A few days after nearly 110,000 Memphis-Shelby County Schools students returned to school for the 2026-27 school year, Shelby County is set to elect two new members to the school board.
Out of nine seats on the board, four are up for election. Two incumbents, Michelle McKissack in District 1 and Joyce Dorse Coleman in District 9, faced opposition in the May primary, but both are running unopposed in the Aug. 6 election.
Incumbents Amber Huett-Garcia in District 8 and Keith Williams representing District 6 did not run for reelection, leaving two seats up for grabs.
T.L. Harris, who won the Democratic primary for District 6, will face Independent candidate Frederick Dewayne Tappan. Tappan is the senior pastor of Eureka TrueVine Baptist Church.
Tanya
Frey won the May Democratic primary in District 8 with 60% of the vote and will face Independent candidate Leigh Ann Scarbrough.
None of this year's school board races saw a Republican candidate qualify for the ballot.
The school board takeover will likely increase voter turnout, said Gale Jones Carson, CEO of Memphis Urban League. However, the Independent candidates will have a tough time facing anyone on affiliated with a major party.
"It's very difficult for an independent to win," Carson said. "Generally if you run on a party label, you're pretty much going to get 30% of the vote."
Which district am I in?
You can check your district using an online tool on the Shelby County Election Commission website.
To check which district you live in, visit electionsshelbytn.gov and navigate to the "Voter" tab. Then, click the "Polling Location and Complete District Information," and you will be directed to the Shelby County Election Commission District locator.
Type in your address in the search bar, and your complete district information will be shown.
This week and next
Election day is Aug. 6.
The MSCS school board will have a business system review meeting on Aug. 11.
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 school begins, Memphis set to elect two new MSCS board members
