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NPEF’s Leadership Public Education Cohort Graduation

From the Front of the Class newsletter of the Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF):

Earlier this month, the 2026 Leadership Public Education Cohort culminated its six months of leadership development programming with session 6. The day-long convening welcomed education and non-profit leaders who shared insight on navigating communication and conflict, direct engagement with Metro Nashville Public Schools, and advocacy training. Dr. Diarese George, NPEF President and CEO, also presented on the importance of building on this experience by finding meaningful ways to support public schools and other organizations serving students.

The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and NPEF celebrated the 7th cohort with a graduation and reception. Throughout the program, cohort members engaged in expert-led sessions, panel discussions, and research that explored key issues and opportunities facing Metro Nashville Public Schools. Overall, they addressed history, education policy, funding, workforce pathways, talent management, accountability, and school options.

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Judge Hits Pause on State Takeover of Memphis Schools

Voucher Vendor Gets Big Contract Increase

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BLOCKED: Judge Temporarily Halts State Takeover of Memphis Schools

A federal judge says the state can’t (yet) take over Memphis schools and must wait while a lawsuit against the takeover proceeds.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Memphis school takeover board’s authority, after school officials said it could delay the start of the school year or even force building closures as the district prepares to welcome students back to class in less than five weeks.

Memphis-Shelby County school board members and local officials asked a federal judge Tuesday to temporarily halt the oversight board or, at minimum, block its power to disrupt contract payments and fire top district officials ahead of the 2026-27 school year, which begins Aug. 3.

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State Adds Millions to Voucher Vendor’s Contract

Behn Files Complaints Against TN DCS

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Shelby County Sues Over State Takeover of Schools

The Shelby County government is challenging the state’s takeover of public schools in Memphis. A new state law passed this year created a state-appointed “Board of Managers” to oversee the Shelby County School Board.

This unelected board, appointed by politicians from Nashville, has the power to usurp decisions made by the elected leaders of the Shelby County Schools.

Tennessee Lookout reports on the lawsuit:


The Shelby County government sued Tennessee lawmakers in federal court last week, hoping to regain local control over the board that oversees the Memphis school system. 

State lawmakers passed a bill earlier this year disbanding the locally elected Memphis Shelby County Schools board and replacing it with a nine-member one, all appointed by Republican leaders in the state. 

Lawyers for Shelby County argued in their complaint that the law “dismantles” the structure that allows “110,000 children and their families to have a voice in the most consequential local decisions affecting their daily lives.” 

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Civil Rights Complaints Filed Against TN DCS

School Vouchers and the TN Governor’s Race

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Golden Gone

Williamson County’s Director of Schools, Jason Golden, informed the school board he’s accepted an Associate Director role at the Franklin Special School District.

Williamson County board member Eric Welch blames a toxic environment among elected leaders in the county for Golden’s leaving.

The

@WCSedu Board has received notice from Superintendent Golden that he has decided to step down as Superintendent of Williamson County Schools. He has accepted a position as Assoc Dir for Finance, Administration and Legal Services within the Franklin Special School District.

The toxic elements and individuals that refused to support our Superintendent, despite leading the WCS district to the highest academic achievement and growth scores in the state, now own whatever comes next.

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Jeff Yass Gives Big to Promote School Vouchers in Tennessee

Kids Lose in TN DCS Mess

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Which Middle TN District is Paying Bonuses for Math and English Teachers?

WSMV has the answer:

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System said Monday that it’s on the hunt for new math and English teachers to fulfill open roles at its high schools. The district is offering a $4,000 sign-on bonus to fill the positions.

There are more than a dozen high schools under the CMCSS umbrella. Open positions can be found and applied to at jobs.redroverk12.com/org/CMCSS.

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Jeff Yass, Marsha Blackburn, and School Vouchers

Tennessee’s Teacher Loss Challenge

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Tennessee: Home of The Most Racially Segregated Schools in the South

A new report ranks state public school systems by racial and economic segregation and finds Tennessee has the most racially segregated schools in the South.

WPLN reports:

Tennessee public schools are among the most racially segregated in the nation, according to a new study.

Researchers from Stanford and the University of California, Los Angeles, found that Tennessee has the most segregated schools in the South and ranks number six nationally, trailing behind New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ohio.

The “States of Segregation” report uses data from the 2023-24 school year and measures the levels of racial segregation between white students and their Black, Hispanic, and Native American peers. Each state has an index number ranging between zero and one – with zero meaning no segregation and one indicating that the school is completely segregated, with all the students being the same race. Tennessee’s number is .46.

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A Pennsylvania Billionaire is Spending Big to Promote Vouchers in Tennessee

The Facts on Trump’s Terrible School Voucher Scheme

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Voucher Backer Backs Blackburn

In the race to become Tennessee’s next Governor, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn has the backing of one of the nation’s biggest voucher supporters.

Jeff Yass is one of the richest people in the world. He is the richest person in Pennsylvania. He is #25 or #27 on Bloomberg’s Billionaires’ Index, depending on which day you check.

Yass is known for his investment in TikTok’s parent company and for being a major financial supporter of President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.

He’s now the largest single contributor in Tennessee’s gubernatorial election after donating $1 million to Team Tennessee, a PAC that is backing U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s bid for the top job.

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Trump Administration Undermining Public Education

Tennessee Leads the Nation in Teacher Loss

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Pro-Voucher Group Spends Millions to Promote Privatization of TN Schools

A group that supports a statewide program of private school discount coupons for wealthy families (school vouchers) is among the top political spenders in Tennessee.

Tennessee Lookout reports

Over the next two years, the School Freedom Fund spent $4.5 million across Tennessee’s 2024 legislative cycle and a special election for a Middle Tennessee Congressional seat in 2025. The group won five of the six primaries it spent on, signaling the value of its backing in winning competitive Republican elections.

The group spent nearly twice as much as the Tennessee Republican Caucus did in the 2024 cycle. Following that, state lawmakers passed Lee’s original 2024 statewide plan by a five-vote margin in the state House.

Now, the state has a $300 million school voucher scheme. Tennessee also invests less in public education than any other state in the nation.

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School Privatization Hits Indianapolis

The True Story of School Choice

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Will the State Close Some Memphis Schools?

As a new state board begins “managing” Memphis schools, some are wondering if that management plan will mean school closures.

Chalkbeat reports:

The state takeover of Memphis schools could lead to more school closures as seen in other seized local districts Tennessee lawmakers are using as a blueprint.

A state-appointed board of managers is set to take control of key decisions for Memphis-Shelby County Schools in the coming weeks. Its members include a former MSCS superintendent who introduced a plan to close almost 30 schools during his tenure that never came to fruition.

School closures have also been an early move for state-selected leadership in Houston and Fort Worth, the sites of two recent state takeovers that Tennessee proponents have often said they want to use as models for MSCS.

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Tennessee’s Teacher Loss Problem

The Super Bowl and Tennessee DCS

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Will Religious Charter Schools Become Reality in Tennessee?

A lawsuit of Tennessee’s ban on religious charter schools is moving forward, a federal judge says.

A Tennessee lawsuit challenging the Knox County Board of Education over the state’s religious charter school ban is heading to trial after a federal judge denied the board’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

The Wilberforce Academy of Knoxville sued the school board last year after the local district asked it to affirm it planned to open a non-religious school, per state law.

Of note:

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti declined to intervene in the lawsuit earlier this year, months after he published a legal opinion that argued there was “no compelling interest” in excluding religious charter schools from participating in a “public benefit.”

Skrmetti’s office is also currently paying Wilberforce’s main attorney $400 per hour in a separate case to help Tennessee defend its criminal abortion ban against ongoing legal challenges.

Photo by Stephen Ellis on Unsplash

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Why Are So Many Teachers Leaving Tennessee Classrooms?

Why Are TN Republicans Taking Over Memphis Schools?