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Community backlash is mounting ahead of a pivotal decision this month on the fate of Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Marie Feagins.

The Shelby County Commission is set Wednesday to discuss whether to vote Jan. 13 for a resolution of 鈥渘o confidence鈥� in the school board after several members , who began in the role April 1 after a prolonged search.

A second resolution on the commission鈥檚 agenda would place a 90-day hold on the county鈥檚 recent $33 million allocation toward building a long-anticipated high school in the city鈥檚 Frayser community.

A parent advocacy group, meanwhile, , while a prominent Memphis lawmaker says he is pursuing his own meeting with the board to 鈥渞eset the conversation.鈥�

The activity comes ahead of a Jan. 15 school board work session in which the board will revisit the case against Feagins, which Chair Joyce Dorse-Coleman laid out in a resolution to terminate Feagins鈥� contract.

Feagins has forcefully denied any wrongdoing, and was expected to submit written responses to the board on Monday. Any vote to oust Feagins would need to happen at a board business meeting. The next one is set for Jan. 21.

At its December meeting, the board on Feagins to this month. Dorse-Coleman cast the deciding vote, saying she wanted to 鈥渒eep it fair鈥� and allow more time to review the facts.

The resolution contends that Feagins has been dishonest and difficult to communicate with, and that she mishandled or misrepresented district finances on three occasions.

Conflict draws in state officials

The drama in Memphis-Shelby County Schools has gotten the attention of state officials, too.

Rep. Mark White, longtime chairman of a House education committee in the state legislature, is seeking to meet this week with the entire school board and several other state lawmakers from Memphis.

鈥淲e need to dial down the temperature,鈥� said the Memphis Republican. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of people in our community who are very upset by this situation.鈥�

White said poor working relationships between Feagins and certain board members are distracting all of them from more important academic challenges facing Tennessee鈥檚 largest school system, such as low reading scores, chronic absenteeism, a high dropout rate, and a critical need for stronger workforce development in the Mid-South.

He said he鈥檚 not ready to introduce legislation that he drafted last year to give Gov. Bill Lee鈥檚 administration the to the nine-member Memphis board. However, that avenue remains an option, White said.

鈥淚t took 18 months to find this superintendent, and now some board members want to let her go while she鈥檚 still trying to learn the ropes and drinking from a fire hose,鈥� White said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 disrupt an entire community and call a meeting to dismiss your superintendent without a clear definition of the grievances.鈥�

Feagins has hired Memphis lawyer Alan Crone to represent her in the dispute, while the board has retained Robert Spence, another local attorney.

Nearly a year ago, the board away from a leadership position at the Detroit Public Schools Community District, making her the first outside leader to direct Tennessee鈥檚 largest school system since it was created through a merger a decade ago.

According to her contract, she must be paid a severance of $487,500 if the board terminates her contract without cause. However, Dorse-Coleman has said the claims by her and several other board members justify a termination, meaning that Feagins would not receive a severance package.

Funding for new Frayser high school at risk

The 鈥渘o confidence鈥� resolution before the county body that oversees local funding for public schools is co-sponsored by Commissioners Amber Mills and Erika Sugarman. Mills is the sole sponsor so far of the second resolution, to withhold millions of dollars approved on Dec. 16 toward the $112 million cost of building a new high school.

鈥淔iring a superintendent, no matter who they are, at the beginning of a critical project leaves the County Commissioners with no confidence 鈥� regarding the new construction of the Frayser High School and other actions,鈥�

Mills said the resolutions are her attempt to make the school board think deeply before moving ahead with an ouster attempt that she said has 鈥渂lindsided our whole community.鈥� Freezing funding for a new Frayser school, she added, would be 鈥渏ust a pause鈥� as the commission seeks 鈥渃lear direction and accountability from school district leaders.鈥�

鈥淎 lot of people love Dr. Feagins and are happy that she鈥檚 making changes,鈥� Mills said.

School board member Stephanie Love, who voted against postponing the termination vote, said Monday she鈥檚 disappointed that the county commission has gotten involved. She said Mills, whose district overlaps Love鈥檚, has not contacted her to discuss the matter.

鈥淚t鈥檚 unfortunate that another elected body would consider holding off on building a new school in my district,鈥� she told Chalkbeat. 鈥淜ids are the most important thing to me.鈥�

Love added: 鈥淚 will vote my conscience (on Feagins鈥� future). We are not going to make everybody happy. The public is unaware of the things we have to deal with behind closed doors.鈥�

Dorse-Coleman, the board chair, did not respond Monday to Chalkbeat鈥檚 questions about community backlash. But in a Dec. 26 statement, she said she and other board members have tried sharing their concerns with Feagins privately without success.

鈥淪he has a pattern and practice of not providing critical information and instead misinforming the Board Members,鈥� Dorse-Coleman said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think this is something we can overcome.鈥�

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at .

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