'Disheartening:' More MSCS staffers receive notice their jobs are set to be cut

Jarvis Cook works for Memphis-Shelby County Schools as an enterprise analyst in the HR department. He considers the work he and his colleagues do to be essential.

“We handle the full lifecycle of an employee, from the time they enter into the district to the time they leave,” Cook told The Commercial Appeal on Tuesday.

But on Friday an MSCS official met with Cook and his teammates and told them their jobs were set to be eliminated. Details, he explained, were sparse.

“The person that delivered the message could not answer any questions ― could not give any information ― other than they asked for permission to share it with us, because they did not want us to go into the weekend not knowing,” Cook said.

Then, on Monday at 9:13 p.m., he received an official notification from the district, over email, that his job was expected to be cut. He is one of hundreds of MSCS staffers whose positions are set to be eliminated as the district looks to move personnel and resources away from the central office and into classrooms.

'Greetings valued employee'

On June 10, MSCS Superintendent Marie Feagins sent out an all-staff email, detailing plans to cut 1,100 jobs, 41% of which were vacant. Already, a portion of the employees had been notified their positions were being eliminated. The next evening, during a special called meeting, Feagins was criticized by MSCS board members, who passed a resolution pausing any additional layoffs until they got more details.

That resolution, however, hasn’t stopped the district from notifying employees about layoffs, as MSCS officials have maintained that they must notify employees and the state of the proposed layoffs to comply with Tennessee law, even before the board rescinds the resolution.

And on Monday night, more employees received notice that their positions would be eliminated. The notification, which was obtained by The CA, began by saying, “Greetings Valued Employee, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, like other school systems across the region and nation, faces circumstances that require fiscal responsibility, and we must consider significant and difficult changes.”

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At the end of the first paragraph, the notice informed people that their post would be eliminated: “You are receiving this notice because your position is included among the Planned Position Eliminations, which will take effect on June 30, 2024. You are highly encouraged to apply for available positions to secure continued employment with the district.”

It also noted that employees would receive their current rate of pay through Aug. 16, about a month-and-a-half after their last day.

For employees like Cook, reading the letter was difficult.

“It's very disheartening. It’s disappointing,” he said. “Because I’ve worked for a department that is very essential to this district. We make sure that our teachers are taken care of. We make sure all of the employees are taken care of.”

He also doesn’t think Feagins and the district have been transparent about the job cuts or communicated effectively. Cook didn’t expect his position to be eliminated. In March, he said he and his teammates were shown what the organizational chart would look like after proposed restructurings, and his job, at the time, seemed safe.

Even after Feagins sent out the staff-wide email on June 10 about 1,100 positions being eliminated, he still felt his position was safe. He did address the board and Feagins during the special called meeting on June 11 to express frustrations. But he didn’t do it because his job was being cut, he did it because he felt that Feagins and district leaders hadn’t handled the situation well or been transparent.

Since then, his sentiment hasn’t changed ― especially after receiving the email notifying him of his job’s status Monday night.

“To receive an email at 9:13 p.m. last night, saying that I don't have a job and that June 30th would be my last day? And in this letter that she provided, she says that she's given us the opportunity to make a decision for us and our family,” Cook said. “How are you giving us an opportunity to make a decision for our family in that short of notice? … That’s not transparency.”

'Panic, chaos'

MSCS board members, too, have expressed frustration. They have expressed support for the proposed changes and said many of them could be necessary. They have also said they stand by Feagins and have commended her for being willing to take action. But they have strongly criticized her for the lack of communication they have received and the way she has implemented the plan.

“The communication caused panic, chaos,” said board member Amber Huett-Garcia during the special called meeting on June 11. “And when you mess with someone's livelihood, that is traumatic. And I got nothing short of alarm with a district-wide email. So that was not done well.”

Added board member Kevin Woods, at the same meeting: “We can make tough decisions and stand up for them. But it's OK to inform them early and inform them often. We can do that… You cannot build a great culture if people don't hear from you directly and clearly.”

Feagins has acknowledged that the proposed shifts have caused anger and pain. Initially, she had planned for everyone whose positions were being cut to get other job offers within the district. As of June 14, the district had made 423 offers and received 171 acceptances.

But some employees who had been with the district for years and moved into high-paying central office roles were offered classroom-based posts that came with pay cuts that exceeded $20,000. This didn’t sit well with them, and Feagins apologized during a budget community engagement meeting on June 14 ― while noting that going forward, employees would be given the chance to apply for vacant jobs, rather than be offered a specific one.

“It was never my intention to insult anyone… It was certainly never the intention to communicate to you… that you are not important,” she said at the time. “While I am a teacher first, foremost, and forever, and I do not view going into the classroom as a demotion, I do understand how that can feel as an employee to take a $25,000 pay cut in the middle of the year.”

Why eliminate positions?

Feagins has maintained that the job cuts are necessary.

In the 2022-23 academic year, 78% of the district’s students weren’t scoring proficiently on the English Language Arts section of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program tests. Another 83% weren’t scoring proficiently on the math section. The dropout rate was nearly 15%, the truancy rate was 41%. There are 1,069 school-based vacancies that need to be filled.

Classrooms, Feagins has asserted, desperately need more resources, and the district budget isn’t unlimited. It must find more money and people to push into the schools somewhere.

Though Feagins has upset central office staffers with the shifts, she has received praise from many teachers. During the special called meeting on Tuesday, members of the United Education Association of Shelby County expressed their support and excitement about having more resources and employees in the schools.

“If we’re going to save this city… we must save our children,” said Liz Marable, an MSCS teacher and incoming president of the UEA, during the public comment period of the June 11 meeting. “I’m here to thank you for taking on this task… It is commonly said that you cannot fix a problem until you admit there is one. I appreciate you, Dr. Feagins, and the Board of Education for stating publicly where we are — and how we need to move to where we want to be.”

Still, impacted staffers, like Cook, remain frustrated.

“I understand change. By all means, did we need budget cuts? Absolutely,” he said. “I’m not against sending the correct support to the schools. But my thing is, let’s be ethical and operate in a way of integrity. And we have not done that. The superintendent has not done that.”

John Klyce covers education and children's issues for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at John.klyce@commercialappeal.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: More Memphis-Shelby County Schools staffers receive notice of layoffs