Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.Memphis school board members voted unanimously to approve interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond’s permanent contract as district leader the night before the results from a state audit were expected to be released. That reverses the board’s decision only two weeks ago to delay issuing the permanent contract to add language responding to the forensic audit, which is expected tomorrow morning. Republican lawmakers predict that those findings will push forward a more aggressive state takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools. By issuing the permanent contract, the district could be on the hook for a nearly half-million dollar payout if the new state board decides to fire Richmond. That was the first step in the 2023 Houston school takeover that lawmakers say they’re using as a model for MSCS. But in Tuesday’s special call meeting, board chair Natalie McKinney said it’s more important to offer stability, especially in response to what takeover advocates say they want to see from the district.“We need stability, and we have that,” McKinney said. “We also understand that the superintendent has done everything that we’ve asked him to do. To continue to prolong this … doesn’t make any sense to me.”Several MSCS principals also spoke in support of Richmond before the vote, praising his focus on student achievement and district stability over the past year as interim leader. Three board members — Tamarques Porter, Towanna Murphy, and Sable Otey — abstained from a vote to stop debate about the contract before joining colleagues in approving the measure. Porter and Murphy questioned the urgency of approving a permanent contract only weeks after the board voted to delay that decision. The MSCS board unanimously voted to tap Richmond for the permanent job in February, but members disagreed then on whether to award the official contract without seeking public input. “You are not respecting the board’s judgement,” Murphy said in Tuesday’s meeting. “We are 18 hours away from an audit to be released. And to make this decision right before that is preposterous to me.”Richmond’s new contract lasts through Feb. 10, 2029 and pays $325,000 annually. It also states that if he is fired without cause before June 2027, the district will have to pay him a lump sum of 18 months’ worth of salary within 90 days. Board member Amber Huett-Garcia pointed out that Richmond’s contract is the first to include accountability language based around student achievement. The document says the board can fire the superintendent with cause if two consecutive annual evaluations show “unsatisfactory” results in student achievement and business and finance. “This is unlike any contract we’ve had in over a decade,” she said. “And (Richmond) accepted those terms. We have to meet the moment, and the public will be able to hold us accountable because we know we have this ability to do so for him.”Board members also unanimously approved a plan for responding to impending state forensic audit results sponsored by Michelle McKissack. Richmond will have 30 days after the preliminary findings are released tomorrow to present a summary to the MSCS board and identify up to five priority issues. He will also be tasked with presenting a corrective action plan for each issue 30 days after that, including root causes and timelines for solutions. The plan also requires the same reportables within 45 days of the final audit results. It’s unclear when those findings will come out. And in further efforts to stave off state takeover pushes, members unanimously adopted a local accountability plan pitched earlier this month. The board is recommending an alternative committee made up of elected officials and community members to inform district decisions. Otey, who sponsored the resolution, told Chalkbeat that she’s had several conversations with Sen. Brent Taylor and Rep. Mark White, the two Republican state lawmakers leading takeover legislation. They’ve been amenable to talking about the local plan, she said, but have never said they would abandon their own. “If you look at the plan, it’s mirroring what they were trying to do at the state level,” Otey said. “Obviously, we’re a huge organization and we need some type of support … Let’s work together so it’s not too far off on what you’re saying, but it’s keeping us at the local level.” Taylor and White have been pushing to establish their state-appointed board of managers in MSCS since last year. But the clock is ticking on passing that legislation with only a few weeks left in this year’s legislative session. Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.
