Memphis Shelby County Schools is at a crossroads, and recent tensions have made that abundantly clear. Just months after a long search brought us Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins, the Board now finds itself questioning the district’s direction. Even as this debate unfolds, it must ultimately serve one essential purpose: ensuring the well-being and success of our students.
So many of our children face persistent hurdles—poverty, homelessness, mental health challenges—that carry into our classrooms. Too many schools remain under-resourced and struggle to provide the high-quality educational experiences that all students deserve. We cannot let disagreements over leadership overshadow the urgent need to address these systemic issues.
We hope the current dispute reflects a fundamental question: How do we ensure we have leadership and a superintendent-board partnership that genuinely serve the needs of our students? In situations like this, the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. We always have to try to balance adult problems and opportunities with the needs of our children, and, in the end, seek to build the best path forward while causing the least amount of harm.
There’s no doubt that our district has been in need of new ways of operating for years, which must be centered in evidenced-based practices and quality instruction for our students. Decisions made by administrative district leadership to make these operational changes shape everything from instructional quality to educator retention and staff morale. These decisions often happen internally and do not receive the level of media and public attention that other pieces of the process receive (like school board meetings).
We must create an environment where those who know our system best—teachers, support staff, and school leaders—can share their true experiences, guiding much-needed improvements without fear. When internal voices feel stifled, or talented professionals leave due to lack of support or fear of reprisal, our children ultimately suffer.
We’ve worked with and even endorsed members of the board who may have different opinions on the current situation. We trust they all have the best interests of our students at heart, but differ on that very question of what gives the best hope for progress with the least amount of harm.
Real progress requires full investment in public education, equipping schools with the resources they need, and supporting our students’ families so that every child can thrive. Changing leaders or titles alone, without addressing the root issues, will never deliver the transformation our students need and deserve.
As the MSCS Board of Education navigates these tensions, we need transparent communication and clear explanations of how their decisions will uplift students, empower educators, and build community trust.
Even a seed has to conflict with the soil to grow. Healthy conflict, when directed toward doing right by our children, can catalyze meaningful growth.
No matter our positions, we need to move forward by uniting around the commitment to provide our students with the education, resources, and support they need to thrive.
