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Good morning! It’s Melissa with Chalkbeat Tennessee.

Developments in the looming state takeover of Memphis schools are moving at lightning speed this week. In the past 48 hours, Republicans have revealed details of the takeover plan, the Memphis board voted to hire a lawyer to challenge the effort, and Gov. Bill Lee signed a new law that would block the district from using public funds to pay for a lawsuit.

And we’re not even halfway through the week.

If you’re catching up on the proposed state takeover, we’ve got a cheat sheet for you here.

Questions? Tips? You can always reply to this email or reach us at [email protected]

Local News

Will Memphis schools sue over the pending state takeover legislation?

Memphis-Shelby County board members voted Tuesday night to hire a lawyer to defend the district against state intervention.

5 key takeaways from the Memphis schools takeover bill

Legislation advanced by Tennessee Republicans would create an oversight board to control key MSCS budget and staffing decisions for at least the next four years.

Tennessee Republicans push for significant last-minute ESA voucher expansion

If a majority approves the new language, it will mark the second time in two weeks that Republicans have bypassed the committee process to make significant last-minute changes to Tennessee’s voucher programs.

Memphis schools takeover push could target other Tennessee districts

Tennessee Republicans are moving forward with state takeover legislation that will seize major controls of the Memphis district from the elected school board.