The Shelby County Board of Commissioners voted to pass the 2026-27 budget for Memphis-Shelby County Schools at an Aug. 10 meeting.
The budget came after over a month of delays and about a week after the first day of school.
The $1.8 billion included nearly $44 million in capital improvement funding. MSCS on July 29 approved an amendment to increase the 2027 fiscal year budget by nearly $120 million, which included $11.9 million for deferred maintenance.
During the Aug. 10 meeting, some commissioners criticized MSCS board members for not attending. Commissioner Mick Wright said he was "baffled" that none of the board members were there to advocate for their budget.
"We don't have a single member of Memphis-Shelby County Schools here to address questions
on their $1.8 billion budget," Wright said. "It's really a shame. It's a bad look and I just simply can't support it."
Commissioner Henri Brooks defended the board and said she wouldn't condemn board members for not attending.
"It doesn't send a good message for us to do that, particularly during this time," she said. "We need to work cooperatively and collaboratively."
Commissioner Charlie Caswell said MSCS board member Stephanie Love tried to attend the meeting but wasn't able to park.
"She sat out there for 30 minutes...and they wouldn't allow her into the gate to park for coming up to speak on this item," he said. "I know she was out there; I'm sorry I missed it because we was already in the meeting."
The budget passed 7-4.
Democrats Harris, Frey win seats on school board
Two new Democrats are set to join the MSCS board after winning a seat on election night.
Democrats T.L. Harris in the 6th District and Tanya Frey in the 8th each won a seat on the MSCS board in the Aug. 6 election. Both beat out Independent candidates.
Election results are unofficial until certified by the election commission.
Harris beat Independent Frederick Tappan with nearly 90% of the vote.
The race between Frey and Independent Candidate Leigh Ann Scarbrough was slightly closer, with Frey reaching just above 60% of the vote.
None of this year's school board races saw a Republican candidate qualify for the ballot.
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: Memphis schools budget passes on split vote after delays
