and welcome to the Shelby County Board of Education March 15th meeting work session Miss Clark please call the role
Board member MK 18th excuse me Board member McKisik present Board member Garcia present Board member Murphy present Board
Board member Williams and Vice Chair Love present You have five in the affirmative Please stand for the pledge of allegiance To the flag of the United States of
America and to the republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all Please remain standing for a moment of silence Um and acknowledging the
untimely death of Jordan Stocks an educational assistant at Raleigh Egypt High School I'd also like And I'd also like for us to keep in our hearts the family of
Pastor Ricky Floyd who also lost his life last week You may be seated The next item on the agenda is a spotlight of the arts The
chair recognizes Rashan Jenkins Good evening Tonight's Spotlight on the Arts performance highlights the 2025 ORF music all city concert Memphis ORF and Soul The co-chairs for this year's concert are Jan Crrum from Chimney Rock
Elementary and Julius Dabs from Riverview K8 The ORF All City concert is a tradition dating back to 1973 Wow This unique experience provides students from our ORF music program the opportunity to perform with peers from
schools across our district As part of this collaboration 332 students representing 60 elementary schools will sing say dance and play to music arranged by our very own music teachers Tonight's showcase will feature select
elementary students from Chimney Rock Delano Riverview Dexter Kate Bun Keystone Oak Forest Richland Rosselle Sherwood and William H Brewster They will be performing Somebody Someday written by our very own Julius Dabs from
Riverview K8 You are all invited to attend the 55th annual All City concert on April 3rd 2025 at 7 p.m at the Canon Center for the Performing Arts Thank you Thank I get it I get it Your blues may not be
my blues but you're right The blues is for anybody Yeah So maybe next time you're feeling low Maybe a good blues song is the way to go True true But you know by us being young and all I need a little something some lit fresh cool new
school some rap some hip hop You feel me I feel you Well listen I heard this remix on a poem by a wellknown Memphian named William Herbert Brewster For real I never heard of him Me neither It just came out today on my snap That bass
bounces like our boy J dribbles the ball down to the court The lyrics are legit too And check this out He even got a school named after him Well I'm down with I'm down for it Are you
Let's go DJ Towns in All City Play that song Pres present conditions and circumstances may make it appear that I run out of chances odds
are against me just the fact I must admit not really boasting just a fade of Memphis GR in spite of things standing in my way in spite of things I'm standing here day I'm determined to be somebodyday I'm determined to be
somebodyday Some may think that I made a very poor start Well maybe I have But no worries I handle that part Cuz at the end of the round I'll be on my feet For there's something that's within me that's too hard to beat The
fight may be tough but I'm in to stay The fight may be tough but I'm on my way I'm determined to be somebodyday I'm somebodyday His word is on
our track by ground There are truly some things I would like to know and truly some places I would like to go There are certainly some things that I'd like to
see and something very special that I'd like to be So let others do what they will or may So let others do but for me I'll say Someday I'm determined to be somebody I'm determined to be somebodyday I'm determined to be
somebody And I will be someday Great job Good job Good job of this crazy Tell me what you need Good morning The next item is special recognitions There are
no special recognitions at the workplace Excuse me chair Um I just wanted to for my colleague uh board member Natalie McKenna I wanted to acknowledge that she is present via video So she's out there in the internet somewhere but she sent a
text just to make sure that she There she is All right Hello Natalie Thank you Hello All right The next item is the s uh interim superintendent report
Thank you Vice Chair Love Uh before I go into my report I want to just thank our students for doing an outstanding job with the arts today Excellent job Excellent job
Uh Vice Chair Love I'd like to request a removal of item 9.12 removal of the property seal reversion clause for the former Hollywood Elementary And 9.13 approval of the property sale reversion clause for the former Graceland uh
elementary land from tonight's agenda for further review and discussion I made a mistake Approval of the agenda is next Are there any amendments Yes Yes
Yes Uh Porter I move that we remove item 10.4 from the agenda I'll second that We need It's been moved and second by um
Porter and Amber who Natalie Yes I have one addition Are you ready for him Um we have to take a vote on it on the back We have to take a vote on the item that
we removed Okay Roll call Board member McKisik I Board member Garcia I Board member Porter Hi Board member Murphy I
Board member McKini I Board member Williams And Chair Love Hi You have six in the affirmative and one nay That motion passes Natalie
Yes I'd like to move to add the resolution um Shelby County Board of Education resolution to support First Aid Memphis PreK for All initiative Second Any objections
This resolution is added to the agenda Are there any more Are there further amendments Natalie Hello Did you want to add something else No I think it's Are both of them on
there I think the other one I'll add it just to make sure because I can't see the agenda But also resolution opposing changes in the authority of the duly elected Shelby County Board of Education Is that already on the agenda Yeah Yeah Okay Those were the only
two If there are no objections the amendment is moved Added Are there further amendments Being that there are no further amendments we have a motion to adopt the
agenda item as amended I move to adopt the initial item as amended Second Second Roll call vote Board member McKisik
I Board member Garcia I Board member Porter Hi Board member Murphy Hi Board member McKini Hi Board member Williams Hi
Vice Chair Love You have seven in the affirmative The agenda is adopted The next item of board business is this interim superintendence
report At this time vice chair I don't have any any report for tonight No report The next item is the staff business
the staff item business Yes Vice Chair Love I would like to request the removal of 9.12 approve of the property sale revision clause from the former Hollywood Elementary and 9.13 approval
of the property sale reversion clause for the former Gracland Elementary land from tonight's agenda for further review and discussion 9.12 and 9.13 It will take a 23 vote to move the
items We're moving Damn it The first item is knowledge tree summer learning academy supplies Vice Chair Love it is recommended that Shelby County Board of Education approve
the purchase of supplies from Knowledge Tree in the amount of $425,60 for the 2025 Summer Learning Academy Question The next item is Tennessee Prevention Network
Vice Chair Love it is recommended Shelby County Board of Education approved the amendment to contract number 82389 2024 20225 with the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services increasing the total amount to
$90,800 This includes the original $75,600 plus an additional $15,200 with no change to the contract's end date of June 30th 2025 Any questions
CCT technology equipment vice chairs recommend that the Shelby County Board of Education approves the purchase to Ary Jones Educational Solutions in the amount of $239,1995 for computer hardware and
Unisar Spartico Sparkco Computers Inc for deployment and asset tagging in the amount of $4,933.50 for the CCT centers It's not a question but in a committee meeting I asked for um the the computers themselves How many computers
were out of compliance or out of warranty And what I received was I think the next item was about the uh cosmetology equipment So it it seemed like it just a mixup but I want the uh the computers that have been identified that's out of warranty to justify the amount that we're going to spend Okay
Thank you board member Porter We'll get that information too No problem Item 9.4 Vice Chair Love it is recommended that the Shelby County Board of Education approves the acceptance of award funding in the amount of $100,000 from the city of Memphis
Any questions 9.5 Cosmetology and Barbering Equipment Purchase Vice Chair Love it is recommended the Shelby County Board of Education approves the purchase of Kmart in the amount of 134,427.97 for the purchase of equipment
for CCT cosmetology and Barbering Program in the four centers uh which include Kingsberry Sheffield Southwest CTC and Tresman CTC This purchase is based on the TIPS cooperative agreement tips number 230301
Item 9.6 Shelby County Government Pre-Tild Servicesou Vice Chair Love it is recommended that the Shelby County Board of Education approves the memorandum of understanding with Shelby County government pre-child
services that will allow referrals of eligible preschool age children of incarcerated parents to the early childhood program for consideration for enrollment This partnership will enable referrals to the Memphis Shelby County Schools prek through the intake phase of
the Shelby County government pre-trial services process This opportunity will assist parents in pre-trial with enrollment into the program in the event of incarceration questions Item
9.7 Goodwill Excel Center Midsouth Vice Chair Love it is recommended that the Shelby County Board of Education approves the Goodwill Excel Center Mids South to open two new locations one in each of the zip codes 38108 and
38134 These new locations will replace two previous approved zip codes upholding the board's consent for GECM to operate a total of four expansion sites Questions Item 9.78 Vice Chair Love it is recommended that
the Memphis Chevy County Schools Memphis County Board of Education approves the purchase order to master distribution in the amount of 132,90 uh for 11,700 cases of bottled water at the cost of
$510 per case for the district-wide distribution to students This is for an initial purchase of $72,420 and $59,670 for the rest of the year Any questions
The next item is an grant acceptance for the community foundation of the Greater Memphis uh Barish Chapel School Vice Chair Love it is recommended that the Shelby County
Board of Education approves a grant of $24,959.40 40 cents from the county community from the community foundation of greater Memphis awarded to Bears Chapel School to be used to support the instructional program enhancement to the playground
and support the athletic department Any questions 9.10 10 The food service management um food management service Vice Chair Love it is recommended that the Shelby County Board
of Education approves the contract for renewal of Hardland School Solutions in the amount of 227,25 for the maintenance and support of cloud hosted applications This includes food management software
subscription services in the amount of $184,500 and meal viewer digital suite in the amount of $42,75 Any questions 9.11
Vice Chair Love it is recommended that the Shelby County Board of Education approves the contract to Smart Cents for a total amount not to exceed $827,854 to purchase 95 sensors to ensure the food stored in the warehouse
coolers and walk-in freezers are kept in the desired temperature range The initial service term is for three years in the amount of $538,192 with two additional one-year options of
$144,831 This is based on MSCS RFP0110204W Any questions Thank you vice chair Just want to have clarification So the amount of the 827,000 plus is to purchase the sensors
and then there's in addition to that uh a contract for service that piggybacks onto that Yes For two additional one-year terms of $144,831 Okay Thank you We have a hand raised
Natalie Board member Natalie Kenny Board member McKenna Yes I didn't say anything Your hand is raised You hit your You hit your hand
button Oh it is I'm sorry That was a long time ago Ignore that Did you have a question Not on that No Um the next two items are
removed Chiller service uh maintenance contract 94 Thank you Vice Chair Love It is recommended that the Shelby County Board of Education approves the contract to Kim Treat Inc in the amount of
$174,430 for prevent for preventative maintenance services for all district chillers This is a one-year contract with two one-year renewal options Any questions Um board member Keith Williams Does this provide for any new chillers
or just service I'll defer to Miss Stewart It's just service It's just the chemicals that go in the water that's in the chiller So how many chillers are you servicing All chillers in the district How many is that Um so some schools have
two chillers and some schools have three I would have to get you an accurate number to tell you exactly how many And what are they going to do in this service So if you don't treat the water with these chemicals then the pipes get all uh corroded and blocked up Um it's
think of it as like freon or antifreeze in your car like changing the oil in your car It's the same thing with the chiller But this is not this is water for the cooler for the for the uh air conditioning system Is that correct Yes sir It's not drink Okay
9 one five vice chair maintenance department utility trucks vice chair love it is recommended that the Shelby County Board of Education
approved the purchase of 14 vans and one truck for the district's facility maintenance team for84 47,495 from Ham's Motor Company Any questions
Yeah just one Sorry Um Amber the the slide reads 600,000 and we just heard 800 and something thousand which is the correct number It's in red so I assume maybe we did
change it after the fact but I just want to clarify what the cost is Uh Miss Stewart just one second I'll pull up my documentation The correct cost is $847,495 from Helms Motor Company
Point of order So we just need to make the proper corrections Thanks Uh please update that slide And then I my question was what is the useful life of a utility truck How often do we need to purchase these
sewer So um you'll notice in those uh in the description in background or maybe it's on the next slide Can you go a slide down Miss Timberlake Um this is all the wrong slide altogether I apologize Um I'll make sure
the board office has the correct one Um so we have vehicles that are o over a 100,000 miles you see there and some over 200,000 miles over 20 years So what we're trying to do is get retire some of those that are constantly in the shop And going forward we will have a rolling
budget line item every year so that our fleet never gets this old and so that we have a truck for every person to drive every maintenance tech That makes sense Thank you Board member Williams your light is on The Any more questions
The U I'm sorry it's this is for member McKini I'm sorry it's a echo so I want to make sure that I understood The cost is $600,000 I think the reference to the 700,000 was to what the cost of repairs have been Is that right
No board member McKenna the cost is $847,495 We need to update that slide Okay I appreciate that And if I if I recall during our board committee meeting as well where you explained what you were doing there one of the things
we can do is also retire some of those vehicles and we can potentially auction them Yes Okay Thank you 916 Vice Chair Love it is recommended that the Shelby County Board of Education
approve the contract for the fire system upgrades at Germantown High School uh to state system for $986,775 Any questions 9.17 Vice Chair Love it is recommended that the Shelby County Board of Education approve the contract to AM
Construction Inc for $257,37820 for the auditorium sound and stage lighting upgrades at Weiss Station High School Uh board member Williams do you have a question Going back to Germantown are we not getting out of that building before
we put that kind of money in it When will they be moving What is the expectation that they will have a school Seven years Yes we still have another seven years They will be in that school another seven years that they're in possibly
I thought we had a contract on something Yes No sir Not at this time We're We're still looking uh board member Williams we're still looking for land for the new east school So how much money are you going to put into that building How how much is this
If we go back to the Germantown slide it says $986,775 That's a lot of money Right at a million dollars to tear down That's a lot of money I have I have a question Um if the timing is right we
can move that sound system to another school once we it's I think we're talking about two separate schools This is Germantown We went back to item
916 The sound system is at White Station 9.17 Yeah the fire system One is a fire system and the other is a sound system And Dr Richmond correct me This is a
matter of safety So this is a kind of a non-negotiable Correct That is correct Correct Any more questions While it is a matter of safety we do have a a process by which we service schools And I know that there are some schools who've been
waiting a long time for heating for air and for certain things And I want to make sure that the rotation is proper And we're not putting money into a building that we are about to abandon because there are schools who don't have heat and air already And I know that you have this process for doing it but I
want to make sure that it is amicable and fair Thank you board member Williams Uh I'd also like for Mr Langston to just kind of weigh in to give a little more context Mr Langston Thank you Dr Richmond Members of the board I want to point our attention to the gap analysis
And you'll see here that currently the building is under what's called firewatch That means when we don't have working fire components in the building we have to do it We are spending $24,192 a month on a firewatch So um over the the the span of time is going
to pay for itself So either we have to do firewatch by code or we replace the components of the building So it's either or So we have to spend the money and it makes sense to go ahead and take care of the equipment It's not just for uh Germantown but that's any of our buildings One of the things we'll talk
about in our board retreat is some life safety issues that we have And again when we have fire marshals to come out and they assess our components of the of life safeties particularly in fire if we don't have working fire systems we have to have some people around the clock watching the building in case um
something happens Under fire watch No sir How many other schools are I can get we can get there for you um u quickly fairly quickly but um even in your district in one of the schools the fire marshall came by white
haven during spring break this month so again with those components for a firewatch we're either going to have to pay for a roundthe-clock firewatch and eventually we have to replace those components of those buildings Yeah I was just concerned because I do know that we will be abandoning that buildings at
some point and to put this kind of money in it and their schools are still without in the same condition that we're not doing it So I don't know how much sense it makes Yes sir I think that's a fair statement Again we're going to spend it one way or the other We're going to either spend it on the
firewatch or we're going to replace the fire system Um and at 24,000 uh over the course of a year we would have spent over close to $300,000 in just one year And depending on what we do with no eventually solving for North Eastern Region High School this would have paid
for itself um in a two-year span Good Good a good evening I'm sorry Uh board member McKenna you have a question Yes Thank you I think I think one of the clarifications that I think some of us would like to to know I know at least I
would is um what is what are the parameters for returning um or providing that school to Germantown in seven years Is it something that we are merely handing over or are there um some sort of
contractual terms in terms of um getting any compensation for that building If so then anything that we're putting into the building would be part of um increasing the value of that building So while I totally agree that we need to
make sure this the the uh building is safe I have no problems with that But to the question that I think um vice chair love was leading to it was about the lighting system and there were some other things that we've done to make
that building um more um usable and um for our students that are currently in that school So that's some clarification I think we would need to have for all of us as we move down this road So so board member McKenna is that a
statement or do you want me to ask Mr Langston uh to answer that question Uh I think it's both Okay Mr Langston would you answer that question for board member McKenna Yes sir Uh again members of the board Dr
Richmond Uh board member McKenna excellent question Um what I would say is that again we still own Germantown High School Under the resolution that we have with the county commission is that um the proceeds of the sale of this school um in legislation we have seven
years So the proceeds of the sale of that school will will still belong to us and we will use that towards a future high school obviously a northeast region high school as well So you brought up a great component even that um is a selling point So obviously when it comes
time to sell the building it'll be appraised and one of the appraisals obviously it's a life safety thing We'll have a new fire system in it and then they should raise the cost of the appraisal of the building when it's time to sell it if that makes sense Right And we also added a new gym floor Correct
Yes ma'am And again the gym floor is is for the athletes So with them being uh able to compete over the next however long we're in that building we just wanted to have an opportunity for um them as well But to your point the gym floor will be a part of it It raises the the value of the building So again when
it time when it's time to appraise it and ultimately sell the building it'll go towards the proceeds of whatever new East Region High School we uh buy Right So these are cap these are capital improvements that we're making that will add value to the um the possible sale of
the built Correct Yes Okay Thank Thank you Thank you Now do we have any more questions about 9.17 Question the summation that I have is that I don't think Germantown has
the is not their plan to to use the facility They plan to tear it down and build a mall or something is what they have on their records So that will not be we're not building it for another school We're moving because we no longer own the property and we you know we having to relocate because of the merger
but their intent is not to build the school That's correct Uh TGO um Mr Chair recognizes vice chair love Uh Mr Tito can the fire alarm system be
moved to another school Answer that for me Mr Langston Thank you Dr Richmond Excellent question Miss Love Parts of it could possibly be be um what I would say is that would depending on the size of a school it would have to be retrofitted for that size of a school
So I don't want to there's a it's a yes and a no parts of the components could be used for it Um but not it it's not necessarily a uh take it away and then replace it with another one if that makes sense And I have a another
question Um superintendent it isn't on the agenda but it is the same as um this school Um I would like a presentation to go before the board Lucy
E Campbell It is in the same situation as to school Germantown High School It's not on the agenda but I would like a presentation
within that presentation what what would you like for us to share with you Vice Chair Love Where the kids are going to go um the time frame and the um community meetings
because we don't want to wait till the last minute Thank you for that uh clarification I think uh we're talking about there's Lucy E Campbell and there's Lucy Campbell Uh for the le for the listening audience that's in a similar position
there Lucy E Campbell which is located in my district um eastern uh Shelby County Yes Near Millington Yeah Yes Millington acquired the building several years ago
and they are turning that into uh school and we need to keep all those students Yes ma'am We'll bring you a presentation For the record I am I'm here tonight Joyce Doris Coleman For the record I was
told I need to announce that I am here I was sorry I'm late I was traveling The chair recognizes board member Murphy Thank you Madam Chair Just for clarity when are we um going to demolish the school
I think this is Germantown right Is this what you talking about Yeah Germantown because he go ahead Go ahead Yes Uh we will not demolish the school What board member Williams was speaking to is if and when the schools are turned back
over to Germantown Municipal District Okay What we've been told will the the schools will be demolished but we don't know that for a fact until that happens Okay Thank you for clarity The chair recognizes board member
Williams Yeah Thank you Okay Are there any further questions on 9.17 Not We're moving on We're now on to board items The chair recognizes Mr Anisha Clark The
first item is 10.1 approval resolution declaring review of the Shelby County Board of Education policy manual resolution declaring review of the Shelby County Board of Education policy man Whereas the Shelby County Board of
Education hereby referred to as the board is responsible for compiling and publishing an official operating policy manual And whereas pursuit to the Tennessee code anointed
49-2206 the policy man manual must be updated every two years And whereas from September 2024 through February 2025 the board conducted a comprehensive review
of the policy manual led by the Office of Governmental Affairs and Compliance Be it resolved that the board hereby confirms its fulfillment of the statutory obligations to review the policy manual as required by Tennessee
co code anointed 49-2-06 and committed to the ongoing review and updates of the policy on this day the 25th day of March 2025 sponsored by policy governance and legislative
Committee co-chairs Natalie J McKini District 2 and Stephanie Love District 3 Are there any questions or comments on that resolution proposed resolution I just want to all of the changes that we suggested and agreed upon during
policy retreats have they all been updated and are they reflected in the board docs version of our policy manual Is Miss Stewart or Miss Wade here Thank you Miss Wade
This is Natalie Kenny If I can hold on hold on one moment Let Miss Wade answer and then you can go I'll tell you when just a second please Thank you Superintendent Madam Chair Um yes Um we are in the process of making those revisions now Once they are made we will
bring them forward as proposed revisions so that you all may um provide your feedback we will bring them forth according to the review process and then upon your approval those will be published to the manual Okay So this
resolution just acknowledging that we've done we've given our review of all the policies but we will still have to go through the the multiple readings for each policy to adopt the changes that we suggested That's correct What the resolution is saying is that we have met the requirement of the law to do the
review Now we will go back and we will do the work of what we have brought forward as recommendations what you all have requested as far as revisions So we're in that process now Okay Thank you so much Thank you The chair recognizes board member
McKenna No I think she responded to it Thank you You're welcome The chair recognizes board member Williams How will policy You will have a lot of policies to redo with the new laws that have been passed
in the state legislature For example cell phones in the school Now if they have passed that our policy will obviously have to change because to address how they will be used and how we will m handle that process along with the other legislative changes that the
state legislature are currently trying to put on this district I guess policy has to go back and reconsider all of those things to make sure that we're in sync with them Yes Yes Board member Williams Each and every year we review and update policies
as they change based on statute and that impacts our policies right Yes sir State legislature Okay Yes sir The chair recognizes vice chair love Interim superintendent How often do you go over policies with
the employees Uh that's an excellent question Vice Chair Love Um I sent out policies regularly uh to employees Most of the employees will tell you as part of my Monday memo
particularly this year I've sent policies out If I see where there's certain policies uh that we see uh people are not adhering to uh we send those policies as a reminder
What are the consequences for not following a policy All all policies state uh first of all we want to use progressive discipline but up into termination is what most policies state
um in the policy Final question Is the principal responsible for making sure all the staff in her um her building or his building
administers to the policies Yes Uh but as recently as today uh the team will tell you that I have requested that as we onboard new employees uh we
go over policies as part of their uh onboarding process because I've been on the board for 11 years and I don't know every policy
but Um the employees have to know policy as it relates to our children I totally agree and again the team will tell you as well as principles and people in the field uh this year I have
sent policies weekly for them to review Um may I add a suggestion You can do videos Yes ma'am Thank you Thank you Bo the chair recognizes board member
McKenna Thank you um Vice Chair Love for asking those questions I'd also like to um make an observation and also um a suggestion for
Dr Richmond's consideration Um one I I'd like to thank Dr Richmond for attending the policy retreat Um I believe you might be the first super um superintendent that's done done that Secondly have you have you considered
uh doing anything on an annual basis I know that you all have your um principles um retreat I don't know no training right before school starts and I know at one time the district did um in invite the policy office in to train
the principles on a regular basis on policies that were pertinent to not only the operation of the schools but also that were pertinent for their their teachers and their staff and um have I'd like to ask you to consider something to
that effect in addition to continuing to do what you do which is on a consistent and regular basis um bring policies that are relevant to the attention of your staff in administration So thank you
Thank you board member McKenna Uh my team will tell you I I often reflect on when I was an assistant principal and my first assistant principal assignment and the principal that I had at the time would make me take home the policy
manual each and every day which at that time was a big blue notebook for those of you all who've been around for a while Uh now all of our policies are online but again most of the staff will tell you I often talk of policy and I'm
often uh reminding the team of following policy What I would like for us to do more of is to evaluate policy Implementation and evaluating policy are extremely important because we may have some policies uh that are either
outdated or antiquated that we need to look at but we also need to be reviewing them to ensure that they're being implemented with fidelity So uh thank you for that question Uh and we will uh ensure that we're training principles as
well as other staff on policy Thank you And one You're welcome One followup to that while you are checking on the if they're being implemented with Fidelity may I suggest that you also think about the impact Is it actually what you need
And so um and and how you need it So thank you for that Yeah And if you all recall the one thing that stood out during our retreat was the example policy that tied student goals and expectations and we discussed if we
wanted to add that component particularly around student achievement so that we would make sure that our policies aligned with our core business which was student achievement which was I appreciate that reminder Thank you Yes I appreciate that
Thank you Any more We move to 10 10.2 to approval resolution opposing changes in elected school board's authority Miss Clark Okay I'm trying to navigate this Hold on for me All right
Um board members this is a resolution that I have brought before you today given the uh what is going on now with the proposed bill 662 and any other uh proposed bills from the state that may
impact our authority as an elected body I'm trying to get to see the All right So I'll read that into the record resolution opposing changes in the authority of the dulyeleed Shelby County Board of Education Whereas Memphis Shelby County Schools is the largest
school district in Tennessee serving over 100,000 students and plays a critical role in the education and development of the children and families in our community And whereas the Shelby County Board of Education recognizes the importance of continuous governance
training and development to enhance its effectiveness and has proactively engaged in these efforts to strengthen district leadership and oversight And whereas the Shelby County Board of Education has demonstrated its commitment to long-term academic success
by directing the superintendent to develop an academic plan within 90 days and by seeking to engage a consultant to help establish new district-wide goals following the conclusion of destination 2025 And whereas the board has
identified and prioritized strategic actions including the development of a comprehensive academic plan academic accountability measures and a facilities plan to address immediate and long-term needs of the district And whereas MSCS
has acted in full accordance with all applicable state laws and board policies ensuring responsible and legally sound governance in the best interest of Shelby County's children and families And whereas local governance of public schools ensures that decisions are made
by elected representatives who are directly accountable to the residents of Memphis and Shelby County reflecting the unique needs challenges and priorities of our community And whereas efforts to alter or diminish the authority of the dulyeleed Shelby County Board of
Education through legislative or executive action undermine the fundamental principles of local control and democratic representation in public education And whereas state interventions including the Tennessee Achievement School District al also
known as ASD in public school governance have historically yielded mixed or negative results often leading to disruptions in student learning loss of local oversight and accountability and a diminished role for community stakeholders in decision-making processes And
whereas where whereas there has been no evidence presented to justify any legislative or executive action to diminish or al alter the authority of the Shelby County Board of Education particularly as the board has been actively addressing governance and strategic planning priorities in good
faith And whereas the Shelby County Board of Education recognizes that the most effective way to improve student achievement is through collaboration with stakeholders including parents educators community leaders and local elected officials rather than through state imposed governance changes that
may not align with the needs of our students And whereas proposed changes to the governance of MSCS would divert attention and resources away from ongoing local efforts to improve academic performance student support services and long-term strategic
planning for the district And whereas a coalition of community organizations faith leaders and education advocates have voiced strong opposition to any efforts to diminish the authority of the Shelby County Board of Education emphasizing the importance of locally driven decision-making in public
education And now therefore it be resolved that the Shelby County Board of Education formally opposes any legislation or executive actions that would alter diminish or transfer its authority to any external governing body and urges the Tennessee General general
assembly the governor and the state department of education to respect the autonomy and responsibilities of the dulyeleed school board And be it further resolved that the Shelby County Board of Education calls upon all elected officials representing Memphis and Shelby County including the Shelby
County Commission Memphis City School I'm sorry Memphis City Council the Shelby County and City of Memphis mayors to publicly oppose any governance changes that would weaken the authority of the Shelby County Board of Education and support the continued local
governance of of MSCS And be it further resolved that the Shelby County Board of Education directs the superintendent and district leadership to continue engaging with state legislators community leaders and stakeholders to advocate against any actions that would alter its governance
structure and to reaffirm MSCS's commitment to student centered leadership and continuous district improvement And be it further resolved that the Shelby County Board of Education calls upon other school boards across Tennessee to join in opposition to any
legislative or executive measures that seek to limit the authority of dulyeleed school boards and disenfranchise voters by stripping locally elected officials of their governance responsibilities And be it further resolved that copies of this resolution shall be sent to the
governor of Tennessee the Tennessee General Assembly the Tennessee Department of Education the Shelby County Commission the Memphis City Council and other relevant stakeholders to ensure broad awareness of the board's position Chair recognizes
Go ahead I'm sorry I was getting the questions U board member Kenny Mhm The chair recognizes vice chair love Um Miss McKini I wanted to be added on a
sponsor And the second question is super uh interim superintendent can you ask Angela Whitaw to get me the data on literacy rates in Tennessee as a
whole and to compare our literacy rates to that of the Tennessee House um the Tennessee um statewide
Uh Vice Chair Love we will work on we will work on getting that data uh for the team Um I want it in this meeting because I have another question in the queue Okay I'll ask uh
Bill Wyatt Can you help us Mr White with the literacy rates uh across the state US and for compared to the state Yeah Are you able to pull it up now
I'm sorry I may I may need a few minutes but yes Thank you I'll wait Well you'll wait and we're going to and then we'll come back Okay The chair recognizes board member Murphy Thank you
Madam Chair Uh Commissioner McKenna I would like to be added to this uh resolution as well Thank you Thank you So we want I know for starters we were at 27 We were at 27.5
uh for literacy Uh Mr White So what we may need to do is look at what the state's literacy rate was compared to our 27.5 The state is not doing too well in literacy as a
whole The board of education is reliant on the state to do TECAP testing curriculum and a whole list of other things I will wait to next week to um ask some more
questions The state needs to do a better job in the state Don't focus on us do a better job in the state Chair recognizes board member Hu Garcia
Thank you I think over the last few days I've been pretty vocal that the the triggering event or at least the supposed triggering event for this I
stood on a different side of several of my colleagues up here the majority of my colleagues up here Um I feel like I've been working hard to find common ground to that we all agree on more than we
don't But I also understand that the community wants to see some change but relinquishing our democratic right to choose leaders is not it I stand in opposition to anything that resembles a
full takeover of stripping rights Um that puts the power in voters hands But I want to acknowledge that we can't maintain the status quo And it does not feel good to say I told you
so It that doesn't feel good But that that is the that is the shaking anger which a lot of community members feel But there has to be a middle ground and I am working on that with other
community leaders right now hopefully that we can get to a different path But hear me threatening democracy is not it So I'll support this resolution Thank you
The board recognizes Vice Chair Love Um board member Amber Garcia I don't know if you were listening to the meeting this morning Chair White indicated that he has been
working on this bill for two years I have been on the board for 11 years And there is always mention of a state takeover The
ASD was a dumping ground in my community I heard on the um meeting today that six schools came off the priority list Where did all the other
students What happened to them Frasier was taken over by the state and in 10 years they had five superintendents I agree with you It
needs to be changed We are doing a disservice if we let one student go by the wayside We are all elected officials Our community voted us in and
they can feel free to vote us out The state doesn't have a say so in this Um of course they do have a say
so but we have a capable super uh interim superintendent and the uh uh the chiefs of our departments are doing the best job they
can and I'm willing to bet the teachers are doing the best job they can't kids can't learn if they aren't in school Um there are a myriad of issues
that go along with the school system and we can't fix that by ourselves The chair recognizes board member McKisik Thank you Madam Chair Just thought I would weigh in on this
regarding this resolution which I'm inclined to add my name to it but it would be a bit disingenuous for us as a board to state that actions taken place over the last couple of months did not contribute It was the
um we we kind of handed them what they wanted on a silver platter Yes this has been a concern where Representative White has sought to um intervene on this school district for quite some time but
at the time in which this was taking place MSCS was not on their radar at that time They were focused on their vouchers in this particular moment Um and so the actions taken by the board fasttracked it and brought it to the
forefront And then they had the they had the support of the community that overwhelmingly were outraged with the actions of this board And so that also contributed toward where we are today I think it's a very
rash decision what uh is being attempted in Nashville by legislators there And I'm disappointed by the vote taking place today in subcommittee and what is surely to come But at the same time as I've stated before this is just not good
for our community for voters to have their voice squashed out And so as a result of that I I will sign my name onto this resolution because I too along with everyone on this board believes in
a democracy where voters get to choose who represents them Thank you The chair recognizes board member Murphy Thank you Madam Chair I agree with my colleagues Um we are
in we are in a position where we have to come together as one no matter what our differences may be I stood out there in front of central office two years ago when they tried to
uh take over the school or even add managers over the nine of the commissioners and I wasn't a commissioner at the time but I disagreed with it So I stood in front
of central office to uh speak up for the commissioners that was sitting at the time and where we are now It is stripping our power away from us Voters
nullification is where we are and what they're trying to do We were well within our rights and I think they overstepped their boundaries But what happened with them that pushed them over the top was the county commissioners voting for us
being incompetent That was their end to say that these commissioners don't know how to do their job But we were well within our rights And I am happy that we have our interim superintendent because we see the change
and the change is different The atmosphere in this place is different and we want to move forward to get our district back on track So we don't need to backtrack We need to fight a little bit harder because this is our district This is our city These are our children
and it's up to us to make the difference in the lives of these children It is not their decision It is our decision And we need to keep our power So we have to do what we need to do to move to the next
level What's happened has happened We can't change that But we do have to do our jobs We do have to follow policy and that's what we've done Thank you
Thank you Chair recognizes board member Porter Hey thank you Madam Chair um since since I've been elected I've we've spent almost all of my time talking about the recent personnel changes that we've made And so now we
find ourselves in a situation where we have to regain public trust So I I definitely sign on to the resolution as well because I'm not for state takeovers or interventions whatever way they want to use the word But um yeah we have to get it right We have to get it right And so um we don't have all the answers I
ran for school board to try to be a part of the solutions So we don't have all the answers but I'm willing to work and collaborate with uh with all stakeholders that's involved in this Chair recognizes Vice Chair Love Chair recognizes board member Williams
Thank you We may not have all the answers but we do know right from wrong And we do know that we did what was right and what was good for this community and this city There is no part of me that tells me that Mark White and that whole group cares
anything about Memphis and Shelby County So you can't come to my house making rules for me and I why we need to be dice about it and candid about it The truth will stand and what they attempted to do or attempted to do You can't go back and put that on this elected board
You cannot come to Memphis because we all the black part of this state and take advantage of the citizens here You've done it for years and you've destroyed tried to destroy Tennessee State University What else you going to do So I do not make it an apologist for the things that they've done and it
didn't work and it won't work There's no way that Mark White and his group or his minions has control of what goes on in Memphis They don't vote here They don't live here And if at the end of the day the citizens of Memphis proper pay to support public education and that's what we use State doesn't give us that kind
of money We get money out of the the taxpayer dollars from this county And so they are elected as we are and you don't come here with your rightsizing something Fix what you're doing Fix your area where you are in the city council
in the county commission We got this So we don't need for you to come If you want to be a school board member then run for that position So I make no apologies but I certainly have uh some some reservations about anything that they serve because it is not for the
good of my children and this community And I lived and I came through this district taught this district for 50 years and stayed in the district for a long time educated here I know this district and I know what they know about us We are the only
African-Americans district in this state that they're coming for and there's a reason Thank you Board member McKenna will you please add my name Yes Um I I have my head on head hand up
but you want Go ahead Okay Um first I want to say I want to make sure I got everybody's name Is everybody signing on I can't see everybody that's there Yeah Yes everybody signing on Yes ma'am Okay And I appreciate that
I I do want to put some framing on this Um I heard several things in um all of my fellow board members making a statement about this I think that we need to um
be let's avoid being disingenuous and talking about the why of this I think that we all need to recognize not only as board members new board members sitting on this board but also as the more seasoned board members
on this board but that the state has been involved in trying to take over this district for decades This is not um simply a one-time thing and we sort and as I think one of the board members said we opened the door I
think maybe this is more of for the state this was yes it was an opportunity this was a this is an opportunistic grab for lack of a better way to say we um might have disagreed on the
decision we made that perpetuated this however as we all understand and have began to learn about governance is that when the board makes a democratic decision when the majority
rules whether there are those who agree or disagree when the majority rules that is the decision of the board So I I appreciate everyone bringing um bringing to light sort of their thoughts around what may or may not have partic pre
precipitated this but I do want to say that we have to be reminded as I think board member Love has said over and over again that we too are elected officials and we are held accountable through a democratic process and that is called voting And we made a decision and I'm
sure we're going to make more decisions that may be unpopular For instance we're getting ready to go through facilities plan We're going to create a plan We're going to have to shut down and consolidate schools and that doesn't make anyone happy So I want to say this
that we have heard we we heard from community around that decision We made the personnel decision We're now hearing from community about the takeover And I think community as a whole are like "No we don't want our democratic rights to be taken away We do not want to be
disenfranchised because that's exactly what this move with the state would do I further want to um emphasize that we did seek to um talk to Chair White for alternatives seeking alternatives that would be inclusive of the community I
think I shared that with the board during the policy retreat that we had a couple of weeks ago We had what we called the intergovernmental um um Asia advisory council where we wanted to seek some of the same things that I find interesting that are in that piece of
legislation where we wanted to work collaboratively with the community and make sure that they had some some eyes and transparency into and window into sight into what we were doing and offer suggestions and advice on how to move
forward collectively So I think um as we move forward as a board and do our governance work I think we have this um we don't need this in our way to get that done and so I appreciate everyone's comments I appreciate more importantly what I appreciate is that we are all on
the same page when it comes to this We can agree to disagree but the one thing that I know we all agree to is that we all as my board my fellow board member um board member McKin vice chair love said we all stood in the hot sun The
time board members our parliamentarian has you on a time and the time has be quiet Be quiet Thank you Thank you The board the chair recognizes board member love
Um thank you Natalie for your comments Um the turnaround state project is doing well in two of my schools That
is comprised of the board the principal and parents and the school board members They got that right one that is doing well in my
district We don't need a state takeover We need the same thing as the turnaround work that the state implemented and we have the
mechanism to duplicate that in all of our schools if the state so chooses Tresmin and Hawkins Mill are off the list because of that
the teachers parents and students and this board along with the board of education staff members work together to create a plan and that is
the ending solution We don't need a takeover We need collaboration from the state and the county and the city to get
our kids where they need to be Thank you everyone Now we move to 10.3 and this the strengthen governance through collaboration resolution and this is a resolution that has been read a couple of times but we had to have some
edification done and we just want to make sure that the everything is correct on it one last time before Tuesday We'll turn it over to board member Porter Yeah So um because I think it may be corrected online but I think the ones that we have in front of us has the
wrong language But just a quick overview is exactly what um board members love just said This was a a proactive resolution to uh speak to what's been happening And so we do need more collaboration and now more so than ever just to rebuild community trust So this is what this particular resolution that
we'll um that we'll vote on next for the next board meeting This is what this speaks to So more so collaboration and and and how do we what does rebuilding community trust looks like within this within this resolution Any questions on it
No questions We'll move to 10.4 Approval resolution approving MSCS board member strategic school fund allocations for March Um they will be read into record on Tuesday if you have not turned all your allocations in
Yes I have not yet I will get them in before Thursday Uh Superintendent is this the last that we can do for this school year or can we continue in April and May I'll check
with staff to see Okay So we may have to govern ourselves according board members if this is the last that we can do with our school funding with our strategic uh fund allocations I'm sorry Um for chair Coleman I think
we received an email indicating that that this would be the last month so that they could close whatever they need to do in terms of closing the books for this year Okay This is the last month So if you have school allocation funding that you would
like to spend please get it to Karen by Friday I know we're traveling Friday but please so she can have time to put them all in please There being no therefore being there being no further business this meeting is a journ have a actually well we have
one other thing I'm sorry we have I'm sorry it's not in my in my paperwork here it's not in the parliamentarians is it the prek yes the prek is there I know it wasn't
added the strip It wasn't added No Yeah I do apologize Miss board member Kenny We can Okay Um thank you You're welcome I'm going to read this Thank you Um and
I think is board member McKisick still there No Okay Um this is a resolution that's being presented by both myself and board member McKisik If there are any questions I do have um Candace Thomas in the um audience available for any
questions But let me go ahead and read this in Shelby County Board of Education resolution to support first eight Memphis PreK for all initiative Whereas Memphis Shelby County Schools Early Childhood Program serves approximately 5200 preK students annually And whereas
First 8 funds 50 preK classrooms operated by MSCS benefiting approximately 1,000 students And whereas research indicates that 90% of brain development occurs before the age of five underscoring the critical importance of highquality early childhood education in promoting
cognitive social and emotional development And whereas increased access to highquality prek is a strategic investment that yields long-term benefits including improved academic achievement enhanced workforce readiness reduce criminal activity and improve
overall economic and community well-being And whereas expanding access to highquality prek is a strategy to close opportunity gaps and promote educational equity for all children in Memphis and Shelby County And whereas a service gap currently exists for MSCS
families whose household income exceeds income eligibility requirements but would still benefit from publicly funded prek programs And whereas the term of prek for all refers to a high quality program dedicated to preparing all Memphis and Shelby County students for lifelong success And whereas prek for
all ensures that every three and four year old in Memphis and Shelby County um Okay Huh year is moving to best enhanced work Okay I guess whereas um increased research
indicates 90% of brain development occurs before the age of five underscoring the critical importance of highquality early childhood education and promoting cognitive social and emotional development And whereas increased access to highquality prek is strategic investment is a strategic
investment that yields long-term benefits including improved academic achievement enhanced workforce readiness reduce criminal activity and improve overall economic and community well-being And whereas expanding access to high qu high quality prek is a strategy to close opportunity gaps and
promote educational equity for all children in Memphis and Shelby County And whereas a service gap currently exists for MSCS families who whose household income exceeds income eligibilities but would still benefit from publicly funded prek programs And
whereas the term prek for all refers to a high quality program dedicated to preparing all Memphis Shelby County students for lifelong success And whereas prek for all ensures that every three and four year old in Memphis and Shelby County has access to highquality publicly funded early childhood
education regardless of income And whereas prek aims prek for all aims to enhance the alignment of program quality across all providers by promoting high quality standards across all prek programs within Memphis Shelby County Schools
And whereas early childhood program would be able to serve additional prek students annually And whereas MS MSCS can leverage blended and braided funding strategies utilizing state voluntary prek investments alongside local and
philanthropic funding to maximize resources for highquality prek programs Be it therefore resolved that the Shelby County Board of Education will work in collaboration with joint city and countyapp appointed prek fiscal agent and other local stakeholders to ensure
access quality and data sharing necessary to implement sustain and continuously support PK for all Be it further resolved that the Shelby County Board of Education expresses a strong support for um PK4A advocating for the expansion of access to early childhood
education the increase of publicly funded prek seats and the establishment of highquality standards for the all preK classrooms within Memphis Shelby County Schools ensuring that every child regardless of income has an opportunity to benefit from highquality early childhood education Sponsored by Naval J
McKenna District 2 and Michelle McKit District 1 Just for FYI if you all are not aware uh the county and the city are currently involved in are currently um moving through their process a joint
ordinance to um um to establish a fiscal agent to to um I guess to raise funds to um allocate resources and help us to stand up high
quality prek seats for all students regardless of their income level Yeah that is awesome to hear Board member McKenna We've suffered too many times that a child is a dollar or less
sometimes over the income bracket and they cannot attend one of the preK classes So the collaboration this is what we're talking about working together So all of our children will be able to receive those services Thank you
Thank you Vice Chair Love the board recogni the chair recognizes Vice Chair Love Sign my name on the dotted line This is
amazing considering the benefit it will have for early prek and our school system The data shows that the earlier a child can get into
prek they are most likely to succeed I have four children who all went through prek They are doing well in their lives
Um Ro uh Superintendent Rod Richmond I have a question for you Um how many seats are uh do we have in prek that
accommodate four year olds I defer to Miss Gordon Miss Gordon Good evening to interim superintendent um Dr Richmond and board commissioners We're currently a funded 5200 in first state we're thousand students with Head
Start is 3,200 and then with the VPK it's uh of course you know we do the blended funding with VPK and Head Start so it's 1460 and then we have the 1520 How many seats are needed in Shelby
County alone Well when we look at the research and when we look at the number of students that are the live birth rates we need and then when we look at our kindergarten enrollment we serve a little bit over 10,000 kindergarten students I know at one time we talked about having a one for one match with
the number of kindergarten students that we serve in the school district that we would have that number of prek students but total there's a total of 12,000 I think it's a little over 12,100 and something uh live births of number of children that are being born in the
county around four year old for that that would match the four-year-old seats that we will need And the next question if this funding is available um your um first aid is going to
disperse them seats all across Memphis So from from my understanding is that the city and the county would come together and they would decide the number of seats that they would add per year to get to the overall goal the prek
for all So each each year the seats will increase until we are able to totally fund preK just like the state did with kindergarten where they gradually added it and then we end up being able to serve all children at the age of 5 years
old entering kindergarten We're hoping to get to that with preschool Um this is more of a comment it Um I have been um involved in prek
since for 20 years Um I'm not disclosing my age Um I know that it works Yes ma'am So this is a gamecher if the city and the
county do as this resolution uh entails Um I have a principal she tells me all the time her teachers and her
parents are disenvantaged because uh there isn't a seat at that school over income The kids need a place to
educate This is a gamecher and I am waiting on the day that the county commission and city council approves that ordinance Yes me too The chair recognizes board member Murphy
Thank you so much Madam Chair I am excited about this because my son is from prek and so it it does help when a child starts at prek and then go on And so just sitting in the meetings and
listening to them saying "Hey we're going to collaborate and we're going to get more children to come to prek even if their income is a little bit over you know the $1." That gives all the kids the opportunity to go to prek And I know
that this company this is they're undefeated for success They that that's all they want is success for our children And so I am honored to sit here and be a part of that So I am waiting just like the rest of us for them to collaborate and say "Hey let's make this
work." Because we need our kids to read We need our kids to learn And so I'm just excited Thank y'all so much I don't have no question I'm just excited We we want to thank Director Gordon and Miss Candace I don't know if she's still
in but there she is in the back waving Vice Chair Love and I had the opportunity to go to the county commission meeting and how they talked about working together and they had one common goal and that
was to make sure our babies are taken care of and we thank you for that Thank you so much I want to thank them as well I know ever since the merger we've been looking to be able to provide universal prek to about 12,000 students So I
appreciate you sharing that information It would have a significant impact on our community especially when you think about we've heard Director Gordon tell us that they turned away parents that were 47 am I right 47 cents over the
threshold now to know that that baby will be able to start in prek and one day they'll be sitting up here in our seats Yeah they'll be sitting up here Okay I didn't push my button but um
Madam Chair thank you Um I think this is good considering our children can't read by the third grade starting at prek it will kick that off and we wouldn't have so much trouble with our kids reading at or above grade level Um I know this that
um my my son said something the other day to me and he was saying "Mom well he can't read." I said "Well help him." Well mom he didn't go to prek Son I need you to help but because prek helped him he reads above grade level So our children needs to be
exposed to prek experience Thank you Commissioner Um Murphy Vice Chair the chair recognizes Vice Chair Love Um Dablin Um Miss Dablin Director Bordon
Um I really hope you can collaborate with the first aid grant to get parents to see the importance of bringing their kids to school and making
sure they stay every hour because it does no good to have a seat open and the kids aren't coming to school every day The foundation starts at
home but we can continue the foundation once the kids get to school I see so many empty seats We can't require a
student a parent to send their students to school but we can enforce the importance of coming to school each and every day Thank you There being no further business this meeting is adjourned Have a good evening Thank you
Thank you