Facebook Twitter

Another top candidate for Memphis superintendent withdraws

A logo bears the words “Memphis Shelby County Schools”

Keith Miles Jr., a New Jersey educator, has withdrawn as a top contender in the Memphis superintendent search.

Ariel Cobbert for Chalkbeat

Another top contender for the Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendent job has withdrawn.

Keith Miles Jr., the current superintendent of Bridgeton Public Schools in New Jersey, is expected to become the superintendent of the School District of Lancaster in Pennsylvania. The firm leading the MSCS search informed board members Wednesday morning that Miles had taken his name out of the running in Memphis, according to an email obtained by Chalkbeat.

Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, the search firm, introduced Miles as one of two suggested additions to the Memphis superintendent finalist list on Tuesday. 

Miles’ withdrawal again leaves the Memphis school board with three top candidates for a search process that has been in turmoil since an initial batch of finalists was announced at a Saturday board meeting that exposed deep disagreements about the process. 

One of the initial finalists, Brenda Cassellius, a recent Boston superintendent with Memphis ties, withdrew after that meeting.

Board members continued to question the search process and results in a Tuesday evening work session, where they resolved to vote about how to proceed next week.

One next step could be to add Angela Whitelaw, the district’s top academic official, to the finalist slate, as suggested by Hazard Young on Tuesday. She would join remaining finalists Carlton Jenkins, of Wisconsin’s Madison Metropolitan School District; and Toni Williams, the current interim superintendent of MSCS.

The board is poised to determine whether Williams, whose experience is mainly in finance rather than academics, is sufficiently qualified for the permanent role.

Memphis school board texts

Sign up for monthly text updates on the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board


Chalkbeat wants to make it easier for busy Memphians to stay informed of important school board happenings every month. To sign up to receive monthly text message updates on MSCS board meetings, text SCHOOL to 901-599-2745 or type your phone number into the box below.

Laura Testino covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Laura at LTestino@chalkbeat.org.

The Latest
Crystal Johnson, an AP English teacher affectionately known as Miss CJ, was recently named a 2023 Educator of Excellence.
Johnson’s stroke, the second for a school board member in as many years, underscores the pressure of public service roles, said his pastor.
Would they support city funding for Memphis-Shelby County Schools? How would they alleviate barriers to education? What is a quality school? Chalkbeat asked the candidates 8 questions.
My experiences led me to fight for change for Tennessee teachers.
Building’s age has made cleanup more difficult, district officials said.
Chalkbeat Tennessee will keep you updated via text messages on important Memphis-Shelby County Schools board decisions every month.