Consider this a disclaimer for anyone who may have noticed that 'Zack McMillin' has joined two partisan Facebook groups. One is "Germantown Municipal Schools" and the other is "Friends United for School Equality (FUSE)." The Facebook labels sometimes make it hard for journalists - joining someone's network means you are their 'Friend' or have joined their 'Group' or 'Like' them - but it is vital we remain privy to the sometimes compelling conversations happening on social media.
In some respects, the two groups could not be more different.
The Germantown residents - more than 1,000 have signed a petition -- want no part of any massive school district, and many of them believe the current all-suburban Shelby County Schools, at about 45,000 students, is too large as it is.
The FUSE members are primarily parents of children in one of Memphis City Schools optional programs. They've gone from worrying about the threats Shelby County Schools board chair David Pickler has made about ending optional programs to believing the only way forward for Memphis students is to force a merger with Shelby County. They cite a host of reasons, many of them to do with taxing and funding, but at heart they believe, as their name suggests, in unifying all students in one system.
One area where they do seem to agree - the state should be doing more to give individual communities autonomy in deciding what is best for their children.
FUSE appears to be hosting an organizational meeting tonight (go to their page for more information). The city of Germantown is hosting a town hall meeting Monday night at the Germantown Performing Arts Center.
Leave a comment