SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — How did we get here and were the accusations against Dr. Marie Feagins so bad it should have resulted in her firing?
Those are questions many of you keep asking.
The path to her firing happened in less than a year, and it still isn’t quite clear.
Was she going too far? Did she make the wrong person mad?
We’ve submitted open records to Memphis Shelby County Schools and interview requests to find out more. A majority of those requests have gone unanswered.
What we do know– the timeline.
On February 9, the MSCS board unanimously selected Feagins. This after two rounds of voting and a 18-month, drama-filled search. Feagins officially started April 1.
She went on tours, created a transition team, and soon outlined plans focused on paying teachers more, literacy, absenteeism, and perhaps, some controversial decisions.
“It’s necessary to kind of trim what’s happening central office wise,” she stated at a board meeting.
She wanted to trim 1,100 positions within the district office and give those employees a chance to move to the classroom. Some board members didn’t like it.
The tension only continued. Feagins received a death threat, according to reports.
Weeks later, she called police again to file a restraining order in a different matter. She had cancelled a contract with the mentoring group, Peer Power.
The co-chair reportedly used profanity and followed Feagins. He later admitted he was “upset” about the contract and said he apologized to her.
Turns out, the contract was one of many Feagins axed. WREG Investigators requested the full list last month, but we were told we wouldn’t get a response until March 28.
What’s clear, the school board’s public relations contract with the Carter Malone Group was among that list.
“Dr. Feagins shared with the board that she wanted to offer communication support with internal communication staff,” said the firm’s president, Deidre Malone.
In August, four new school board members were elected.
Soon after, two former went on the record and called Feagins’ hire a mistake. One of them said Feagins is a hard worker but doesn’t listen to others.
“It really created a culture that was very toxic,” former board member Mauricio Calvo said. “Now, she inherited a very toxic culture. She didn’t create that, but she didn’t make it any better.”
Between August and October, MSCS records show 212 employees resigned. The same time in 2023, there were 268.
Resignations are typical when a new leader comes in, but four were members of Feagins’ close circle.
Of the resignation letters we could get so far, Feagins’ special assistant wrote in part, “the decision comes with a mix of emotions.” and she’s moving “to the next chapter of my career.”
On November 6, the board brought back the Carter Malone Group to help with PR.
The price, according to their policy, allowed the board to make the hire behind closed doors.
The CMG stated they were called to help due to MSCS not having enough staff.
The board dropped a bombshell 41 days later. They announced a special called meeting to discuss Feagins’ termination.
Five board members initially backed the resolution that listed Feagins’ alleged misdeeds like accepting donation without board approval, squandering federal grant funds, and claimed she was misleading about overtime abuse.
“They don’t want to hear from us! They want to shut us out!” stated one teacher in support of Feagins. She was one of many who showed up to chime in.
The board chair told Feagins to draft a formal response. Feagins hired an attorney to help, who called the whole thing meritless.
“In Memphis, if you’re going to call somebody a liar, you better come with some specifics,” attorney Alan Crone stated. “These allegations are weak. They are vague.”
The MSCS board also hired an outside law firm. In a report, that firm stated they never issued subpoenas, conducted interviews or looked at independent information. Still, they substantiated the three claims listed in the resolution and cited Feagins violated the ethical clause in her contract.
“We’re trying our best to get it right for our children,” said MSCS Board Chair Joyce Dorse-Coleman.
Meanwhile, the public held walks and walkouts, the county commission voted no confidence in the school board, and the state’s lop leaders issued a warning.
“If the school board goes through with this, there are options. We have nuclear options,” said TN House Speaker Cameron Sexton.
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With no disciplinary action or improvement plan, the board moved forward.
“This is a kangaroo court of a process,” said TN Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), who attended some of the meetings. “There’s a lot of bickering. A lot of back biting.”
On January 21, six of the nine members voted to oust Feagins.
She was fired before any officials results on her work have been released. The state’s recent report card was from the school year before she started.
Two days later, a new interim superintendent, Dr. Roderick Richmond, addressed the public.
“I want to start off by thanking God for this opportunity,” Richmond said. “My focus and vision have always been about the students in this great district and community.”
Feagins has since hired a new attorney and filed a lawsuit.
The complaint states the board broke the law by meeting behind closed doors while planning to fire her, claims the man who took her job knew about the plan and even claimed a city councilman was involved and made threats at one point. That councilman did not answer our questions when asked about it at a recent council meeting.
We reached out to Feagins’ attorney for a comment, but have yet to get a response.
Feagins has listed her success in her last report given to the board. She stated enrollment has improved two-percent, the number of parent and community volunteers increased, and there were nearly 3,000 students in dual enrollment.