House Education Committee advances state intervention bill for Memphis-Shelby County Schools

House committee room (Photo by Sky Arnold)

A plan for state intervention of Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) is moving forward in the House.

The legislation brought by Education Chairman Mark White, R-Memphis, would allow the commissioner of the State Department of Education to recommend the governor, speaker of the house, and lieutenant governor jointly create a board of managers for MSCS. The district’s superintendent and school board would be relegated to serve in advisory roles and would not be able to meet, make key decisions, or alter the makeup of the existing school board without approval from the new state-appointed managers. That board would serve a minimum of four years, but up to six years.

Speaking to House Education Committee members Wednesday evening, White said only 17 percent of MSCS students demonstrate proficiency in math, and just 23 percent meet reading proficiency standards. He also noted that half of students in the district come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and 40 percent come from homes where one or both parents do not have a high school diploma. He says those statistics are a result of the long-term systemic problems within the school district.

State Representative Mark White (Photo by the Tennessee General Assembly)

“So, my question is, why have so many dropped out? It continues to affect our community, it has affected our community with youth crime,” said White. “This is an issue that has gotten progressively worse over the past 30 years. So, it’s my belief that the only way we can move out of this is that we have a strong intervention program for a limited number of years.”

Knoxville Democratic Representative Sam McKenzie said he recognizes there are problems within MSCS. He is in favor of efforts to reform the school board and a comprehensive forensic audit being conducted by the state of the district’s finances. However, he expressed concern about stripping the locally elected board of authority, saying he thinks lawmakers should wait for the audit results before taking such drastic action.

“I’ll be clear, does Memphis-Shelby County Schools have problems? Yes,” said McKenzie. “But our school board is an elected body and it’s elected by the constituents and we’re overriding that, you’re gutting that process. That’s my concern.”

White said urgency is key. He pointed again to the district’s history of repeatedly failing to meet expectations or show improvement.

“I just don’t think we can continue to wait more years. I’m just tired of wasting our young people’s lives,” he said.

Representative Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, has been on the House Education Committee for the past seven years. He told other members he’s watched MSCS schools fail to meet performance standards repeatedly and has met with teachers and administrators in the district, who say it’s time for a change.

“I’ve come down to Memphis multiple times to meet with teachers, to meet with principals, that were scared to meet at their school because of retribution from central office,” Cepicky told committee members. “I’ve met with parents, mothers, who were crying and pleading to us to intervene to save their children. I just believe after seven years of sitting here, we have to say enough is enough and we have to provide the help.”

Representative Ronnie Glynn, D-Clarksville, told White he understands his concerns about MSCS, but wanted to know at what point the state oversight process would be considered a success and the district would be returned to local control.

White told members that after four years, the Commissioner of Education would evaluate the district’s progress and decide whether to extend the board of managers’ authority for another two years. White didn’t give specifics but said local efforts to improve the school board and an increase local engagement would be factors.

“We’ll know at that particular time that we’re on track. You know we’re kind of getting the school board lined up, where we have more people showing up. I think we’ll know at that particular time,” said White.

Memphis residents spoke to committee members about the bill, with opposed and one in favor.

“We know that this bill does not speak to the outcry from our city for better. House Bill 662 is nothing more than an opportunity to take advantage of our city’s discourse,” said Rachael Spriggs.

“The system has not worked in years at this point, it’s not just today, tomorrow. We’ve watched our children’s education continuously go down and down,” said Marcus Randolph. “When do we pull the parachute? It’s time for a change in Memphis.”

The bill passed in a 15-4 vote along party lines and now moves on to the House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee.

It differs from the Senate version of the bill, which passed the Senate Education Committee last week. That version allows the state’s education commissioner to recommend the removal of the district’s director of schools and some or all school board members. It also states that if the district has employed three or more directors within the last three years, the mayor could recommend the county commission hire a new director of schools who would serve for a minimum of four years.

MSCS fired its last schools director in January after less than a year on the job.