The Memphis-Shelby County Schools oversight board convened on Oct. 8 for just the second time, months after litigation, which is still in progress, stalled the board's operation.
The meeting, which lasted over three hours, laid out the basic groundwork of how the board would operate.
Here are three key takeaways from that meeting.
Oversight board working with consulting firm
A large part of the meeting focused on a partnership between the oversight board and MGT, a consulting firm that would assist the board in its launch.
Under the agreement, MGT would provide six months of support to the oversight board from October through March, for a total cost of $1 million — but the board would not pay that fee. Instead, MGT would take on the project pro bono, or free of charge, and hope to recoup some
of that cost through philanthropic donations.
MGT would provide "administrative, project management, research and implementation support during the Board's initial period of operation."
During the meeting, MGT presented a list of objectives at launch, which included drafting a list of 90-day priorities, rules of procedure or bylaws and a job description for an executive director.
The board voted 8-1 to adopt the agreement.
How will the board address MSCS audit?
A brief section of the meeting provided a glimpse into how the school district might work towards remediating some of the issues identified in the forensic audit of MSCS, which purported to have found around $54 million in potential waste, fraud and abuse.
Folashade Abiola-Banjac, a forensic accountant with CliftonLarsonAllen, the firm that performed the audit, said the firm would embark on a three-year process during which CLA would implement its corrective action plan and report its progress to the oversight board and the school district.
"When we leave, the goal is to put them in a position where they've got policies and procedures that they adhere to, we leave them with a culture of fiscal responsibility and operational tightness, and we also leave them in a space where they can truly begin to see those operational fixes show up in those literacy gaps," Abiola-Banjac said.
Board member Beverly Robertson asked if CLA had the "right people" in place at MSCS to correct some of the issues raised by the audit.
"On the CLA side, we are very prepared," Abiola-Banjac said. "On the Memphis-Shelby side, we have worked with all different clients at all different levels...in all consulting engagements, it is management's responsibility to take this seriously...where there isn't seriousness, the board would be aware."
Board establishes structure
During the Oct. 8 meeting, the board laid out its leadership and committee structure.
The board is made up of nine members, appointed by state officials. Billy Orgel, appointed by Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, is the chair of the oversight board, and Shanea McKinney, appointed by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, is vice chair.
But the board will also have an "executive director," who will serve as the primary liaison between the board and MSCS and manage day-to-day operations. The oversight board would request funds from the state to supply salary for the executive director's salary.
The board would be made up of eight committees upon launch: academics, audit, budget and finance, executive, facilities and operations, legal, personnel and leadership and technology.
The legal committee would be "ad hoc" or temporary and would only exist until the board hires dedicated legal counsel.
Tennessee Senior Deputy Attorney General J.P. Urban is currently acting as executive director and legal counsel.
What's next for the oversight board?
While the board can meet to establish its procedures and infrastructure, it still cannot "require anything" of the school system, Urban said.
The oversight board has been blocked from operation since July 1, when MSCS leaders filed a lawsuit claiming the board invalidates voters' choice of locally elected officials.
But in a court order filed Oct. 5, U.S. District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw for the Middle District of Tennessee indicated he was ready to lift that block and directed Orgel to file a statement under oath when the body is "ready, willing, and able to perform its duties."
During its Oct. 8 meeting, board members said establishing committees, a contract approval process and a job description for an executive director would help demonstrate that readiness.
It's not clear when the oversight board will file its statement of preparedness with the court. The Tennessee Attorney General's Office declined to comment on pending litigation ahead of the meeting.
The "top priority" of the board is to hire an executive director, and the second priority is to hire an attorney, said board member Dedrick Brittenum Jr.
When will the oversight board meet next?
The board discussed setting regular meeting times but did not land on a day during the Oct. 8 session. However, oversight board members agreed the meetings should take place after MSCS school board meetings, which are held on the last Tuesday of each month.
The next MSCS board meeting will be held on Oct. 27.
Jack Armstrong covers breaking news and the environment for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at jack.armstrong@commercialappeal.com and followed on X @jca2902
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: As Memphis schools takeover lawsuit lingers, what is oversight board doing?
