Subcommittee advances oversight board for Memphis‑Shelby County schools; HB 662 moves to full finance

The Finance, Ways and Means subcommittee voted to advance House Bill 662 as amended, creating a nine‑member oversight board to work with the locally elected Memphis‑Shelby County School Board on budget, contract and facility matters, the subcommittee chair said.

Chairman White said the oversight board would be appointed by the governor and the two legislative speakers and would have authority to review budgets and contracts, including veto authority over parts of a proposed budget and a role in reviewing charter denials. "This is an oversight board," Chairman White said, describing it as an intervention tailored to Memphis‑Shelby County rather than a state takeover.

Supporters told the subcommittee the change aims to address long‑standing academic and fiscal problems in the district. "We have been dragging our feet way, way, way too long," Vice Chairman Gillespie said, urging colleagues to support the bill while a forensic audit by the…