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Good morning! It’s Melissa with Chalkbeat Tennessee, here with your Wednesday roundup.

A Memphis schools custodial company identified as the biggest source of potential financial waste or abuse by a state-issued forensic audit will continue to serve more than half of the district’s schools next year. The school board Tuesday night agreed to pay the company nearly $17 million for a new 2027 contract.

More on the new contract and the details surrounding the 2022 contract controversy below.

Local education coverage is disappearing. Chalkbeat helps families and educators understand what’s changing. We can’t do it without you.

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Memphis school board rehires custodial company scrutinized in state forensic audit

A state-ordered audit found ServiceMaster Clean’s 2022 contract as evidence of potential spending abuse.

Around Chalkbeat

Election 2026: The education issues we’re watching

Vouchers. Transgender rights. School closures. The 2026 election is mostly about affordability, but education is definitely on the ballot.

Whitmer, four other Democratic governors ask for clarity on the federal tax credit program

States have until Jan. 1 to opt in to be eligible to receive funding from the federal tax credit program when it begins in 2027. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is among those asking questions.