How Feagins is transitioning into the superintendent role
On April 1, Marie Feagins, ED.D., is poised to officially take the reins from Toni Williams and become the next superintendent of Memphis-shelby County Schools. But to ensure a smooth transition, she’s already started working for the district as a consultant.
And on Wednesday, MSCS board chair Althea Greene provided details on what that entails.
“School Board Commissioners are pleased to share that Memphis-shelby County Schools’ incoming superintendent is actively engaging with our community,” she said in a statement. “Dr. Marie Feagins is meeting with school leaders and educators, and collaboratively developing strategic priorities with School Commissioners.”
According to a redacted version of Feagins’ consulting contract, which started on March 1 and ends March 29, she can make up to $20,000 in the temporary role. She’s being paid $1,000 a day, for each day worked, but the total amount can’t exceed $20,000.
Her consulting services can include: h Reviewing school board policies, the proposed district budget, State Board of Education rules, and other state and federal regulations;
h Conferring with district staff, community leaders, local and state officials, and local groups and organizations;
h Joining MSCS board commissioners in meetings with community partners;
h Participating in the district’s budget retreat – which took place on Mar. 9 — and attending school board meetings and workshops;
h Other necessary consulting services that relate to the transition into the superintendent role.
About two weeks after the signing of the contract, Feagins appears to be meeting its expectations.
In her statement, Greene noted that Feagins attended the board’s budget retreat on Saturday, and discussed teacher retention strategies, as well as funding for resources like textbooks and classroom supplies.
The board also discussed MSCS’ infrastructure footprint, which has been a talking point for months. The district is facing $500 million in deferred maintenance and putting together a comprehensive infrastructure plan. The ongoing conversations about it, Greene explained, will inform how the 2024-25 budget is shaped.
“Dr. Feagins’ participation in these critical discussions allows for a collaborative budget-building process that reflects the combined vision of the Board and Dr. Feagins,” Greene said, in the statement.
Discussions about Feagins’ superintendent contract are ongoing, and the board is expected to vote on it soon. When Greene announced the consulting agreement on March 1, she said the board would likely vote on her permanent contract at its next official meeting — which is scheduled to take place March 26.
Feagins was selected to be the next superintendent of MSCS on Feb. 9. Most recently, she was the Chief of Leadership and High Schools, executive director of high school transformation, and special assistant to the superintendent for the Detroit Public Schools Community District.
Feagins spent much of her career in Alabama, and from 2006 to 2012 she was a teacher and head coach with Jefferson County Schools. In 2013, she became a senior counselor and building testing coordinator with the district, and in 2016, she was named an assistant principal and building safety coordinator with Huntsville City Schools. In 2017, she joined Cleveland Metro Schools in Ohio, where she worked as an assistant principal and interim principal. In 2021, Feagins stepped into her role in Detroit’s school district, which has about 51,000 students.