After listening to the arguments made Monday about the possibility Memphis City Schools board members voting to allow Memphis taxpayers to choose whether to consolidate with the county by surrendering the charter, I've got questions.
The biggest questions of course involves funding. Are MCS board members correct that city taxes would skyrocket if the the county is allowed to permanently freeze district boundaries with special school district status? If that's true, why would city voters NOT want the opportunity to vote on a strategy -- charter surrender -- that would pre-empt and possibly nullify the Shelby County Schools board's desire to become an SSD? If MCS's charter is surrendered, would city taxpayers still be liable for the $57 million or so per year courts have ruled is now obligatory for children attending MCS schools?
I have questions for those who declare that For Sale signs would sprout in those bucolic and prized suburban neighborhoods if the city surrenders the charter. Really? Say you live in a big house a great east Germantown neighborhood, and your child walks or rides the bus to Dogwood Elementary. Say you love the school, teachers, etc. Are you really going to uproot, sell your house at perhaps a loss of tens of thousands of dollars and move .... where? Fayette County? Tipton? Shelby County schools are empirically, according to the data, far superior to those systems, and finding mature, established suburban neighborhoods in those counties is much more difficult. As for DeSoto County, again, the data shows Shelby County Schools are much stronger and need we remind you there is something called an income tax in Mississippi?
Furthermore, it is no longer 1973 and nobody seriously believes that forced busing could return -- the courts are much more conservative now and even the least-radical student-transfer plans are no longer approved (see Louisville and Seattle) much less mandated. And a serious problem in 1973 and even in the 80s was, to be brutal about it, racism. Many, many white parents (and many more white grandparents) just were not comfortable with sending their white children to schools that included any significant presence of black children. Right or wrong, good or bad, that was just the reality here. Having grown up in Frayser at a private Baptist school, I know that as well as anyone. In 2011, there are many more white parents who embrace the idea of diversity for their children than those frightened by it. It is also no longer 1973 or 1983 from this standpoint -- the price for long commutes is going up and up and there aren't many more places for middle-class residents to "flee" toward.
Certainly, it is true there is fear and very legitimate concern from the suburbs. As MCS superintendent Kriner Cash told me last week, "I appreciate what they feel. They feel they have a good school system and want to keep it that way. They fear the perception. But nothing is ever really as bad as it seems and nothing is ever really as good as it seems."
Another point raised that doesn't add up to me is the one from Rev. Kenneth T. Whalum Jr. that if you you don't trust David Pickler and SCS enough to negotiate with them, why would you then trust "them" with "our" children. My question: If consolidation is forced by MCS charter surrender, would there not be a new county school board? Would not for city residents the "them" Shelby County Schools board eventually become become "us," meaning a Shelby County Schools board with majority representation from city residents? And would David Pickler not be in serious trouble if new elections are held? He barely defeated a political novice this summer (despite a huge money advantage) and if he's seen as the "father" of consolidation because of overreach on special school district, Pickler may become unelectable.
One MCS board member I've talked to is making the point that ultimately this question is so significant that Memphis voters ought to at least be given the opportunity to have the final sayso. Whether that board member would campaign for or against consolidation-via-charter-surrender is another question. The board member just believes it's absolutely the kind of issue that deserves a referendum. At some point, the city and its taxpayers chose to break off from the rest of the county and the board member believes the city voters should be given the choice of reunification. Now, whether the Shelby County Schools could prevent it through some state legislation is a whole other matter.
Finally, the point is also made that Memphis voters barely voted for consolidation of governments on Nov. 2 so maybe voting for consolidation of the schools isn't such a no-brainer. My question: Weren't many of those inside the city who were the most opposed to the Metro Charter irked because it did NOT include consolidation of the schools? Many people said flat-out they were voting against the Metro Charter on Nov. 2 precisely because it left out school consolidation. If those folks join with Memphians who voted for government consolidation, it's easy to see a path toward consolidation via charter surrender winning decisively if the election is held in March.
We may or may not find out. The MCS Board will likely vote Monday on whether to allow voters to ratify school consolidation via charter surrender. It takes five votes. Tomeka Hart, Martavius Jones and Sharon Webb want to give the voters a say. One other board member I've talked to indicates support. Can they find one more vote? If so, the election would likely be held in March.
The biggest questions of course involves funding. Are MCS board members correct that city taxes would skyrocket if the the county is allowed to permanently freeze district boundaries with special school district status? If that's true, why would city voters NOT want the opportunity to vote on a strategy -- charter surrender -- that would pre-empt and possibly nullify the Shelby County Schools board's desire to become an SSD? If MCS's charter is surrendered, would city taxpayers still be liable for the $57 million or so per year courts have ruled is now obligatory for children attending MCS schools?
I have questions for those who declare that For Sale signs would sprout in those bucolic and prized suburban neighborhoods if the city surrenders the charter. Really? Say you live in a big house a great east Germantown neighborhood, and your child walks or rides the bus to Dogwood Elementary. Say you love the school, teachers, etc. Are you really going to uproot, sell your house at perhaps a loss of tens of thousands of dollars and move .... where? Fayette County? Tipton? Shelby County schools are empirically, according to the data, far superior to those systems, and finding mature, established suburban neighborhoods in those counties is much more difficult. As for DeSoto County, again, the data shows Shelby County Schools are much stronger and need we remind you there is something called an income tax in Mississippi?
Furthermore, it is no longer 1973 and nobody seriously believes that forced busing could return -- the courts are much more conservative now and even the least-radical student-transfer plans are no longer approved (see Louisville and Seattle) much less mandated. And a serious problem in 1973 and even in the 80s was, to be brutal about it, racism. Many, many white parents (and many more white grandparents) just were not comfortable with sending their white children to schools that included any significant presence of black children. Right or wrong, good or bad, that was just the reality here. Having grown up in Frayser at a private Baptist school, I know that as well as anyone. In 2011, there are many more white parents who embrace the idea of diversity for their children than those frightened by it. It is also no longer 1973 or 1983 from this standpoint -- the price for long commutes is going up and up and there aren't many more places for middle-class residents to "flee" toward.
Certainly, it is true there is fear and very legitimate concern from the suburbs. As MCS superintendent Kriner Cash told me last week, "I appreciate what they feel. They feel they have a good school system and want to keep it that way. They fear the perception. But nothing is ever really as bad as it seems and nothing is ever really as good as it seems."
Another point raised that doesn't add up to me is the one from Rev. Kenneth T. Whalum Jr. that if you you don't trust David Pickler and SCS enough to negotiate with them, why would you then trust "them" with "our" children. My question: If consolidation is forced by MCS charter surrender, would there not be a new county school board? Would not for city residents the "them" Shelby County Schools board eventually become become "us," meaning a Shelby County Schools board with majority representation from city residents? And would David Pickler not be in serious trouble if new elections are held? He barely defeated a political novice this summer (despite a huge money advantage) and if he's seen as the "father" of consolidation because of overreach on special school district, Pickler may become unelectable.
One MCS board member I've talked to is making the point that ultimately this question is so significant that Memphis voters ought to at least be given the opportunity to have the final sayso. Whether that board member would campaign for or against consolidation-via-charter-surrender is another question. The board member just believes it's absolutely the kind of issue that deserves a referendum. At some point, the city and its taxpayers chose to break off from the rest of the county and the board member believes the city voters should be given the choice of reunification. Now, whether the Shelby County Schools could prevent it through some state legislation is a whole other matter.
Finally, the point is also made that Memphis voters barely voted for consolidation of governments on Nov. 2 so maybe voting for consolidation of the schools isn't such a no-brainer. My question: Weren't many of those inside the city who were the most opposed to the Metro Charter irked because it did NOT include consolidation of the schools? Many people said flat-out they were voting against the Metro Charter on Nov. 2 precisely because it left out school consolidation. If those folks join with Memphians who voted for government consolidation, it's easy to see a path toward consolidation via charter surrender winning decisively if the election is held in March.
We may or may not find out. The MCS Board will likely vote Monday on whether to allow voters to ratify school consolidation via charter surrender. It takes five votes. Tomeka Hart, Martavius Jones and Sharon Webb want to give the voters a say. One other board member I've talked to indicates support. Can they find one more vote? If so, the election would likely be held in March.
Good coverage, Zack. Keep it coming.
Zack,
All of your questions are good ones. I also generally agree with you that folks will not leave en masse like they may have 3 or 4 decades ago. The people who do leave aren't invested in the community as a whole and as such, had one foot out the door anyway.
As for the vote total, I see this coming to the voters in March. Really I don't see any way around it.
There are a lot of questions and the SCS/Pickler should have done their due diligence to quell the fears of MCS. There's already been a study of this, which can be found here. Taxing alternative 2 is the worst case scenario. Alternative 1 is basically the status quo.
The reality of the situation is that no one knows how SCS becoming a special school district will impact MCS. No one, period. SCS/Pickler did this to themselves.
As to the makeup of any resulting board, the Board of Education, like other legislative bodies, was up for reapportionment anyway. TCA ยง 49-2-111 sets forth the way reapportionment happens. Can't start until April, must be done by June, can have up to 9 members set by resolution of County Commission. Of course, must be contiguous districts, etc.
Of course, elections will have to be held anyway should this pass in Memphis, so there ya go.
Good work, gentlemen, this is on track and won't be stopped. And we'll all be better for the merger.
My daughter is involved in a People-to-People international program involving students from Memphis, Mississippi and Arkansas. The program meets at Harding Academy in Cordova.
As we drive around east Shelby County, I am amazed by the number of private, mostly church-affiliated schools.
White flight? It's more than that. The students in these schools are African American, Asian and Hispanic.
What you're seeing is anti-urban flight. It's flight from low test scores and low-achieving, socially challenged peers. While there is certainly a racial undercurrent, the reasons for the public-private split is more than that. The private schools are clean and safe. And they offer programs from science fairs to international travel that you just can't get in public schools.
As parents take their children and their resources to private schools, thy leave fewer resources to public schools. And public schools become only more poor and more dangerous as a result.
In this environment, city and county consolidation makes sense. With decreasing resources, city and county schools can pool what they do have. Administrative costs can be reduced.
It all makes sense.
Jack Zibluk
Professor of journalism
Arkansas State University, Jonesboro