MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The new Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) superintendent's journey starts next week. Dr. Marie Feagins will be paid $325,000 per year to run the state's largest school system.
ABC24 took a deeper dive into the details of the new contract, which includes a clause about ethics.
MSCS board member Maurico Calvo said this new clause is a way to hold Feagins accountable during her four-year tenure as superintendent.
Calvo shared with ABC24 a screenshot which shows it in her contract. It states the superintendent, in all aspects of her interactions and transactions related to carrying out the duties of superintendent, agrees to represent, enforce and adhere to the highest professional standards.
"Just like we have a code of conduct for students and for employees, it's important too that we lead with a code of conduct and ethics for the highest employee," Calvo said.
Calvo said the public needs to understand why Feagins is getting the salary. He said her pay is in the similar range as other cities the size of Memphis. Calvo also said Feagins has a financial budget nearly three times the size of the city.
"Over $2 billion, 14,000 employees, 110,000 children, 200 schools — it's a lot," he said. "So in order to attract this level of candidate you have to properly compensate."
According to Calvo, Feagins is the only superintendent he's been part of their hiring process. He said though he did not initially vote for her to become the district's new leader, he eventually changed his mind. Calvo said once the board voted to approve her contract there was a sense of relief in the room.
"I know people will focus on, 'Hey, this is a big number.' It is also a big job," Calvo said. "You wanna make sure, we wanna make sure, the person at the top is properly compensated. In order to do this job well, we need to have the best person there, and that's not gonna be free."
Despite nearly a two-year search for a new superintendent, not everyone is on board with how much Feagins will be paid.
Alba Ramirez is a MSCS parent. She told ABC24 some of Feagins' pay should go toward teachers.
"I think teachers should be the ones to get a raise because they're the ones dealing more with the children hand on than the superintendent," Ramirez said. "I guess she has a hard job, but teachers have a harder job dealing with our children."
Calvo said he expects Feagins to have a plan for the first 120 days and put a team together who will lead the district by next school year.