MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis Shelby County School Board of Education voted to terminate Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins’ contract Tuesday night during a heated hours-long Special Call meeting.
“After nine months as superintendent, Dr. Feagins has not demonstrated the transformational leadership that is critical to the success of MSCS, which is the largest school district in Tennessee,” said Joyce Dorse Coleman, board chair member.
Feagins said after the vote, “I believe that many members of the board chose chaos over children, and it looks like they’ve chosen litigation over leadership, as well. And so I’ll see them in court.”
The following allegations were first presented by the school board during a special called meeting on December 17, 2024,
- Grant Mismanagement – A missed deadline and incomplete paperwork resulted
in the District having to return $304,000 in grant funding for homeless students
and families to the U.S. Department of Education. Dr. Feagins has continued to
tell the Board that the grant can be saved contrary to the information the Board
has received from state officials. - Unapproved Financial Actions – Recently Dr. Feagins requested and received
a $45,000 disbursement from SchoolSeed. Neither this request nor the grant’s
approval was brought to the Board for review, which is a breach of Board policy. - Communications Failures Regarding Dr. Feagins’ Strategic Plan – The board has yet to receive a comprehensive strategic plan for the District and a full
explanation of restructuring. Dr. Feagins’ failure to provide this plan has caused
confusion among parents, staff, and the Board. - Allegations Against Employees for Abuse of Overtime – Dr. Feagins has
alleged that employees abused overtime to the tune of $1 million. The Board has asked for evidence to support this allegation which Dr. Feagins has yet to provide.
After the meeting on Tuesday night, MSCS released a full report on the allegations of Dr. Feagins’ conduct which they say led to her being fired.
Each allegation had what the attorney called a list of facts and findings. Analysis was conducted over 5 days, limited to documents provided by MSCS including written and email correspondence. No subpoenas were issued and no interviews were conducted.
“Dr. Feagins violated her employment contract no less than eight times and deviated from board policy on at least nine separate occasions,” said Robert Spence, Attorney hired by Coleman.
When it came to the $45,000 grant the findings said Dr. Feagins made contradictory claims which is something board member Michelle McKissack had comments about.
“We keep talking about a $45,000 check, $45,000 out of $1.8 billion. It’s not like it was deposited into her personal account,” McKissack said.
But, the vote still came down 6-3 to remove Feagins. The school board then named Dr. Roderick Richmond the interim head. Richmond was recommended to serve as the interim superintendent and accepted the role. Prior to his appointment, Dr. Richmond served as the Transformation Officer for MSCS.
Dr. Feagins’ attorney Alan Crone says Dr. Feagins is not able to speak on Wednesday but, “she will have much to say in the coming weeks.”
However, parents have a lot to say regarding questions about the district’s future.
“Did they really just go through with this, in the middle of the school year?” one parent said.
“The fact she got fired is breathtaking to me because she seems like such a good superintendent and I don’t know why they’re getting rid of her,” said Pimala Grooms, a MSCS parent.
Board Member Michelle Mckissack, who voted to keep Feagins, says she received the massive report roughly an hour before the meeting and did not have time to review it.
“Nine policies I believe it was mentioned. There are 200 policies. So, 9 out of 200 is what we’re talking about here?” Mckissack said.
“Just by looking at it, it’s like a personal issue with the people on the chair board, on the school board. It’s personal,” said Reginal Gray, another MSCS Parent.
