Joris Ray is out as MSCS superintendent; gets $480K severance

Mark Russell, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·2 min read

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Joris Ray is no longer the superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the largest school district in Tennessee.

MSCS board members voted 8-0 to accept a proposal Ray made through his counsel on Aug. 12, said Herman Morris, the board's attorney. The vote for the proposal ends the external investigation into allegations Ray abused power or violated policy, Laura Testino reports.

As part of his termination, which his contract recognizes as a resignation, Ray will receive approximately $480,000 in severance pay, MSCS district attorney Kenneth Walker told reporters in a press conference following the vote.

Meanwhile, U.S. Marshals arrested a woman they say is involved in the shooting death of 60-year-old community activist Yvonne Nelson, Laura reports.

Firefighters from around Shelby County, and the country, were in attendance at the funeral for fireman David Pleasant on Tuesday afternoon — all entering the Bellevue Baptist Church parking lot under an American flag hoisted up by two firetrucks, Lucas Finton reports..

As the Mid-South grapples with doctor shortage, a Caribbean medical school is an example of a non-traditional way to produce more physicians for rural and urban areas in need of medical professionals, Corinne Kennedy reports.

In case you missed it: A state official reports that embattled Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert is vacationing in Jamaica this week while her staff seeks to get ahead of the curve on license plate mailings, Katherine Burgess reports.

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Joris Ray out as MSCS superintendent severance education