Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) is governed by an elected nine-member board. Since 2026 a state-appointed oversight board also has authority over many major district decisions.^{[1] [8]}

The elected Board of Education

The board's legal name is the Shelby County Board of Education. It is also called the Memphis-Shelby County Board of Education. It governs the district's business operations. Members are elected officials, not school system employees.^[1]

• Seats: nine, each representing a district in Shelby County.^[1]
• Term: four years.^[2]
• Term limits: in August 2025 the Shelby County Commission limited board members to two consecutive four-year terms, starting with the 2026 election.^[3]
• Elections: staggered. Districts 1, 6, 8 and 9 are elected in 2026, 2030 and so on. Districts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 are elected in 2028, 2032 and so on.^[2] The May 2026 primary was the first partisan primary for these seats.^[4]
• Leadership: as of October 2026, Tamarques Porter is chair and Sable Otey is vice chair.^[8]

In September 2025 the County Commission voted to put all nine seats on the 2026 ballot. In February 2026 a Shelby County chancellor ruled that the resolution was void because the commission had exceeded its authority, so only the four regularly scheduled seats were on the ballot.^[4]

Superintendent

The superintendent runs the district day to day. The current superintendent is Dr. Roderick F. Richmond.^[5] In October 2026 a consultant working with the state oversight board recommended that the board start a superintendent search and choose a superintendent by December. The board is not required to follow that recommendation.^[9]

State oversight board

Governor Bill Lee signed House Bill 662 on May 22, 2026. It created a state-appointed oversight board for MSCS, the first district to meet all the criteria for one under the Tennessee Public School Accountability Act.^[6]

• Members: nine. The governor appoints five, the lieutenant governor two and the speaker of the state House two. Terms run until June 2030.^[7] Billy Orgel is chair.^[8]
• Powers: the law gives the board final say over the MSCS budget and over contracts above $50,000, and the power to hire and fire the superintendent. It can direct the superintendent and the elected board, and act for the elected board if it refuses.^[7] The board can direct major decisions including school closures, leadership changes, and curriculum and instruction.^[8]
• Court cases: a federal judge blocked the intervention in July 2026 and lifted that order on October 15, 2026. MSCS's federal lawsuit and a separate case brought by MSCS and Shelby County in Chancery Court were both unresolved as of mid-October 2026.^[8]

Governor Lee's appointees are Tyrone Burroughs, Dorsey Hopson, Shanea McKinney, Nisha Powers and Beverly Robertson. Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally appointed Billy Orgel and Dedrick Brittenum Jr.^[7]

Funding

MSCS gets local money from Shelby County. Part of the county property tax rate is set aside for education: $1.16 of the tentative $2.71 rate for fiscal year 2027.^[11] See the county budget section.

How to take part

• Attend a meeting. Business meetings start at 5:30 p.m. at the Frances E. Coe Administration Building, 160 S. Hollywood Street. Work sessions are held the Tuesday a week before each business meeting.^[1] See the board calendar for dates.
• Speak to the board. Public comment is taken at business meetings and special called meetings, not at work sessions or committee meetings. Sign up at the entry table in the 30 minutes before the meeting starts. Each speaker gets up to three minutes, and the comment period lasts up to 30 minutes.^[10]
• Watch. Meetings are broadcast on 88.5 FM, the MSCS YouTube channel and the MSCS Facebook page.^[10] Agendas and documents are on BoardDocs.^[1]
• Contact the board office at (901) 416-5447 or boardoffice@scsk12.org.^[10]
• Find your board member on My Reps or the Election Commission's precinct locator.^[2]

Current board members

Meetings

• MSCS board work session
  MSCS BoardTue, Nov 10, 2026, 5:30 p.m.
• MSCS board committee meetings
  MSCS BoardTue, Nov 10, 2026, 3:00 p.m.
• MSCS board business meeting
  MSCS BoardWed, Oct 28, 2026 · Video
• MSCS board business meeting
  MSCS BoardTue, Oct 27, 2026 · Video
• MSCS board work session
  MSCS BoardTue, Oct 20, 2026 · Video
• Educational Oversight Board committee meeting
  MSCS Oversight BoardMon, Oct 19, 2026
• Educational Oversight Board meeting
  MSCS Oversight BoardThu, Oct 8, 2026 · Video

All meetings, with agendas, minutes and video

Sources

Last checked October 28, 2026. If something here is out of date, the linked source is the authority.

1. MSCS, Memphis-Shelby County School Board
2. Memphis Public Libraries, Informed Voter: Shelby County Board of Education
3. Chalkbeat Tennessee, "Shelby County Commission approves term limits for Memphis school board" (Aug. 12, 2025)
4. Chalkbeat Tennessee, "Shelby County judge says 2026 school board reset election is unlawful" (Feb. 9, 2026)
5. MSCS, Office of the Superintendent
6. Action News 5, "Gov. Lee signs takeover bill, announces oversight board for MSCS" (May 22, 2026)
7. Chalkbeat Tennessee, Tennessee Republicans appoint Memphis state takeover board (May 26, 2026)
8. Tennessee Firefly, "Memphis-Shelby County Schools intervention to continue, oversight board may hire new superintendent" (Oct. 16, 2026)
9. FOX13, "MSCS oversight board recommended to begin superintendent search" (Oct. 16, 2026)
10. MSCS, "Addressing the Board"
11. Tri-State Defender, Shelby County FY2027 tentative property tax rate (June 17, 2026)