MSCS board member Frank Johnson withdraws from upcoming Aug. 1 election

Initially, Memphis-Shelby County Board of Education commissioner Frank Johnson wanted to retain his District Seven seat in the Aug. 1 election. But Thursday night, he announced he was withdrawing from the race.

“My service on the Memphis and Shelby County School Board has been part of a long and continuing journey of advocacy for the people of Memphis and Shelby County,” he said in a Facebook post. “While my commitment to serve on behalf of the citizens of this great city is unchanged; after much consideration, I have decided to discontinue my bid for re-election to the District 7 School Board seat.”

Johnson had suffered a stroke in September and spent months recovering. In his announcement, he noted both this and the recent death of his sister as reasons for withdrawing from the race. She passed away last week.

“Going through such a difficult health journey has taught me to listen to my body,” he said. “Losing my sister has taught me to listen to my heart. With your support, I am taking these steps to heal both so that I may return to serve the people of Memphis with all the vigor, passion, and strength you deserve.”

Johnson, an environmental activist and former educator, was appointed to the District Seven seat in fall 2022. After his stroke, he spent months going back and forth on whether he would try to retain his seat in the upcoming election, which he spoke to The Commercial Appeal about in the spring. He eventually decided to run, only to change his mind two weeks before election day.

With Johnson stepping aside, there are now four candidates left seeking the district four seat: Chavez G. Donelson, a barber; Danielle Huggins, a fourth-grade English Language Arts teacher; Towanna Murphy, a radio show host; and Jason Sharif, executive director of RESPECT The Haven Community Development Corporation.

Johnson is the second board commissioner to decide not to run for another term. Kevin Woods, who represents District Four, is also stepping aside. Althea Greene, who represents District Two; Stephanie Love, who represents District Three; and Mauricio Calvo, who represents District Five; are running for re-election. The other three board commissioners ― Michelle McKissack, Amber Huett-Garcia, and Joyce Dorse Coleman ― are not up for re-election in August, as their terms won't expire until 2026.

John Klyce covers education and children's issues for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at John.klyce@commercialappeal.com.