1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,231 (female announcer) This is a production of WKNO-Memphis. 2 00:00:03,231 --> 00:00:06,764 Production funding for "Behind the Headlines" is made possible 3 00:00:06,764 --> 00:00:12,764 in part by.. 4 00:00:16,031 --> 00:00:18,998 Three Shelby County School board members talk about attendence 5 00:00:18,998 --> 00:00:21,998 zones, the demerger and the budget tonight on 6 00:00:21,998 --> 00:00:22,998 "Behind the Headlines." 7 00:00:22,998 --> 00:00:40,031 [theme music] ♪♪♪ 8 00:00:40,031 --> 00:00:40,698 Welcome! 9 00:00:40,698 --> 00:00:43,431 I'm Bill Dries, senior reporter for the Memphis Daily News in 10 00:00:43,431 --> 00:00:45,864 for Eric Barnes, who is on assignment. 11 00:00:45,864 --> 00:00:50,098 Joining me are Shelby County Schools Board Chairman Kevin 12 00:00:50,098 --> 00:00:51,098 Woods. 13 00:00:51,098 --> 00:00:53,631 School Board Commissioner Teresa Jones. 14 00:00:53,631 --> 00:00:54,631 Hi. 15 00:00:54,631 --> 00:00:58,298 And School Board Commissioner David Reaves. 16 00:00:58,298 --> 00:00:59,364 Welcome. 17 00:00:59,364 --> 00:01:01,664 We have a lot to talk about this evening. 18 00:01:01,664 --> 00:01:04,531 There's a lot going on with Shelby County Schools. 19 00:01:04,531 --> 00:01:08,331 And let's start with what the school board and the school 20 00:01:08,331 --> 00:01:10,331 system are holding hearings about, 21 00:01:10,331 --> 00:01:14,298 and that is the attendance zones for the school year that begins 22 00:01:14,298 --> 00:01:15,764 in August. 23 00:01:15,764 --> 00:01:21,364 Let's give people an idea right off the top of just one of the 24 00:01:21,364 --> 00:01:22,364 scaenrios. 25 00:01:22,364 --> 00:01:28,231 There are about 24 zone changes by my count that affect 7,000 26 00:01:28,231 --> 00:01:32,231 children, many of them but not all of them who live in 27 00:01:32,231 --> 00:01:35,264 unincorporated areas of Shelby county that are not within the 28 00:01:35,264 --> 00:01:38,631 boundaries of any of the seven cities or towns within the 29 00:01:38,631 --> 00:01:39,831 county. 30 00:01:39,831 --> 00:01:43,298 Let's take a look at one of the scenarios. 31 00:01:43,298 --> 00:01:45,298 Because of the suburban school districts, 32 00:01:45,298 --> 00:01:49,098 some students not living in the suburban towns and cities or the 33 00:01:49,098 --> 00:01:52,798 city of Memphis will be assigned to new schools. 34 00:01:52,798 --> 00:01:56,531 Some will travel a long distance to their new school assignments. 35 00:01:56,531 --> 00:01:58,564 Take Bartlett Elementary School. 36 00:01:58,564 --> 00:02:01,498 Next school year starting in August, 37 00:02:01,498 --> 00:02:04,364 the school and all of it's students who live in Bartlett 38 00:02:04,364 --> 00:02:07,031 will be part of the Bartlett School District. 39 00:02:07,031 --> 00:02:10,464 But students now at Bartlett Elementary School who don't live 40 00:02:10,464 --> 00:02:12,998 in Bartlett will go to different schools. 41 00:02:12,998 --> 00:02:17,398 168 would travel to Lucy Elementary School, 42 00:02:17,398 --> 00:02:19,998 a short distance away in Millington. 43 00:02:19,998 --> 00:02:24,198 395 will zoned to Dexter Elementary School, 44 00:02:24,198 --> 00:02:27,098 passing three other elementary schools on the way. 45 00:02:27,098 --> 00:02:32,664 And 162 will be zoned to Barret's Chapel Elementary 46 00:02:32,664 --> 00:02:35,998 School near Arlington. 47 00:02:35,998 --> 00:02:39,298 So that's a look at one of the more involved scenarios. 48 00:02:39,298 --> 00:02:43,231 Kevin Woods, as chairman of the Shelby County Schools Board, 49 00:02:43,231 --> 00:02:45,064 first of all, let's lay out. 50 00:02:45,064 --> 00:02:49,531 Are these arrangements written in stone at this point and when 51 00:02:49,531 --> 00:02:53,564 does the school board get to voting on these plans and 52 00:02:53,564 --> 00:02:55,564 possibly making changes, if there are any? 53 00:02:55,564 --> 00:02:57,564 Well one of the first things we wanted to do was make sure we 54 00:02:57,564 --> 00:03:00,864 went out to the community and heard from the community as far 55 00:03:00,864 --> 00:03:04,131 as how they felt about the impact of the rezoning plan. 56 00:03:04,131 --> 00:03:08,364 One of the first things we did as a board is we asked our 57 00:03:08,364 --> 00:03:11,398 planning office to create the least amount of disruption for 58 00:03:11,398 --> 00:03:12,398 families as possible. 59 00:03:12,398 --> 00:03:15,331 You mentioned in one of your scenarios where families were 60 00:03:15,331 --> 00:03:18,664 actually going to pass possibly three schools to get to another 61 00:03:18,664 --> 00:03:19,664 school. 62 00:03:19,664 --> 00:03:21,998 What you simply have in those cases were capacity issues. 63 00:03:21,998 --> 00:03:25,631 So what the planning office had to do was look at capacity. 64 00:03:25,631 --> 00:03:27,631 They looked at academic performance. 65 00:03:27,631 --> 00:03:30,898 And they looked at distance of transportation to get to those 66 00:03:30,898 --> 00:03:31,898 facilities. 67 00:03:31,898 --> 00:03:34,998 So all that went in to play as far as making a decision. 68 00:03:34,998 --> 00:03:36,331 I think we'll continue. 69 00:03:36,331 --> 00:03:38,331 We've had all our committee meetings. 70 00:03:38,331 --> 00:03:41,998 The board will then continue to probably deliberate on the 71 00:03:41,998 --> 00:03:43,264 possibilities. 72 00:03:43,264 --> 00:03:45,264 Possibly some additional tweaks maybe made. 73 00:03:45,264 --> 00:03:46,364 But no final. 74 00:03:46,364 --> 00:03:49,598 Nothing is set in stone until the board votes on it. 75 00:03:49,598 --> 00:03:52,798 David Reaves, this is your district I believe. 76 00:03:52,798 --> 00:03:55,064 What are you hearing from people, 77 00:03:55,064 --> 00:03:58,531 especially the parents of those students who would go to Dexter 78 00:03:58,531 --> 00:03:59,898 Elementary School? 79 00:03:59,898 --> 00:04:02,864 Well obviously many of these people bought homes in this area 80 00:04:02,864 --> 00:04:04,898 particularly with the understanding that they were 81 00:04:04,898 --> 00:04:07,198 going to go to school at Bartlett Elementary, 82 00:04:07,198 --> 00:04:09,698 Shadowlawn and many times, Bartlett High School. 83 00:04:09,698 --> 00:04:12,198 And what I'm hearing from them is that they want to continue to 84 00:04:12,198 --> 00:04:13,731 go to those schools. 85 00:04:13,731 --> 00:04:16,164 But as a Shelby County School Board member in the Shelby 86 00:04:16,164 --> 00:04:21,498 County School system, we have to make sure that we plan for 87 00:04:21,498 --> 00:04:24,231 capacity for those students in our existing system because we 88 00:04:24,231 --> 00:04:27,498 can not commit them to another system. 89 00:04:27,498 --> 00:04:30,998 And so that's the reason why we came up with the Dexter solution 90 00:04:30,998 --> 00:04:34,898 is because it was the closest to their home and provided a 91 00:04:34,898 --> 00:04:36,031 solution to the capacity. 92 00:04:36,031 --> 00:04:40,598 But by and far, most of these kids can walk to Bartlett 93 00:04:40,598 --> 00:04:42,664 Elementary and I think they're going to continue to want to do 94 00:04:42,664 --> 00:04:43,664 that. 95 00:04:43,664 --> 00:04:45,764 And I believe that most of them will apply for open enrollment 96 00:04:45,764 --> 00:04:47,098 within the Bartlett system. 97 00:04:47,098 --> 00:04:50,898 Teresa Jones, you have been at all of the hearings that I've 98 00:04:50,898 --> 00:04:54,398 attended and more beyond that. 99 00:04:54,398 --> 00:04:59,264 Do you think that citizens are as familiar as they should be 100 00:04:59,264 --> 00:05:02,964 with just how this demerger is going to work? 101 00:05:02,964 --> 00:05:05,464 No, I don't think they are. 102 00:05:05,464 --> 00:05:09,564 I think they're mainly focused on their child and the school 103 00:05:09,564 --> 00:05:12,498 that they thought their child would attend. 104 00:05:12,498 --> 00:05:14,231 And they don't really. 105 00:05:14,231 --> 00:05:17,964 They didn't have a vote in many of the issues that created this 106 00:05:17,964 --> 00:05:18,964 situation. 107 00:05:18,964 --> 00:05:25,431 And they just feel as if they have now been basically thrown a 108 00:05:25,431 --> 00:05:29,598 punch, that they're not able to go to the schools as Mr. Reaves 109 00:05:29,598 --> 00:05:31,631 indicated that they thought they were. 110 00:05:31,631 --> 00:05:32,998 And they don't really.. 111 00:05:32,998 --> 00:05:35,031 They understand there was a merger. 112 00:05:35,031 --> 00:05:37,064 They understand there was a de-merger. 113 00:05:37,064 --> 00:05:39,798 They understand the concept of new municipal districts. 114 00:05:39,798 --> 00:05:41,831 But they still either don't understand. 115 00:05:41,831 --> 00:05:44,731 They really can't accept the fact that they're not going to 116 00:05:44,731 --> 00:05:47,098 be able to attend those schools or possibly not. 117 00:05:47,098 --> 00:05:50,964 There are decisions to be made to determine that yet. 118 00:05:50,964 --> 00:05:54,531 Well and also, you were at the Cordova hearing. 119 00:05:54,531 --> 00:05:57,898 And this was a different scenario because the new 120 00:05:57,898 --> 00:06:00,598 municipal schools boundaries did come in to play but not 121 00:06:00,598 --> 00:06:01,598 directly. 122 00:06:01,598 --> 00:06:05,698 You were dealing with changes because half of Cordova has been 123 00:06:05,698 --> 00:06:09,598 in the city of Memphis and half of it has been in unincorporated 124 00:06:09,598 --> 00:06:10,598 Shelby county. 125 00:06:10,598 --> 00:06:13,664 Talk a little bit about the transition there. 126 00:06:13,664 --> 00:06:17,464 Well of course many of those students would prefer to go to 127 00:06:17,464 --> 00:06:18,464 Germantown. 128 00:06:18,464 --> 00:06:22,031 But again, we have capacity issues. 129 00:06:22,031 --> 00:06:26,131 The audience at Cordova, they pretty much a lot of them want 130 00:06:26,131 --> 00:06:27,131 to stay there. 131 00:06:27,131 --> 00:06:31,564 So it's all about how far my child has to travel. 132 00:06:31,564 --> 00:06:34,498 They understand that the re-zoning has to take place. 133 00:06:34,498 --> 00:06:37,998 But it's all about how far the chid has to travel, 134 00:06:37,998 --> 00:06:39,498 the safety issues. 135 00:06:39,498 --> 00:06:44,498 And of course for us, it's capacity and providing those and 136 00:06:44,498 --> 00:06:46,498 trying to address those safety issues. 137 00:06:46,498 --> 00:06:48,964 So that's primarily what the concerns were. 138 00:06:48,964 --> 00:06:54,098 There were a few situations I guess that didn't fall within 139 00:06:54,098 --> 00:06:55,098 those categories. 140 00:06:55,098 --> 00:06:57,064 I'm trying to think of one now. 141 00:06:57,064 --> 00:06:59,364 But, um.. 142 00:06:59,364 --> 00:07:03,331 Let me get a quick read if I can from each of you going because 143 00:07:03,331 --> 00:07:06,764 the board has not voted on these attendence zones at this point. 144 00:07:06,764 --> 00:07:10,698 Do you think there will be some tinkering wtih it? 145 00:07:10,698 --> 00:07:12,164 Can there be some tinkering? 146 00:07:12,164 --> 00:07:13,164 Of course there can be. 147 00:07:13,164 --> 00:07:15,164 Until there's a vote, there always can be. 148 00:07:15,164 --> 00:07:19,231 I know in the last meeting there was a parent who expressed, 149 00:07:19,231 --> 00:07:24,131 and I think I asked her specifically what would your 150 00:07:24,131 --> 00:07:26,898 suggestion or your desire be in terms of the zoning. 151 00:07:26,898 --> 00:07:30,298 And she gave a scenario and we did acutally have to look at 152 00:07:30,298 --> 00:07:33,964 that to see if that was possibly something we consider -- we 153 00:07:33,964 --> 00:07:34,964 could consider. 154 00:07:34,964 --> 00:07:35,964 And I think they will. 155 00:07:35,964 --> 00:07:39,431 So at the end of the day, no decision has been made and there 156 00:07:39,431 --> 00:07:40,831 can be changes. 157 00:07:40,831 --> 00:07:45,931 I don't expect major changes but if an adjustment makes sense and 158 00:07:45,931 --> 00:07:47,964 we can make it work and it's better for the chidren, 159 00:07:47,964 --> 00:07:49,964 then I expect we'll do that. 160 00:07:49,964 --> 00:07:52,164 David, what about this? 161 00:07:52,164 --> 00:07:53,798 Are changes possible? 162 00:07:53,798 --> 00:07:55,798 Well I mean if we're gonna make changes, 163 00:07:55,798 --> 00:07:57,798 I expect them really in two areas. 164 00:07:57,798 --> 00:07:59,798 One is in the Cordova area, particularly as we split 165 00:07:59,798 --> 00:08:00,798 Ridgeway and Cordova. 166 00:08:00,798 --> 00:08:01,798 There was.. 167 00:08:01,798 --> 00:08:05,064 At the meeting the other night, there were parents who would 168 00:08:05,064 --> 00:08:07,698 rather go to Cordova than send their child to Ridgeway 169 00:08:07,698 --> 00:08:09,698 particularly because of the distance. 170 00:08:09,698 --> 00:08:12,298 The other one is northwest Shelby county as it pertains to 171 00:08:12,298 --> 00:08:14,398 Shelby Forest area, Northaven. 172 00:08:14,398 --> 00:08:16,398 the original maps that I'm going to, 173 00:08:16,398 --> 00:08:17,698 Craigmont and Raleigh-Egypt. 174 00:08:17,698 --> 00:08:20,264 But I think a new map potentially might have them 175 00:08:20,264 --> 00:08:21,264 going to Bolton. 176 00:08:21,264 --> 00:08:23,631 But we're still trying to work out potentially converting 177 00:08:23,631 --> 00:08:25,631 Woodstock to a high school this year. 178 00:08:25,631 --> 00:08:27,998 So there's still a little bt that needs to be done in those 179 00:08:27,998 --> 00:08:28,998 particular areas. 180 00:08:28,998 --> 00:08:30,998 And I expect that it will probably. 181 00:08:30,998 --> 00:08:31,998 There might be some changes. 182 00:08:31,998 --> 00:08:34,298 Kevin, are you expecting amendments? 183 00:08:34,298 --> 00:08:38,464 Are you expecting Superintendent Hopson to possibly come back 184 00:08:38,464 --> 00:08:40,298 with some alterations on this? 185 00:08:40,298 --> 00:08:42,898 Well again, the board members I'm sitting here with now, 186 00:08:42,898 --> 00:08:45,231 they've attended most of the meetings. 187 00:08:45,231 --> 00:08:47,431 I've attended hearings, as well. 188 00:08:47,431 --> 00:08:52,131 And for the most part, I think families are grasping the 189 00:08:52,131 --> 00:08:55,364 reality of what has happened with the formation of the 190 00:08:55,364 --> 00:08:56,498 municipal districts. 191 00:08:56,498 --> 00:08:58,498 And so we're listening to those concerns. 192 00:08:58,498 --> 00:09:00,631 I think as board member Jones indicated, 193 00:09:00,631 --> 00:09:04,664 there maybe some small tweaks, listening to the areas Mr. 194 00:09:04,664 --> 00:09:05,764 Reaves indicated. 195 00:09:05,764 --> 00:09:08,164 As Superintendent Hopson as indicated on many occasions, 196 00:09:08,164 --> 00:09:12,164 the reason for a public hearing is not just a process that we go 197 00:09:12,164 --> 00:09:14,398 through with our minds already made up. 198 00:09:14,398 --> 00:09:17,531 You'll see tweaks based on input from those families and from 199 00:09:17,531 --> 00:09:18,531 those communities. 200 00:09:18,531 --> 00:09:20,531 And so yeah, I think there should be some changes. 201 00:09:20,531 --> 00:09:22,531 But as board member Jones indicated, 202 00:09:22,531 --> 00:09:27,198 overall I think the zoning team did a fairly good job based on 203 00:09:27,198 --> 00:09:28,331 what we had to work with. 204 00:09:28,331 --> 00:09:31,498 At the end of the day, we had to find a solution for those 205 00:09:31,498 --> 00:09:36,098 families to attend a school within the confines of Shelby 206 00:09:36,098 --> 00:09:37,098 County School system. 207 00:09:37,098 --> 00:09:39,931 And at the end of the day, the municipalities have formed the 208 00:09:39,931 --> 00:09:42,598 school system that is of their city. 209 00:09:42,598 --> 00:09:44,598 And as you mentioned about Bartlett Elementary, 210 00:09:44,598 --> 00:09:46,198 it is in the city of Bartlett. 211 00:09:46,198 --> 00:09:49,031 So families who live in unincorporated Shelby attending 212 00:09:49,031 --> 00:09:52,664 Bartlett Elementary before, our goal was to make sure that there 213 00:09:52,664 --> 00:09:56,631 is a viable option for those families in the unlikely event 214 00:09:56,631 --> 00:09:59,298 that Bartlett says we don't have capacity for you. 215 00:09:59,298 --> 00:10:02,698 We had to make sure that we had solutions for those families. 216 00:10:02,698 --> 00:10:03,698 Mhm. 217 00:10:03,698 --> 00:10:06,631 You think it's unlikely that Bartlett will say we don't have 218 00:10:06,631 --> 00:10:07,631 room? 219 00:10:07,631 --> 00:10:09,064 They'll probably have room? 220 00:10:09,064 --> 00:10:11,698 You know as I've indicated at the hearings that we've gone to, 221 00:10:11,698 --> 00:10:15,498 in addition to creating a plan for families and making sure 222 00:10:15,498 --> 00:10:18,298 we're attracting families in unincorporated areas to make 223 00:10:18,298 --> 00:10:20,964 sure we have good school options for them, 224 00:10:20,964 --> 00:10:23,864 we've also been talking to the municipality and municipal board 225 00:10:23,864 --> 00:10:27,398 members and making sure that they understood the impact on 226 00:10:27,398 --> 00:10:30,598 the families that have gone to these schools for years not only 227 00:10:30,598 --> 00:10:32,598 in Bartlett but Germantown and Collierville. 228 00:10:32,598 --> 00:10:34,831 Many of the municipal leaders have come out publically and 229 00:10:34,831 --> 00:10:35,831 said hey, listen. 230 00:10:35,831 --> 00:10:37,831 We want to have an open enrollment policy to make sure 231 00:10:37,831 --> 00:10:42,464 that we have the families that have been going there for many 232 00:10:42,464 --> 00:10:44,464 years can continue to still get an education here. 233 00:10:44,464 --> 00:10:46,764 Publically, we understand that they have to say their number 234 00:10:46,764 --> 00:10:49,731 one priority are the families that live within those 235 00:10:49,731 --> 00:10:50,864 municipalities. 236 00:10:50,864 --> 00:10:53,398 But at the end of the day, I think they'll do right by those 237 00:10:53,398 --> 00:10:56,464 families and make sure that if they have space to continue to 238 00:10:56,464 --> 00:10:58,464 try and attract those families to their schools. 239 00:10:58,464 --> 00:11:01,198 And what you'll see from our system is to make sure that we 240 00:11:01,198 --> 00:11:03,198 can continue to attract those families as well. 241 00:11:03,198 --> 00:11:06,564 Our responsibility is to Shelby County School system and we 242 00:11:06,564 --> 00:11:08,564 should be making sure that we're creating a quality school 243 00:11:08,564 --> 00:11:11,798 system, You look at what's going on with the Bolton and Bartlett 244 00:11:11,798 --> 00:11:13,098 High School issue. 245 00:11:13,098 --> 00:11:15,098 It's pretty interesting watching, 246 00:11:15,098 --> 00:11:18,798 you know, principals' leadership within those schools and say we 247 00:11:18,798 --> 00:11:19,798 want your kids. 248 00:11:19,798 --> 00:11:21,798 We don't care if you live in Bartlett. 249 00:11:21,798 --> 00:11:23,798 We want you coming to our schools. 250 00:11:23,798 --> 00:11:26,098 And I personally think that that competition is going to raise 251 00:11:26,098 --> 00:11:27,098 all boats. 252 00:11:27,098 --> 00:11:28,264 Mhm. 253 00:11:28,264 --> 00:11:32,464 Teresa, talk about the competition factor because I 254 00:11:32,464 --> 00:11:35,098 think at some of the hearings, I've seen parents who were 255 00:11:35,098 --> 00:11:39,564 keenly aware of when the open enrollment periods might be for 256 00:11:39,564 --> 00:11:42,364 those suburban school districts. 257 00:11:42,364 --> 00:11:45,264 Parents seem to be very well-clued in to that in some of 258 00:11:45,264 --> 00:11:47,798 the areas where these changes take place. 259 00:11:47,798 --> 00:11:50,031 Right, some parents are very informed. 260 00:11:50,031 --> 00:11:53,798 Of course parents want the best school that's available for 261 00:11:53,798 --> 00:11:54,798 their child. 262 00:11:54,798 --> 00:11:58,698 And it's up to us to make sure that we are providing those 263 00:11:58,698 --> 00:11:59,698 services. 264 00:11:59,698 --> 00:12:03,164 Community wide, certain schools have certain reputations. 265 00:12:03,164 --> 00:12:07,998 And it's not likely that we're gonna change that within the 266 00:12:07,998 --> 00:12:12,098 course of this school year or maybe even the next couple of 267 00:12:12,098 --> 00:12:13,098 years. 268 00:12:13,098 --> 00:12:16,331 So schools that are popular and sought after are going to be 269 00:12:16,331 --> 00:12:18,998 popular and sought after by these parents. 270 00:12:18,998 --> 00:12:22,931 And the capacity of those schools is going to be pretty 271 00:12:22,931 --> 00:12:24,364 much full. 272 00:12:24,364 --> 00:12:30,531 And so parents, I think, parents are educating themself. 273 00:12:30,531 --> 00:12:34,231 And we've encouraged parents to go to those municipal districts, 274 00:12:34,231 --> 00:12:39,131 go to those meetings, go to those principals in those areas 275 00:12:39,131 --> 00:12:41,731 and ask what their options are. 276 00:12:41,731 --> 00:12:44,698 And that's one of the reasons we wanted to have these meetings. 277 00:12:44,698 --> 00:12:48,431 Because parents -- number one, needed to know what we had 278 00:12:48,431 --> 00:12:54,164 planned for the children in that they want to educate and also, 279 00:12:54,164 --> 00:12:57,131 have time to explore other options. 280 00:12:57,131 --> 00:13:00,164 And we've heard all types of scenarios -- private schools, 281 00:13:00,164 --> 00:13:02,198 of course that's an option. 282 00:13:02,198 --> 00:13:05,864 Education reform is about change and about choice. 283 00:13:05,864 --> 00:13:09,798 And so parents, I think, even in the inner-city are becoming 284 00:13:09,798 --> 00:13:12,231 aware that there are choices out there. 285 00:13:12,231 --> 00:13:14,231 Whether you like charters or not, 286 00:13:14,231 --> 00:13:16,231 there are choices for those parents. 287 00:13:16,231 --> 00:13:19,498 So I think parents, as this process continues, 288 00:13:19,498 --> 00:13:23,398 are going to be more engaged and more aware and educate 289 00:13:23,398 --> 00:13:25,698 themselves what the possibilities are. 290 00:13:25,698 --> 00:13:26,698 Mhm. 291 00:13:26,698 --> 00:13:30,431 David, there is the pitch and then there is the still 292 00:13:30,431 --> 00:13:34,398 unfolding reality that involved the funding and the budget to 293 00:13:34,398 --> 00:13:35,398 come. 294 00:13:35,398 --> 00:13:38,764 And you talked about this in Bartlett several weeks ago, 295 00:13:38,764 --> 00:13:41,531 a meeting of the neighborhood council there. 296 00:13:41,531 --> 00:13:45,098 And a number of the parents told Keith McDonald, 297 00:13:45,098 --> 00:13:46,698 the mayor of Bartlett. 298 00:13:46,698 --> 00:13:51,464 They said look, the principal of Bolton High School is making a 299 00:13:51,464 --> 00:13:53,831 really good pitch for our kids. 300 00:13:53,831 --> 00:13:58,998 When are your schools going to start telling us what they have 301 00:13:58,998 --> 00:13:59,998 to offer? 302 00:13:59,998 --> 00:14:02,998 And you made a point about what's gonna happen with the 303 00:14:02,998 --> 00:14:06,798 budget because the budget situation is going to continue 304 00:14:06,798 --> 00:14:07,898 to be complex. 305 00:14:07,898 --> 00:14:12,998 It's going to continue to involve making some hard choices 306 00:14:12,998 --> 00:14:15,298 and some priorities here. 307 00:14:15,298 --> 00:14:18,798 Well so what you're finding within the budget this year, 308 00:14:18,798 --> 00:14:20,798 and it's kind of hit the news here lately, 309 00:14:20,798 --> 00:14:23,864 is significant amount of staffing cuts. 310 00:14:23,864 --> 00:14:27,531 And one of the big ones that is part of the staffing cuts is 311 00:14:27,531 --> 00:14:29,898 change in the classroom size. 312 00:14:29,898 --> 00:14:35,564 And Bolton has always -- well, over the last 20 years has 313 00:14:35,564 --> 00:14:36,964 really performed well. 314 00:14:36,964 --> 00:14:39,331 A lot of great programs. 315 00:14:39,331 --> 00:14:41,664 Has international baccalaureate program there. 316 00:14:41,664 --> 00:14:46,398 Has been a beneficiary of a desegregation order where a lot 317 00:14:46,398 --> 00:14:48,398 of students in Bartlett were sent to Bolton. 318 00:14:48,398 --> 00:14:51,898 So for several years, they have had large amounts of students. 319 00:14:51,898 --> 00:14:54,598 That's why Bartlett High School has dwindled. 320 00:14:54,598 --> 00:14:58,564 As a result, they've had a lot of great programs -- theatre, 321 00:14:58,564 --> 00:15:00,831 I-B, all of those programs. 322 00:15:00,831 --> 00:15:04,698 But the unfortunate part is that we are going to have to make 323 00:15:04,698 --> 00:15:05,698 some adjustments. 324 00:15:05,698 --> 00:15:08,064 And at the end of the day, we really don't know what the total 325 00:15:08,064 --> 00:15:10,198 impact is going to be to some of these schools. 326 00:15:10,198 --> 00:15:12,498 We know that some of the classrooms may get larger. 327 00:15:12,498 --> 00:15:16,064 We don't know if we're gonna have to cut anything out of 328 00:15:16,064 --> 00:15:17,064 these schools. 329 00:15:17,064 --> 00:15:20,231 So at this point, it's still kind of up in the air. 330 00:15:20,231 --> 00:15:23,198 And that's what I was talking about the other night. 331 00:15:23,198 --> 00:15:27,364 A lot of people wanting to know is my school going to stay the 332 00:15:27,364 --> 00:15:28,864 same way it's always been? 333 00:15:28,864 --> 00:15:32,431 Well most of your teachers will stay there and probably most of 334 00:15:32,431 --> 00:15:33,431 your programs. 335 00:15:33,431 --> 00:15:36,598 But we can't guarantee that given the fact we have such a 336 00:15:36,598 --> 00:15:38,064 large budget gap to close. 337 00:15:38,064 --> 00:15:42,231 So I think that the principal up there is doing a great job of 338 00:15:42,231 --> 00:15:43,231 selling the school. 339 00:15:43,231 --> 00:15:46,698 But I do think that looms a little bit on the horizon. 340 00:15:46,698 --> 00:15:49,698 So what we're primarily talking about here is the pupil-teacher 341 00:15:49,698 --> 00:15:50,864 ratio in the classrooms. 342 00:15:50,864 --> 00:15:53,864 And the way Superintendent Hopson has described it is in 343 00:15:53,864 --> 00:15:57,431 the merger this school year, we've gone to kind of the middle 344 00:15:57,431 --> 00:15:59,998 between Memphis City and Shelby County Schools. 345 00:15:59,998 --> 00:16:04,164 Mr, Chairman, how far are we going to go toward the Memphis 346 00:16:04,164 --> 00:16:07,598 City Schools model or the Shelby County Schools model once you 347 00:16:07,598 --> 00:16:09,064 all get a look at this budget? 348 00:16:09,064 --> 00:16:11,898 Well what we do know is that we won't go all the way back to the 349 00:16:11,898 --> 00:16:13,331 Memphis City School model. 350 00:16:13,331 --> 00:16:17,264 I think there was some misconception that as soon as 351 00:16:17,264 --> 00:16:20,598 the de-merger happened, we would go back to the Memphis School 352 00:16:20,598 --> 00:16:23,264 model of staffing, which overall, 353 00:16:23,264 --> 00:16:27,064 you have some of our high performing schools that did very 354 00:16:27,064 --> 00:16:28,764 well with that staffing model. 355 00:16:28,764 --> 00:16:33,264 You look at how well some of our schools have done with the 356 00:16:33,264 --> 00:16:34,264 growth. 357 00:16:34,264 --> 00:16:36,698 We know that that model, although is not ideal, 358 00:16:36,698 --> 00:16:39,098 teachers continue to do what teachers do, 359 00:16:39,098 --> 00:16:40,498 which is educate kids. 360 00:16:40,498 --> 00:16:43,931 And having a more robust staffing model toward the Shelby 361 00:16:43,931 --> 00:16:47,264 County side, teachers were definitely in favor of that. 362 00:16:47,264 --> 00:16:49,998 But Superintendent Hopson did indicate that he would probably 363 00:16:49,998 --> 00:16:53,998 be looking at somewhere in the middle of where we were this 364 00:16:53,998 --> 00:16:56,164 year and where Memphis City was before. 365 00:16:56,164 --> 00:16:58,064 Mr. Reaves is right. 366 00:16:58,064 --> 00:17:02,231 Obviously any time you're impacting the staffing formula, 367 00:17:02,231 --> 00:17:04,798 you're impacting the number of kids in the classroom. 368 00:17:04,798 --> 00:17:09,398 We want to make sure that we can limit that impact in making sure 369 00:17:09,398 --> 00:17:11,498 that we keep most of the resources going toward the 370 00:17:11,498 --> 00:17:12,498 classroom. 371 00:17:12,498 --> 00:17:14,731 But at the end of the day, I think Superintendent Hopson is 372 00:17:14,731 --> 00:17:17,164 committed to making sure the schools that remain in Shelby 373 00:17:17,164 --> 00:17:19,564 County School systems are still doing what they've done in the 374 00:17:19,564 --> 00:17:21,831 past, which is educate kids and like at Bolton, 375 00:17:21,831 --> 00:17:23,031 doing a great job at it. 376 00:17:23,031 --> 00:17:25,331 I think more of our principals should be doing what Bolton is 377 00:17:25,331 --> 00:17:27,898 doing, which is hey, we were good last year. 378 00:17:27,898 --> 00:17:29,598 We're gonna be good next year. 379 00:17:29,598 --> 00:17:31,664 And we're gonna do everything to attract kids to our school. 380 00:17:31,664 --> 00:17:35,998 That's not just an unincorporated issue that we 381 00:17:35,998 --> 00:17:36,998 should be dealing with. 382 00:17:36,998 --> 00:17:38,998 That's every principal should see it as his or her 383 00:17:38,998 --> 00:17:41,731 responsibility to make sure that we're attracting families to our 384 00:17:41,731 --> 00:17:42,731 schools. 385 00:17:42,731 --> 00:17:45,131 And once we do that, you'll continue to see more programs. 386 00:17:45,131 --> 00:17:48,598 Our staffing formula as well as our budget is based on the 387 00:17:48,598 --> 00:17:50,698 number of students that we're serving at each school. 388 00:17:50,698 --> 00:17:54,098 So the larger your school is, the more kids you're serving. 389 00:17:54,098 --> 00:17:56,831 What you'll see is it impacts your budget greatly. 390 00:17:56,831 --> 00:17:59,531 So I think Bolton is doing exactly what all principals 391 00:17:59,531 --> 00:18:01,598 should be doing, which is attracting families to their 392 00:18:01,598 --> 00:18:02,598 school. 393 00:18:02,598 --> 00:18:05,664 So when you go to vote on the budget, 394 00:18:05,664 --> 00:18:10,698 when you get this book and you look at the numbers, 395 00:18:10,698 --> 00:18:13,098 where does the pupil-teacher ratio.. 396 00:18:13,098 --> 00:18:16,998 Where is it on the list of your priorities in setting a budget? 397 00:18:16,998 --> 00:18:18,998 Well I think it's extremely high. 398 00:18:18,998 --> 00:18:21,598 One of the main concerns I've heard at the community meetings 399 00:18:21,598 --> 00:18:25,798 from parents and from teachers -- the number of students in 400 00:18:25,798 --> 00:18:26,798 each classroom. 401 00:18:26,798 --> 00:18:28,864 So that's an important factor. 402 00:18:28,864 --> 00:18:34,131 And to the extent that we can maintain smaller classrooms, 403 00:18:34,131 --> 00:18:36,464 obviously there will be certain situations we can not. 404 00:18:36,464 --> 00:18:38,564 But it's at the top of the list. 405 00:18:38,564 --> 00:18:41,331 I can't say one, two or three in terms of rank. 406 00:18:41,331 --> 00:18:44,231 But it's extremely important because it's important to 407 00:18:44,231 --> 00:18:45,231 parents. 408 00:18:45,231 --> 00:18:49,598 And I think the data shows that that has a tremendous impact on 409 00:18:49,598 --> 00:18:50,598 the outcomes. 410 00:18:50,598 --> 00:18:51,598 How much.. 411 00:18:51,598 --> 00:18:54,864 We've got a short amount of time left here. 412 00:18:54,864 --> 00:18:58,164 And I think we have enough time to kind of get in to this. 413 00:18:58,164 --> 00:19:02,331 But as a result of parental choice in this through open 414 00:19:02,331 --> 00:19:05,698 enrollment, more choices really than parents have ever had 415 00:19:05,698 --> 00:19:08,031 within our experience with public education, 416 00:19:08,031 --> 00:19:11,664 how much are the choices that they make for this coming school 417 00:19:11,664 --> 00:19:16,798 year going to kind of re-orient the school system? 418 00:19:16,798 --> 00:19:17,798 Or will it? 419 00:19:17,798 --> 00:19:19,231 Let me start with you. 420 00:19:19,231 --> 00:19:22,298 Yeah, so I think it's just not this one year journey. 421 00:19:22,298 --> 00:19:25,964 I think it's been happening over the past couple of years and it 422 00:19:25,964 --> 00:19:27,964 will continue in the next five years. 423 00:19:27,964 --> 00:19:31,564 Shelby County School system will not be the same as it used to 424 00:19:31,564 --> 00:19:32,564 be. 425 00:19:32,564 --> 00:19:34,564 The A-S-D will continue to take over schools. 426 00:19:34,564 --> 00:19:36,564 We'll have more charter schools. 427 00:19:36,564 --> 00:19:39,431 And I think what you'll find at some point in the future is that 428 00:19:39,431 --> 00:19:42,231 Shelby County may actually be a small school district compared 429 00:19:42,231 --> 00:19:44,198 to what we've been in the past. 430 00:19:44,198 --> 00:19:46,431 And so but from a funding view point, 431 00:19:46,431 --> 00:19:49,798 it impacts us tremendously because we have to do is we have 432 00:19:49,798 --> 00:19:52,898 to scale the district up and down based upon parental choice. 433 00:19:52,898 --> 00:19:56,831 And it's not easy when you take a child out of one school or 434 00:19:56,831 --> 00:19:57,831 another school. 435 00:19:57,831 --> 00:20:00,198 You know they're not altogether because we can't easily change 436 00:20:00,198 --> 00:20:01,598 the number of teachers, right. 437 00:20:01,598 --> 00:20:04,964 So we continue to have overhead issues that we try to address. 438 00:20:04,964 --> 00:20:07,498 And but I think we're getting better at that. 439 00:20:07,498 --> 00:20:11,398 And I think that it has forced us to really adopt a more modern 440 00:20:11,398 --> 00:20:15,064 model to where we can scale our system to where it's not as 441 00:20:15,064 --> 00:20:17,298 expensive to run from an overhead view point. 442 00:20:17,298 --> 00:20:20,964 And it's going to continue to be an issue that we're going to 443 00:20:20,964 --> 00:20:23,498 have to work at over the next several years. 444 00:20:23,498 --> 00:20:24,498 Mhm. 445 00:20:24,498 --> 00:20:25,764 Kevin, your view on that. 446 00:20:25,764 --> 00:20:29,331 And are we heading toward a Shelby County School system that 447 00:20:29,331 --> 00:20:31,698 is possibly smaller than we're looking at? 448 00:20:31,698 --> 00:20:35,064 Well I think at the fact that the bottom 5% schools, 449 00:20:35,064 --> 00:20:37,064 a majority of them are in Shelby county. 450 00:20:37,064 --> 00:20:39,098 You obviously know that we're going to be operating fewer and 451 00:20:39,098 --> 00:20:40,098 fewer schools. 452 00:20:40,098 --> 00:20:43,131 But at the end of the day, I think Superintendent Hopson is 453 00:20:43,131 --> 00:20:45,298 committed to the fact that the schools we are running, 454 00:20:45,298 --> 00:20:48,664 if we're servicing 140,000 kids or 80,000 kids, 455 00:20:48,664 --> 00:20:52,331 at the end of the day, are we doing a great job of educating 456 00:20:52,331 --> 00:20:53,331 those kids. 457 00:20:53,331 --> 00:20:55,331 I think Superintendent Hopson has stated on many occasions 458 00:20:55,331 --> 00:20:58,631 that what we should be doing is making sure that we're doing a 459 00:20:58,631 --> 00:21:01,098 great job of every kid having a great chance at a quality 460 00:21:01,098 --> 00:21:02,098 education. 461 00:21:02,098 --> 00:21:05,264 At the same time, our central office only exists to service 462 00:21:05,264 --> 00:21:06,264 our schools. 463 00:21:06,264 --> 00:21:08,264 So we have to make sure that we're operating an efficient 464 00:21:08,264 --> 00:21:11,898 central office to make sure that all the resources --if it's 200 465 00:21:11,898 --> 00:21:14,331 schools or 100 schools -- that they're getting all the 466 00:21:14,331 --> 00:21:17,464 resources they need to attract more families to their schools 467 00:21:17,464 --> 00:21:19,464 and the kids that are attending those schools are getting a 468 00:21:19,464 --> 00:21:20,464 great education. 469 00:21:20,464 --> 00:21:21,464 Mhm. 470 00:21:21,464 --> 00:21:24,931 Teresa, your view on the impact of parental choice on the school 471 00:21:24,931 --> 00:21:25,931 system? 472 00:21:25,931 --> 00:21:27,931 Well in terms of Shelby County School system, 473 00:21:27,931 --> 00:21:28,931 I agree. 474 00:21:28,931 --> 00:21:30,931 I think it's going to be obviously smaller. 475 00:21:30,931 --> 00:21:35,798 We're all waiting with bated breath this year to determine 476 00:21:35,798 --> 00:21:40,964 those trends and what choices parents make and to determine 477 00:21:40,964 --> 00:21:43,998 where exactly we will fall in terms of numbers. 478 00:21:43,998 --> 00:21:47,398 So I think we have to take every opportunity, 479 00:21:47,398 --> 00:21:50,798 make sure that we are putting the dollars in the best place 480 00:21:50,798 --> 00:21:54,031 that has the most impact, that we're looking at the office 481 00:21:54,031 --> 00:21:56,298 staff, that we're looking at the staffing model, 482 00:21:56,298 --> 00:21:59,898 we're taking advantage of technology because we are going 483 00:21:59,898 --> 00:22:02,564 to have to be sleeker, leaner and meaner. 484 00:22:02,564 --> 00:22:06,031 We're going to have to make better financial choices going 485 00:22:06,031 --> 00:22:07,031 forward. 486 00:22:07,031 --> 00:22:10,598 I don't know that we're ever going to be small because of the 487 00:22:10,598 --> 00:22:15,031 number of urban children that the system serves. 488 00:22:15,031 --> 00:22:17,598 But we're certainly going to be smaller. 489 00:22:17,598 --> 00:22:21,398 Well and during the whole run up to the de-merger -- to the 490 00:22:21,398 --> 00:22:25,031 merger, I should say -- there was so much discussion about 491 00:22:25,031 --> 00:22:28,698 Shelby County Schools, the legacy Shelby County Schools 492 00:22:28,698 --> 00:22:31,364 being a small school system, which it really wasn't. 493 00:22:31,364 --> 00:22:35,231 Forty-thousand students in a school system in Tennessee is 494 00:22:35,231 --> 00:22:39,698 not a small school system, either relatively or just in the 495 00:22:39,698 --> 00:22:41,298 raw numbers of it. 496 00:22:41,298 --> 00:22:45,498 So parents are waiting on the school board to make a decision 497 00:22:45,498 --> 00:22:46,831 on attendence zones. 498 00:22:46,831 --> 00:22:50,164 And the school board is waiting on the parents to then make 499 00:22:50,164 --> 00:22:52,298 their decision to see what you have. 500 00:22:52,298 --> 00:22:56,364 But you know the money travels with the students to whatever 501 00:22:56,364 --> 00:22:58,398 school system they go to. 502 00:22:58,398 --> 00:23:02,764 And Superintendent Hopson, who will be on this program next 503 00:23:02,764 --> 00:23:09,064 week, has talked about a dollar figure in the most recent budget 504 00:23:09,064 --> 00:23:12,998 briefings to kind of kick off you all's budget season. 505 00:23:12,998 --> 00:23:17,764 What's that number of funding that he expects to possibly 506 00:23:17,764 --> 00:23:20,098 leave the school system as a result? 507 00:23:20,098 --> 00:23:24,098 Well if you count in the fact the kids that are going with the 508 00:23:24,098 --> 00:23:27,831 municipal districts combined with charter schools, 509 00:23:27,831 --> 00:23:29,831 I've heard numbers as large as, you know, 510 00:23:29,831 --> 00:23:32,031 $200 million in budget impact. 511 00:23:32,031 --> 00:23:36,631 But at the end of the day, most of those kids are going to go 512 00:23:36,631 --> 00:23:38,998 with municipal schools and we knew we were prepared for that. 513 00:23:38,998 --> 00:23:40,998 We knew that was going to happen. 514 00:23:40,998 --> 00:23:42,998 A-S-D, the communication with Chris Barbic, 515 00:23:42,998 --> 00:23:45,364 Superintendent Hopson has always been one that we have an idea of 516 00:23:45,364 --> 00:23:46,364 what's going on their side. 517 00:23:46,364 --> 00:23:48,764 I think the supertintendent has done a great job of the best he 518 00:23:48,764 --> 00:23:51,198 can to plan for the number of kids that we're gonna have in 519 00:23:51,198 --> 00:23:52,198 this district. 520 00:23:52,198 --> 00:23:55,398 He indicated just in the conversation we had recently, 521 00:23:55,398 --> 00:23:59,664 you know, we may get 10,000 fewer kids than we thought or 522 00:23:59,664 --> 00:24:01,664 10,000 more kids than we thought we were gonna get. 523 00:24:01,664 --> 00:24:05,364 But at the end of the day, we sure hope to get more than less. 524 00:24:05,364 --> 00:24:08,031 And so what we have to do is exactly what the principals you 525 00:24:08,031 --> 00:24:11,498 indicated are doing, is making sure that families know what 526 00:24:11,498 --> 00:24:15,264 their options are, making sure we're looking at extending our 527 00:24:15,264 --> 00:24:18,564 general transfer process to make sure families have more time to 528 00:24:18,564 --> 00:24:21,698 choose their school options once they know what the zoning plans 529 00:24:21,698 --> 00:24:22,698 are. 530 00:24:22,698 --> 00:24:24,698 But just doing eveyrthing we can to make sure people know that 531 00:24:24,698 --> 00:24:25,698 hey, listen. 532 00:24:25,698 --> 00:24:27,698 There are good schools in Shelby county. 533 00:24:27,698 --> 00:24:29,698 You need to be aware of what those schools are and making 534 00:24:29,698 --> 00:24:31,998 sure we're doing the best job of attracting families to our 535 00:24:31,998 --> 00:24:32,998 schools. 536 00:24:32,998 --> 00:24:35,198 But most importantly, making sure that we're doing a quality 537 00:24:35,198 --> 00:24:36,964 job at educating our kids. 538 00:24:36,964 --> 00:24:40,098 And then the reputation will exceed any marketing that we 539 00:24:40,098 --> 00:24:41,131 could possibly do. 540 00:24:41,131 --> 00:24:42,131 Okay. 541 00:24:42,131 --> 00:24:44,131 And we should also point out that I think the common thing 542 00:24:44,131 --> 00:24:47,664 that I've heard here is that if you have a child who's a senior, 543 00:24:47,664 --> 00:24:50,364 going to be a senior next year at one of these high schools 544 00:24:50,364 --> 00:24:53,398 that's affected, the odds are pretty high that your child is 545 00:24:53,398 --> 00:24:59,631 probably going to continue to attend that school, 546 00:24:59,631 --> 00:25:03,298 given space considerations are always being the prime driver 547 00:25:03,298 --> 00:25:04,298 here. 548 00:25:04,298 --> 00:25:06,531 I would say that there is potential to that. 549 00:25:06,531 --> 00:25:08,831 However, it's still subject to open enrollment. 550 00:25:08,831 --> 00:25:12,731 And the reality is a lot of these municipal school are full 551 00:25:12,731 --> 00:25:15,631 like at Houston High School or Bartlett High School. 552 00:25:15,631 --> 00:25:17,898 They are full with their own children. 553 00:25:17,898 --> 00:25:21,498 So we're going to run in to those schools running to 554 00:25:21,498 --> 00:25:22,498 capacity issues. 555 00:25:22,498 --> 00:25:26,031 And it's going to be up to them to make that decision. 556 00:25:26,031 --> 00:25:29,264 So I don't think we can guarantee anything because we 557 00:25:29,264 --> 00:25:31,264 can't guarantee what municipals do. 558 00:25:31,264 --> 00:25:34,798 But I can say that there could be some difficulties in that 559 00:25:34,798 --> 00:25:35,798 area. 560 00:25:35,798 --> 00:25:38,098 I would indicate I take this opportunity to say that I think 561 00:25:38,098 --> 00:25:41,764 those municipal boards, those superintendents will do right by 562 00:25:41,764 --> 00:25:42,831 those families. 563 00:25:42,831 --> 00:25:46,931 Those families have been there for many years. 564 00:25:46,931 --> 00:25:49,131 They didn't ask for this process. 565 00:25:49,131 --> 00:25:52,731 I think those boards will realize that their political 566 00:25:52,731 --> 00:25:55,931 interests may lie with those folks that vote for them. 567 00:25:55,931 --> 00:25:59,264 But their job as a school board is to educate those kids that 568 00:25:59,264 --> 00:26:00,264 are currently at those schools. 569 00:26:00,264 --> 00:26:01,264 Alright. 570 00:26:01,264 --> 00:26:03,264 We'll leave the discussion there. 571 00:26:03,264 --> 00:26:05,264 If we had one more school board member here, 572 00:26:05,264 --> 00:26:07,264 we would have a quarum and possibly make some decisions. 573 00:26:07,264 --> 00:26:08,264 But we don't. 574 00:26:08,264 --> 00:26:10,264 Thank you for joining us this evening and we'll see you next 575 00:26:10,264 --> 00:26:11,364 week with Dorsey Hopson. 576 00:26:11,364 --> 00:26:17,364 CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY WKNO-MEMPHIS.