Rep. Mark White, a Shelby County Republican, said he would pursue measures in 2026 that would allow the state to take over management of Memphis-Shelby County schools (Photo: John Partipillo)

The legislative sponsor, who was criticised for the “acquisition” of Memphis-Shelby County schools on Tuesday for the bill to be held on hold, was criticized for being held until 2026.

East Memphis Republican Rep. Mark White, chairman of the House Finance Committee, said the House and Senate versions were approved earlier that day.

The Tennessee Legislature was postponed Tuesday evening without taking any further action on the bill.

One important point was to amend the Senate bill to allow the advisory committee to select alternatives to elected Memphis board members removed by the state, a provision deemed unconstitutional. It was different from the house version.

White said he wanted a “strong oversight committee” and that compromise would weaken the measures. He refused to have a competing House and Senate measures sent to the Congress committee to settle the compromise.

Tennessee lawmakers submit “hostile takeover” at Memphis Shelby School at the last minute

“We like to keep the bill alive,” White said, adding that he will work on the law by summer and return it to consideration next year.

The House and Senate passed separate bills Tuesday, creating a management group to oversee schools in Memphis-Shelby County and establishing a “acquisition” board could prove unconstitutional.

White’s decision came when Congress moved towards a postponement this year.

Previously, White told colleagues that changes were needed after decades of poor performance by the school district and the board.

Advisory boards funded locally rather than states will take precedence over boards elected on budgets, contracts over $50,000 and several policies. One plan is to review the entire system and develop a plan for improvement.

Separately, the legislature has approved $6 million for the district’s forensic audit. However, Republicans who hold the vast majority in the House and Senate have rejected requests to complete the audit before embarking on a new format.

White then said that a year of waiting would allow the audit to move forward before the advisory committee is created.

A Republican senator from Shelby County who carried the Senate version of the bill placed much of the blame for the poor performance of school board members, saying students were “hanging there like crackhead’s last teeth.”

White and Taylor deny that the plan is a “acquisition,” and Taylor instead describes it as a “list of cascade interventions.”

The vote in both rooms did not come without opposition from Memphis lawmakers who said the state should be able to select new school board members instead of giving state education authorities to eliminate state education committees and district chiefs.

Senator London Lamar of Memphis was one of many Shelby County MPs who opposed the measure. In response to Taylor, she said, “Memphis is not the last tooth in the mouth of a rift addict.”

Lamar and other Shelby lawmakers compared the plan to the state’s achievement school district. It was phased out in 10 years and spent over $1 billion. They also accused them of stealing local voters.

“It’s not our job to take power away from the local school board,” Lamar said.

Lamar later called the result a “Local Control victory.”

Democrat Antonio Parkinson, Democrat of Memphis, has been a consistent critic of the Attainment School District for over five years, saying the provisions in the bill that allow states to hand over schools to charter operators indicate that the plan is designed to benefit hedge funds and businesses.

The Shelby County school system has gone through several stages over the past decade, including the disbanding of Memphis schools and the creation of suburban areas such as Collierville and Arlington. All of this left Memphis Shelby County schools to a large number of low-income students.

The Memphis Shelby County Board of Education also recently removed its director, giving lawmakers ammunition to elect the school system despite it sparking more conflicts within the district and applying it to schools across the state.

Collierville, a Republican Rep. Kevin Vaughan from Shelby County, told a colleague he changed his mind after first thinking that lawmakers should wait until the audit was completed before taking action.

“We have to turn the ship around in southwest Tennessee,” Vaughn said. “We are harming children who don’t feel a fair shake.”

The law also raised the income cap on Shelby’s Educational Savings Account Program, allowing more families to qualify for funds to enroll their children in private schools. Recipients can use approximately $9,500 in state funds for lessons.

Democrat state Sen. Jeff Yarbro predicted that such a move would cause confusion and lead to lawsuits.