MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Advocacy groups in Memphis are challenging Rep. Mark White’s proposal to appoint six new members to the Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) board.
The School Board Five, Memphis for All, The Equity Alliance, and Black Voters Matters, were joined by several community members for a news conference Thursday at the MSCS district office.
White (R - Germantown) recently proposed a bill that would give Gov. Bill Lee’s administration the ability to directly appoint six new members to the MSCS board.
The proposal comes as MSCS is set to discuss and appoint its new superintendent Friday, Feb. 9, after more than a year-long search, following the resignation of the previous superintendent back in August 2022. Three finalists for the position were decided this past December.
The advocacy groups said they are urging all stakeholders to respect the superintendent search process.
“Recent developments, Rep Mark White's proposed legislation to appoint 6 members to the MSCS Board, have raised alarms across the community,” the groups said in the news release. “This move, viewed by many as an overreach and reminiscent of modern-day colonization tactics, threatens to undermine the democratic process.”
MSCS Board Chair Althea Greene said the board will ask White to not move forward with his recommendation.
“This is absolutely not needed," Greene said. "We may have had some challenges, but more interference from the general assembly is not warranted at this time. We have to stop experimenting with our children."
The controversy also comes amid another educational issue, as an expansion of Tennessee's private school voucher program could soon become reality, allowing students K-12 to receive taxpayer funding to attend private schools regardless of economic need. School districts in Collierville and Germantown have fought against the measure alongside MSCS.