•

Council Assembles Team to Assist New Memphis Superintendent

  • New Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins has tapped key players from the Council of the Great City Schools to advise her newly formed transition team.

    The Council support will come from Michael Hinojosa, superintendent-in-residence, executive director Ray Hart, and strategic advisor Michael Casserly, the Council’s former executive director.

    In addition, the Council invited guidance from five big-city school leaders: Adrienne Battle, superintendent of Metro-Nashville Public Schools in Tennessee; Sharon Contreras, former superintendent of Guilford County Schools in North Carolina and current CEO of The Innovation Project; Barbara Jenkins, former superintendent of Florida’s Orange County Public Schools in Orlando; and Carol Johnson-Dean, former superintendent of the Memphis, Minneapolis, and Boston school systems.  

    In the coming months, experts will undertake a systems review of Memphis-Shelby County Schools with a focus on operations, engagement and communications, and inclusive excellence.

    “We are very happy to assist Superintendent Feagins as she takes the reins of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools,” said Council Executive Director Ray Hart. “Leading a big-city school system is a huge undertaking, and we applaud Feagins for not being afraid to ask for help and taking these important first steps in an effort to create a successful educational environment for the more than 106,000-students she serves.”

    In a news release, Feagins described the Council as “a highly respected organization that uniquely supports the needs of sizable, urban districts. ... I predict they will serve to sharpen my vision, and I look forward to our collaboration as I embark on this journey.”

    Quoted in the same release, Hinojosa said Feagins “is dedicated to getting it right and is bringing the right people to the table to ensure positive outcomes. It is to be commended.”

    The Council will also support the transition team Feagins has assembled, numbering more than 60, including educators, students, business and civic leaders, and public safety officers. The focus will be on five key areas: student achievement, business operations, strategic communications and partnerships, next-level readiness, and inclusive excellence.

    Feagins previously served as chief of leadership and high schools in the Detroit Public Schools Community District before becoming superintendent of Tennessee’s largest school system on April 1.