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Schools' Joint Plan Approved -- $280 Million Covers Southeast High School, City System Repairs

Posted on: Wednesday, 27 July 2005, 12:01 CDT

After weeks of delays, and some heated debate Monday, the Shelby County Commission gave the last approval needed for a multiyear capital funding plan for city and county schools.

The plan, which outlines spending $280 million for a new southeast area high school and other construction and repairs over the next four years, was approved by a 10-2 vote.

The agreement, drawn up in private talks between Memphis and Shelby County school leaders and county Mayor A C Wharton, had been approved by both school boards.

It calls for $100 million to be split by the systems in the first year and $60 million each year for three more years.

"I think this is a major, major turning point in Memphis and Shelby County," county school Supt. Bobby Webb said after the vote. "It shows a degree of work between the two boards that's never been seen. We literally have been working together for hours and hours."

The commission, which delayed the plan for weeks as numerous concerns were aired, spent nearly two hours discussing it Monday before the vote was taken.

Commissioner Julian Bolton, who along with Walter Bailey voted against the proposal, led an intense line of questioning.

Bolton suggested the new high school was a "device" to take a growing number of African-American students out of Germantown and Houston high schools.

"You're not creating a black school, are you?" Bolton said during a heated exchange.

Webb responded that race "never did, never will" have anything to do with the school.

"We need to build a school because that's where the concentration of children are," he said.

Webb said, yes, the new school will have many African-American students, but it will be a reflection of the neighborhoods served.

"These issues," Bolton said, "have to be confronted or nothing will change."

Bolton also said the county, already $1.7 billion in debt, could not afford to borrow more money to finance the school construction and repairs.

And he said the city school system was giving away too much because part of the plan avoids a controversial formula that gives city schools $3 for every $1 to county schools.

But others pushed the commission to finally approve the deal brokered by school leaders.

"Don't undo what we've all worked so hard to accomplish," pleaded city school board member Deni Hirsh.

The plan, Hirsh said, would provide the city school system with tens of millions of dollars to make much-needed repairs to aging facilities.

Commissioner David Lillard described the plan as a good use of scarce resources.

His colleague, George Flinn, said given the need for the high school, and especially the united front shown by school leaders, approval was the right thing to do.

"I was just impressed with the unity they had," he said later.

- Michael Erskine: 529-5857

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Dividing the money

Here's how the Memphis city and Shelby County school districts will share $280 million for school construction, repairs and renovations over the next four years:

2006-07: The school systems split $100 million 50-50. City schools use the money for renovations and repairs. The county schools use $49 million to build a southeast high school and $1 million to repair the roof of Chimneyrock Elementary.

2007-09: The school systems decide how to split $60 million they'll get each year for three years, with the total of $180 million divided according to the average daily attendance formula of $3 to city schools for every $1 spent on a county student.

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New high school

The Shelby County Commission approved a joint school-funding plan that clears the way for a new high school to be built in the southeast area of the county. The school board is eyeing property near Hacks Cross and Shelby Drive. The school is necessary to ease crowding at Germantown, Houston and Collierville high schools.

Source: Commercial Appeal, The

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