16, to pick six citizens to join the seven school board members on the committee.

98. Board Looks to Increase Supt. Search Committee - Tuesday, August 14, 2012

The search by the countywide school board for a merger superintendent is, for now, a search for six citizens to serve on the committee that will recommend a search process for a new superintendent.

99. Watershed Day - Monday, August 6, 2012

The unofficial vote totals are in from Thursday’s county general and state and federal primary elections in Shelby County, but no one involved believed the last cartridge read at the Shelby County Election Commission would be the last word on the results.

100. Muni Schools Questions Pass, Cohen Wins Big - Friday, August 3, 2012

Voters in each of the six suburban towns and cities in Shelby County approved establishing municipal school districts in the unofficial results of the Thursday, Aug. 2, county general and state and federal primary elections.