The Memphis-Shelby County (Tennessee) school board has fired its superintendent, Marie Feagins.
Chalkbeat Tennessee reports that a divided school board voted 6-3 to oust Feagins less than 10 months into her tenure. The panel approved a resolution that cited allegations of professional misconduct and poor leadership.
Feagins, a former Detroit school administrator hired by a previous board to lead Tennessee’s largest school district, vehemently denied any wrongdoing. She described herself as a target of “false accusations and political maneuvering.”
The board voted to name Roderick Richmond, a longtime district administrator now serving as the district’s transformation officer, as interim superintendent.
In a statement issued through a public relations firm, board chair Joyce Dorse Coleman said Feagins “has not demonstrated the transformational leadership that is critical to the success” of the Memphis district.
Feagins said after the vote that her firing is “exactly the opposite” of what an educational institution stands for. She said many members of the board “chose chaos over children, and it looks like they’ve chosen litigation over leadership....I’ll see them in court.”
The resolution to dismiss Feagins alleges that she:
- Failed to provide evidence of her statement that district employees were paid $1 million in overtime for time not worked.
- Accepted a donation of more than $45,000 without board approval, then misrepresented what happened.
- Misled the board and public about a federal grant and its missed deadline.
Feagins began work last April on a four-year contract that was to pay her $325,000 annually.
It was clear last month that at least five board members were inclined to sever ties with Feagins. But Dorse Coleman moved to delay action until this month to allow for more deliberation and a response from Feagins.
During a board committee meeting last week, Feagins shared a point-by-point response to the allegations against her. She said some school board members presented misleading and false information, calling the effort to fire her “politically motivated” and vowing not to resign.
