Memphis-Shelby County Schools is facing a federal lawsuit that was filed in order to stop the newly-appointed oversight board’s authority.
The Shelby County Commission, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the Shelby County administration, and a number of MSCS school board members filed the lawsuit.
The lawsuit argues, “The elected board retains the title of office but none of the power granted to it by state law. When an elected body cannot adopt its own budget, hire its own superintendent, or approve its own contracts, it does not govern.”
A new law establishing a nine-person oversight board, chosen by the governor and state legislators, is being challenged in court. The oversight board will have extensive control over contracts, district leadership, and budgeting.
The board was created after a state audit identified more than $1 million in waste and abuse at MSCS.
