Who controls Memphis-Shelby County Schools has changed twice in just a few days. On Monday, October 19, 2026, a local judge paused the state takeover of the district again. The judge was Shelby County Chancery Court Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins. Chalkbeat and Action News 5 both reported the pause. Action News 5 reported that Jenkins ordered it after several recent court filings.
The ruling hands full control back to the local school board. Chalkbeat reported that this came only days after a federal judge brought back the state-appointed oversight board's authority. Action News 5 reported that the board had been cleared to work last Thursday. So control has swung back and forth in less than a week. Chalkbeat said the ruling throws the district back into uncertainty.
The timing on Monday was tight. Oversight board Chair Billy Orgel told Chalkbeat that the meeting was canceled around 12:50 p.m. Central. That was about 10 minutes before it was set to start online at 1 p.m. It would have been the nine-member board's second meeting this month.
Much of the public account came from Orgel. As of Monday afternoon, the written court order was not yet posted on the Shelby County Chancery Court website, Chalkbeat reported. Orgel told Action News 5 that the board had not received the written order. He said the board postponed its meeting anyway.
The legal fight is also changing shape. MSCS and Shelby County leaders filed a separate lawsuit against the takeover law in chancery court on October 7, Chalkbeat reported. Then district leaders filed a request for a temporary block on Sunday, October 18. In it, they changed their complaint. They dropped the claim that the takeover law breaks the Tennessee Constitution. Chalkbeat reported that this claim is a key part of their separate federal case, which is still going on. In the chancery court case, the plaintiffs now argue two things. First, that the takeover was ordered without proof the district qualified for it. Second, that the takeover will badly harm how the district runs.
Earlier this month, the oversight board met for the first time in months. It fast-tracked key policies to show it was ready to work, Chalkbeat reported. That included a draft process for approving contracts over $50,000. It also included job descriptions and board rules. Chalkbeat said those drafts came from MGT, a Florida-based consulting group. MGT had also advised the state takeover of Houston schools in 2023. Local philanthropists hired the firm, including Seeding Success, a longtime takeover supporter.
A work session was scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, Action News 5 reported. Orgel hopes the pause is short. "Hopefully this will be resolved soon so all of us can get together and improve our school system," he said in a statement to Chalkbeat. He told Action News 5, "We just want to get to work and help raise the outcomes for all of the students in MCSC and help create a community that is growing and thriving."