MEMPHIS, Tenn — For the first time since 2008, an outside candidate will take over as superintendent of the largest school district in Tennessee.
Tuesday, the board for Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) announced its list of three finalists to become the next full-time superintendent.
Dr. Yolonda Brown, Dr. Cheryl Proctor and Dr. Marie Feagins all boast decades of experience in high-profile leadership positions in public education. All three also come from school districts outside of Tennessee.
“I was on the board the last time we hired a superintendent who was not from Memphis,” said former MSCS board member Dr. Kenneth Whalum Jr.
That was Kriner Cash, who came from Florida to take over Memphis City Schools.
“He coincidentally, perhaps, was the last superintendent who I think understood the relationship between the superintendent, and the board, and the community,” Dr. Whalum said.
Dr. Feagins is the current Chief of High Schools and Leadership Development with the Detroit Public Schools Community District. During her tenure there, graduation rates have increased at 87 percent of schools, students have scored higher on the SAT and various state tests, and in 2022, 30 percent of schools saw graduation rates go up while the dropout rate went down.
“Growth is where the story is in terms of the work that’s being done,” Dr. Feagins told the school board Friday.
Dr. Brown is the Chief Academic Officer for Atlanta Public Schools, where she has spent 30 years overseeing at least 50,000 students. She was also in charge of creating the district’s COVID-19 Recovery Plan.
“I’m able to communicate with those board members so that they are informed, that they can walk out into their communities and articulate exactly what we’re doing as a school district,” Dr. Brown said during her open interview.
Dr. Proctor is the Deputy Superintendent of Instruction and School Communities for Portland Public Schools. She has experience working in school systems in Florida (Broward County Public Schools), Pennsylvania (School District of Philadelphia) and now Oregon. She oversaw double-digit increases in state testing in 2022, while the four-year and five-year graduation rates both went up for the 2021-2022 school year.
“We want to enhance the experiences of our students and enhance the experiences of our educators,” Dr. Procter told MSCS Friday.
Dr. Whalum believes all three are more than qualified but said success will come down to their conviction.
“Come in without having fear of different interest groups in the community, without having any particular allegiances to individual board members, and just be courageous enough to do your job,” he said.
The announcement of the new superintendent is expected in February of 2024. Until then, MSCS said the final round of evaluations will involve an in-depth look at each of the final candidates.