“Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools. Memphis Democrats are hitting the polls today to nominate school board candidates who will hold limited authority under a new state-designed leadership system . Four seats are on the primary ballot , representing Districts 1, 6, 8, and 9 in Memphis-Shelby County Schools. It’s the first partisan primary for the MSCS board . The election pales in significance compared to previous years because of the Republican-led state takeover that will restrict the locally elected board’s power. Top GOP leaders will soon appoint a nine-member oversight board that will have final say on key budget and staffing decisions in MSCS, including hiring and firing the superintendent. The takeover measure still must be signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee . Fifteen Democratic candidates are running in the May 5 primary, including incumbents Michelle McKissack of District 1 and Joyce Dorse-Coleman of District 9. Those two seats will be decided by the primary vote, while Districts 6 and 8 nominees will face an independent challenger in the Aug. 6 general election. That state-appointed board will take over starting July 1, before new local school board members assume office on Sept. 1. The Memphis school board candidates launched their 2026 campaigns before the takeover plan was fully greenlit, though the intervention has loomed for months. All but one candidate, Damon Curry Morris in District 9, said they opposed a takeover in a Chalkbeat survey. The majority of candidates said they would work collaboratively with the oversight board to prioritize student success. There’s still a chance MSCS will file a lawsuit against the state takeover legislation — the board voted to hire a lawyer in early April . But hours before that vote, the governor signed into law a bill that blocks the district from using public funds to pay for the lawsuit . Some community leaders say local nonprofits could foot the bill , while others doubt legal action will succeed. Republican lawmakers have long said they’re modeling MSCS’ takeover after a 2023 state intervention in Houston , where one of the first decisions made by state education leaders was to replace the superintendent. The new Houston leader overhauled district curriculum, cut 1,500 central office positions, and implemented a teacher pay model based on test scores. District 1 board election: Here’s what you need to know Incumbent board member Michelle McKissack is running against two MSCS teachers, one with decades of experience and the other in her early career. Dolores Missy Rivers served as a district teacher for 26 years, and spent the last year as the interim director of the Memphis-Shelby County Education Association. Hailey Marie Thomas started teaching in 2021 and now works as a literacy instructor at MSCS charter school Beacon College Preparatory. McKissack has been on the board since 2018. She was one of three members to vote against firing former Superintendent Marie Feagins in January 2025 . District 6 board election: Here’s what you need to know Five Democratic candidates are running to fill the MSCS board seat being vacated by former teacher union leader Keith Williams. Marinda A-Williams is a former private school and Germantown teacher, while Juliette Eskridge taught in MSCS for 20 years. Stacey Kelly works as a college advisor for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. T.L. Harris, who served prison time for a felony drug conviction while he was a Memphis cop, led a youth violence prevention program for three years. Contessa Humphrey, the final candidate, did not respond to Chalkbeat’s survey. The primary winner will face independent challenger Frederick Dewayne Tappan in the Aug. 6 general election. District 8 board election: Here’s what you need to know Two Democratic candidates are vying to fill the District 8 seat being vacated by Amber Huett-Garcia. The winner will face MSCS school librarian Leigh Ann Scarbrough, an independent candidate, in the Aug. 6 general election. Tanya Frey worked as a Memphis-based lawyer for over 20 years and now runs Terra Firma Consulting, an organization that advises nonprofits on leadership decisions. Ayleem Connolly taught high school Spanish in MSCS from 2015 through 2023 and chaired East High’s language department for two years. District 9 board election: Here’s what you need to know Longtime MSCS board member Joyce Dorse-Coleman is facing four Democratic candidates for the District 9 seat. Jonathan Carroll doesn’t have any business ties to MSCS, but he’s led local and state parent-teacher associations. Incumbent Dorse-Coleman has been on the board since 2018 and served as the chair last year. Tamara Jordan taught in local charter school networks for 15 years and served as the dean of Freedom Preparatory Academy. Damon Curry Morris is the only 2026 candidate in favor of the state takeover of MSCS and worked closely with Nashville lawmakers to develop the bill. Louis Morganfield III is the building engineer at Ida B. Wells Academy, a beloved MSCS school that will close at the end of this year . Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.
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