Shelby County’s New Year’s Resolutions
Weekly Policy Update Tara Fredenburg Weekly Policy Update Tara Fredenburg

Shelby County’s New Year’s Resolutions

If you’re anything like us, you’re struggling to stick to your New Year’s resolutions, and it’s hardly been a week. That’s because it’s way easier to carry on the status quo than to make important, difficult changes to your life. Memphis is the same way—our local governments, education systems, nonprofits, and budgets can easily fall into the same playbook year-in and year-out.

Just like our personal resolutions, we won’t achieve our community resolutions without a plan. While we still face low educational outcomes, entrenched poverty, and a myriad of other challenges, a set of shared resolutions and commitments across our efforts can begin to change how we support our children and families in 2026.

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A Very Early Look at the 2026 Elections: Weekly Policy Update
Tara Fredenburg Tara Fredenburg

A Very Early Look at the 2026 Elections: Weekly Policy Update

Following the passage of a bill in the General Assembly which would allow for certain changes to county level elections, Shelby County Commission Chairman Michael Whaley announced this week that he will soon be introducing an ordinance to formally adopt the state’s recommendation.

The bill, which has not yet been signed into law by Governor Bill Lee, would allow the county to align school board elections to be on the same schedule as general county elections. If adopted, this will make several changes to our county elections. We explore those changes in this edition of the Weekly Policy Update.

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