Five MSCS board seats are up for grabs in August

The makeup of the Memphis-shelby County Board of Education could soon change, as five of the nine board seats are up for grabs in the Shelby County General Election on Aug. 1. Four current board members are running for re-election and facing multiple challengers, and a fifth has decided not to pursue another term.

Currently, the nine members of the board are Michelle Mckissack, Althea Greene, Stephanie Love, Kevin Woods, Mauricio Calvo, Keith Williams, Frank Johnson, Amber Huett-garcia, and Joyce Dorse Coleman. Greene, Love, Calvo and Johnson are all running to retain their seats. Woods is not seeking reelection.

Candidates are vying for the chance to represent districts two, three, four, five, and seven, and the winners will be sworn in this September and receive a four-year term on the board. Here’s a breakdown of who will be on the ballot in August.

District Two

h Ernest Gillespie III h Althea Greene (Current board chair and incumbent)

h Natalie Mckinney

District 3

h Lois Bryant h Jesse Jeff h Stephanie Love (Incumbent) h Ozell Pace Jr. h Angela Rogers

District 4

h James Q. Bacchus h Cherry Fhilipae h Alvin Crook h Eric Harris h Ronald Pope h Tamarques Porter h Anecia Washington

District 5

h Mauricio Calvo (Incumbent) h Audrey Elion h Porsha Goodman h Sable Otey

District 7

h Chavez G. Donelson h Danielle Huggins h Frank William Johnson (Incumbent) h Towanna C. Murphy h Jason Sharif h Broderick Wamble

The terms of the other four board members aren’t set to expire until 2026. Mckissack represents District 1, Williams represents District 6, Huettgarcia represents District 8, and Coleman represents District 9.