The City Council and Memphis City School Board continued talks yesterday about funding options for the school system:
"We implore everyone to be patient," Councilman Harold Collins said. "We will work this thing out and have a positive resolution in the near future."
But school officials say they may file a lawsuit against the city this week if the council does not reinstate $66.2 million in property tax revenue cut from the school budget two weeks ago. . .
They want the money by Oct. 1. That's the deadline presented by the Tennessee Department of Education, which is warning that it will withhold $423 million from the city schools if the city doesn't pay up. . . .
City schools general counsel Dorsey Hopson said he and City Council attorney Allan Wade met briefly Tuesday to discuss options, but nothing specific came from that meeting.
"We agreed we would come up with a scenario that is a win-win," he said. "Everyone wants us to get that state money."
Wade, who has told council members he doesn't believe the city is required to fund schools, took aim at the state's plan to withhold funding.
"If the state decided they wanted to withhold funding completely from the children of this district, they will be creating an atmosphere where 'Suzy Student' wouldn't be able to go to school in the fall," he said. "That is totally unconstitutional and I think they have not thought through where they are going."
There's more from the Commerical Appeal after the jump.
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