Memphis schools hit hard by last month’s winter weather

The winter storms that left many Tennesseans without power over the holidays also created problems for Memphis-Shelby County Schools.The district says roughly one in four schools had some type of impact from the storm including power outages, HVAC unit repair needs, and ruptured fieldhouse sprinklers.MSCS crews worked throughout the holiday break, including Christmas Eve, New Year’s Day, and nearly every day in between to ensure each school building was safe for students and employees to return to this week.“Our facilities and grounds teams have done a Herculean job in response to Winter Storm Elliott, which produced record-breaking low temperatures and left thousands without power nationwide,” said Superintendent Toni Williams. “I thank our crews for the countless hours they spent over the holidays taking care of our buildings so that principals and teachers can keep their focus on taking care of our students.”MSCS says the top priority over the break was its highly utilized areas such as classrooms, cafeterias, and restrooms. In the coming days, crews will continue to make repairs to additional spaces such as music rooms and gyms. Cosmetic repairs are still ongoing.Julius Muse, the district’s Chief of Business Operations, supervised school repairs and identified areas of concern with principals.One challenge MSCS ran into across the district is taking extra time to repair and maintain their aging buildings. Thirty-three of the district’s schools are over 50 years old, requiring more expertise and attention than more modern infrastructures.“With such a significant undertaking, it was essential that we worked in partnership not only with our school leaders but also with Memphis, Light, Gas, and Water, and our Shelby County Office of Code Enforcement,” said Muse. “Because of this team approach, we were able to ensure that students had safe spaces to return to today.”The district is currently in the process of creating a ten-year infrastructure improvement plan to keep its schools safe for all students and employees.The estimated cost of repairs for MSCS is not yet fully known, however the nationwide damage is estimated at $5.4 billion.MSCS encourages families and teachers to share areas of need by contacting their school principal, calling the District helpline at (901) 416-5300, or email myinput@scsk12.org.