When Marie Feagins was asked how many hours of sleep she’s getting, she laughed, and said, “I get a few here, and a few there.” “But I wake up excited,” she added. “There's so much that needs to be done.
It's about just balancing the timing of getting it done with the urgency of needing to get it done. One hundred and fifteen thousand kids can't wait on me. They don't care if I'm getting sleep or not.
” Her response is in line with what she has said previously. Since becoming the , Feagins has repeatedly laid out the challenges the district is facing ― like and ― and expressed the need for bold action. Trumpeting the mantra “next is now,” she has made more major decisions in three-and-a-half months than some superintendents make in a year.
Feagins has injected $28.4 million into teacher pay, . She has into the district’s $1.
8 billion budget and pledged that all students will read and write every day. She ― nearly half of which were vacant ― to redirect more resources and personnel to classrooms. She has frequently met with other local leaders and pushed them to support MSCS.
Expressing the need for the district to effectively tell its own story, she has used her skills as a public speaker at community events and . She has elevated the profile of the district, and in doing so, elevated the profile of the superintendency itself. Nearly 700 people attended a celebration of her first 100 days at the Hilton Memphis, including Memphis Mayor Paul Young; an.