Drop the lawsuit. Sit down at the table. Get to work. Our children cannot wait.

The law is set. The oversight board is ready. The only thing standing between our kids and the real support they deserve is a lawsuit that serves adults, not students.

With the first day of school just days away, our classrooms are about to open without clear, unified leadership. While teachers are preparing their rooms and families are buying school supplies, our leaders are preparing court filings.

The state didn't create this oversight board out of nowhere. HB662/SB714 authorized it only after six specific conditions were met—conditions that directly impact our kids every day:

• Low Reading and Math Proficiency: Over 50% of our students are performing below grade level in core subjects year after year.

• Failing Grades: Multiple local schools are stuck with D and F ratings under state accountability standards.

• Stalled Progress: Schools have remained on the state’s priority "failing" list for over five years.

• Constant Turnover: Unstable leadership, including multiple interim superintendents, has broken any chance at a long-term strategy.

• Financial Red Flags: A recent negative audit raised serious questions about how public dollars are being spent.

• Empty Desks: Chronic absenteeism has topped 30%, meaning nearly a third of our students are routinely missing class.

These aren't political talking points—they are facts, and every single threshold was crossed.

The nine people appointed to this board aren't here to play politics. They are dedicated Memphians and Tennesseans who know our neighborhoods, care about our kids, and are fully committed to working with our elected school board to move our schools forward. They took these seats to do right by our children, period.

This moment gives us a real chance to turn things around, but litigation slams that door shut. Every dollar spent on lawyers is a dollar taken directly from a classroom. Every week wasted in court is a week our kids fall further behind.

Our children deserve leaders who fight for them—not with each other.

We are asking you plainly: Drop the lawsuit. Take your seats at the table. Get to work.

The school year is starting. The families of Memphis and Shelby County are watching.