Conversation about funding Memphis City and Shelby County Schools

Shelby County Commission Mike Carpenter launched a website encouraging citizen feedback on six questions facing Memphis City and Shelby County Schools:

1. Which governmental entity or entities SHOULD have responsibility for funding schools? Why?


2. What funding streams (i.e. taxes, fees, etc.) are most appropriate for funding our schools? Why?


3. How do you define equitable funding of schools and how do we achieve it?


4. What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of a Joint Board of Control? If there were a JBC, to what functions should it be limited, if any?


5. What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of establishing special school districts? If new special school districts were established for MCS and SCS, should they have taxing authority? Why or why not?


6. What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of the City of Memphis taking over Memphis City Schools and appointing the school board and superintendent? Under this scenario, who should be responsible for funding Memphis City Schools.

I, for one, look forward to reading the responses posted by our community and hope you will participate. Thanks to Commissioner Carpenter for promoting this conversation.

Update on Memphis City School Funding

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.

School funding now a poker game

The funding of Memphis City Schools is becoming a poker game with 4 players:

1. Memphis City Schools Board of Education

2. Memphis City Council

3. Tennessee Department of Education

4. Shelby County Commission

The Memphis City Schools recently reduced its contribution to the MCS budget by $73 million. Now the Tennessee Department of Education is threatening to withhold $423 million from the district if the MCC does not restore funding. The city and state actions are based on different legal interpretations of state law. The city says that only county governments are obligated to fund school systems. The state says that once a local government funds a school system, that level of funding must be maintained.

Who will have to ante up? Who's holding the best cards? Who's going to call a bluff? I think a court judge will have a decide.

The new Superintendent of Memphis City Schools and many others in the school system may not have a job if this isn't settled by July 1. I have to think that the jobs of the majority of educators are safe. It's the MCS administration whose jobs are on the line. If the City of Memphis totally defunds the school system, the Shelby County School Board and Administration would likely take over.