Written By JR Robinson

Shelby County, TN — Parents are calling it an emergency. Teachers are calling it a disgrace. And now, with the state weighing a possible takeover of the Memphis Shelby County Schools, the public is calling for the immediate removal of the current School Board.

The reason?
A shocking combination of rock-bottom academic performance, devastating financial mismanagement, and an utter refusal by the board or interim superintendent to present any plan whatsoever to turn things around.

While the crisis deepens, board members act as though nothing’s wrong — protecting their positions, downplaying failures, and offering excuses instead of solutions.

The Numbers That Should Shame Every Leader

The cold, hard truth:

• Only 24.6% of students in Memphis Shelby County Schools met or exceeded reading expectations in 2025 TNReady testing. In math, the number drops to just 21%.

• Students in nearby Bartlett, Germantown, and Collierville are performing two to three times better.

• Nearly 4,000 preschoolers were kicked out of early learning programs after the district failed to protect a $38 million pre-K funding source — despite the community warning them it was at risk.

This isn’t just bad. These are catastrophic, future-altering failures, and they’ve played out under the watch of this school board.

An “Urban School” Excuse for Failure

Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond has tried to defend this disgrace by saying the district should be judged “as an urban school.”
Translation? Lower the bar. Accept second-rate results. Stop expecting more.

That statement is more than tone-deaf — it’s an admission that low performance is now the norm, not the crisis it truly is.

No Plan. No Apology. No Urgency.

In the wake of losing tens of millions in funding, watching literacy scores flatline, and facing the possibility of a state takeover, most communities would expect their school board to swing into action with a public turnaround plan.

Not here.
When this board appeared before the County Commission, they didn’t bring a roadmap, goals, or even an apology. They just asked to keep their jobs — as though this is about their careers, not our children’s futures.

A Toxic Culture

Inside Memphis Shelby County Schools, teachers speak in whispers about retaliation.
Parents report intimidation when they demand better.
Students fear consequences for speaking up.

This is not a healthy climate for learning. It’s a climate of control and silence — one that kills innovation, stifles feedback, and ensures the same cycle of failure continues.

The State Is Watching

It’s no surprise that state leaders are now openly discussing a takeover of the district. Chronic mismanagement has put Memphis on a path to losing local control altogether. That’s how bad things have gotten — and yet the board still behaves like the crisis isn’t real.

The People Are Done Waiting

The public’s patience has snapped.

• They’ve seen this board hold Dr. Marie Feagins to a harsher standard than they hold themselves, removing her after eight months for “not turning things around” while failing to show results themselves after more time.

• They’ve watched the board’s inaction sink opportunities for thousands of children.

• They’ve heard the excuses, but never seen the solutions.

Now, they don’t want promises for the future. They want these board members gone.

Why This Matters for Every Family

This isn’t just about politics.
This isn’t even just about Shelby County.
This is about a generation of children — tens of thousands of them — who are being sent out into the world without the tools they need to survive, much less thrive.

The future of this county’s workforce, economy, and stability is being destroyed in real time, in meeting after meeting, by a leadership team that refuses to lead.

The Verdict from the Community:
Enough is enough.
If the Memphis Shelby County School Board will not hold itself accountable, the community will force accountability upon them.
Our kids’ futures are not negotiable — and the time for change is now.