(The Center Square) – Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill on Friday that allows the state to take over Memphis-Shelby County Schools and appointed five members to the oversight board.
Lawmakers passed House Bill 662/Senate Bill 714 on the final day of the 2026 session. It allows the state to take over school districts that fail to meet four of six criteria. Using the metrics, the bill applies only to the Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
Lee appointed former Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dorsey Hopson to the board. Hopson is currently a partner with City Fund. Also named to the board are Tyrone Burroughs, chairman of First Choice Global and founder of The Burroughs Foundation; Shanea McKinney, senior advisor of Product Management with The Cigna Group; Nisha Powers, founder and president, Powers Hill Design and Beverly Robertson, co-founder and chief operations officer for Trust Marketing and Communications.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally will each appoint two members to the nine-member board.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed, and throughout the Lee Administration, we’ve made significant investments to ensure students in Shelby County receive a quality education that best fits their unique needs,” Lee said in a statement. “I’m pleased to appoint these highly qualified individuals, and I’m grateful for their willingness to serve Memphis families and help strengthen outcomes for students across the community.”
Democrats pushed back on the bill, calling it heavy-handed. They presented an alternative plan based on a Hamilton County Schools plan that was voted down by the Republican supermajority.
“They formed a special network within the school district, and they had a board of advisors made up of philanthropic community members, business community members and kind of provided advice and guidance, focusing on those five schools,” Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari said in an interview with The Center Square. “So that really is the alternative that we wanted to present to the General Assembly.”
The committee will have the authority over the school district’s budget. It could also determine if any schools should close. It’s expected to get to work immediately after all members are appointed.
The Memphis Shelby County School Board did not respond to a request for comment.
