Early voting is underway for Memphis’ first partisan school board primary

“Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools. Memphis voters begin choosing today among 15 Democratic candidates vying for four open school board seats in the district’s first political primary . Early voting has started for the May 5 primary race in Districts 1, 6, 8, and 9. No Republican candidates qualified to run this year, but two independents will challenge the Democratic nominee in Districts 6 and 8 in the Aug. 6 general election. That means the Memphis-Shelby County Schools representative for Districts 1 and 9 will be decided by the Democratic primary. Both elections include incumbents who have been on the school board since 2018: Michelle McKissack and Joyce Dorse-Coleman, respectively. The other candidates, ranging from seasoned MSCS teachers to a local lawyer and parents’ rights advocate, are joining the pool during a time of looming shifts in district leadership . Senate Republicans are expected to take the next step in advancing their state takeover plans for MSCS in the coming days. Republican leadership appears set to adopt a version close to Rep. Mark White’s 2025 proposal that would create a board of managers that would take away key responsibilities from the local board, including budget and superintendent decisions. Republican lawmakers launched the takeover effort last year after the controversial firing of former Superintendent Marie Feagins last January. Current board members voted unanimously to hire Roderick Richmond , a 30-year district employee, as the new permanent leader late last month. Check out our interactive map tool to find out which MSCS board district you’ll be seeing on your ballot. And before casting a vote, read all about the candidates in our comprehensive profiles here: Click here for the District 1 voting guide . Click here for the District 6 voting guide . Click here for the District 8 voting guide . Click here for the District 9 voting guide . With so much at stake, we want to hear from you about who you’re voting for and why. What do you think is important about these elections? What questions do you still have that we can help answer? Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.

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