More Memphis School Madness

[NitaX]

And in the ongoing saga surrounding the city/county school merger, the Shelby County Commission has filed a federal lawsuit.

Shelby County commissioners filed a petition in federal court Tuesday to block Aug. 2 elections that could create six new suburban school districts, arguing that those who sought the elections are deliberately discriminating against black residents.

The lawsuit alleges that "race was a motivating factor behind the enactment of the Shelby County Municipal School Acts and that such Acts are purposefully discriminatory." The filing is the latest step in a dispute over the proposed merger of the area's two largest school systems, the majority black Memphis City Schools and the smaller, majority white Shelby County Schools. The systems are scheduled to merge in the fall of 2013.

In the complaint filed Tuesday, the county commissioners argue that if Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, Lakeland and Millington create their own school districts, they will be majority white.

The suit criticizes the legislature's passage of House Bill 1105, a measure that authorizes the suburbs to hold referendums and school board elections this year. It argues that the bill "can only be explained as an attempt to guarantee that Caucasian suburban children would never have to attend a school in the predominantly African-American Unified Shelby County School system – even for one year."

www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/26/commissioners-seek-to-block-august-municipal/?CID=happeningnow

Shit just got real! Wonder how folks feel now that they are being openly called prejudiced.

[Deleted]

but I have black friends.......

[NitaX]

Folks SWEAR it's not racially motivated. But, when you hear people say stuff like they are going to bus my kids, then what else is it? Busing was done to comply with desegregation orders. That's not done now. It's ridiculous.

[cookiemdough]

Jun 27, 2012 0:05:45 GMT -5 NitaX said:

Shit just got real! Wonder how folks feel now that they are being openly called prejudiced.

They will deflect and say that people are playing the race card. Then they will argue "what is wrong with wanting our kids to go to neighborhood schools close to home with kids they are already friends with. Besides it will impact their ability to do extracurriculars and spend time with family etc. when our kids are bussed all around town!"

See Wake County, NC for examples of excuses sure to come.

[Deleted]

Jun 27, 2012 8:19:10 GMT -5 pennypenny said:

I think I am not fully understanding this. Isn't think how school districts are drawn nationwide? So people go to schools closer to their homes. I never went to public school, but I thought that was how the lines were drawn everywhere. I don't know anyone that goes to public school that is bused to another county.

And let me make this clear. I am not saying I support this. I just thought that was how it was everywhere.

Shelby County includes Memphis. Until last year Memphis was its own "city" school district which was common pre-1980 in Tennessee as a way of making sure the dumb country kids didn't "ruin" the "town" schools. My town has its own district and then county schools. It has actually flipped now and the county schools are "better" and the town schools are predominantly minority.

Hartford/CT is under some sort of court order (or it was) to try to diversify the city schools by bringing in kids from the white suburbs.

[NitaX]

Jun 27, 2012 8:19:10 GMT -5 pennypenny said:

I think I am not fully understanding this. Isn't think how school districts are drawn nationwide? So people go to schools closer to their homes. I never went to public school, but I thought that was how the lines were drawn everywhere. I don't know anyone that goes to public school that is bused to another county.

I have tried only eleventy million times to explain this very thing to people. We no longer bus kids like we did under mandatory desegregation. There is no real need to form a municipal school district because all kids are zoned to attend schools in/near their neighborhoods.

If you don't want to go to a neighborhood school, you can transfer your kid to another school based on their academic program (think magnet schools, here they are called Optional Schools). Heck, you can send your kid to a charter school.

So essentially, nothing changes for your kids. Your kid that lives in Arlington (the last city before you leave the county line) will not be zoned to attend Downtown Elem (which is the school closest to Mississippi River and about 26 miles from Arlington). But, in talking to suburbanites, they always say I don't want my kid bused. *face palm*

Cookie - I will have to look that up. I can only imagine the same thing will be said. Now, for rational suburbanites, they say, well, the merger really doesn't change anything. My kid will go to the same school, so what's the big deal?

[blackkitty]

I live in the Memphis area and I'd venture a guess that it is the most racist area in this country. It's definitely racially motivated and I'm pretty sure most people around here would admit that.

[NitaX]

Jun 27, 2012 10:06:37 GMT -5 @blackkitty said:

I live in the Memphis area and I'd venture a guess that it is the most racist area in this country. It's definitely racially motivated and I'm pretty sure most people around here would admit that.

I'm no longer ALONE!!!!!!!!!!! YAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!
I promise I'm not a stalker, but if you ever want to have a GTG, I'm game!

How long have you been in the area?

[Deleted]

Here's a pretty good article on Memphis school segregation

www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/02/in-memphis-classrooms-the-ghost-of-segregation-lingers-on/252992/

It is amazing how many of the private schools in the south describe their founding circa 1971 this way "A group of Christians met a number of times in 1971 and 1972 with the great dream of establishing a Christian school "

Granted there has been population growth, but almost all of the private schools in my area were founded circa 1971.

[NitaX]

Oh and Septimus - word on the street is that the vouchers are going to get through. We've heard that Kelsey was told by Haslam that he would do this task force as a way to slow the train, but he's on board with Kelsey's voucher proposal being pushed next year.

If these munis don't get the schools, you better dayum well know that vouchers will be a done deal.

[blackkitty]

Jun 27, 2012 10:09:22 GMT -5 NitaX said:

Jun 27, 2012 10:06:37 GMT -5 @blackkitty said:

I live in the Memphis area and I'd venture a guess that it is the most racist area in this country. It's definitely racially motivated and I'm pretty sure most people around here would admit that.

I'm no longer ALONE!!!!!!!!!!! YAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!
I promise I'm not a stalker, but if you ever want to have a GTG, I'm game!

How long have you been in the area?

OMG I thought I was the only one on here! No joke! (I'm usually on the SO board)
I'm from the Northeast but I lived here 2002-2006. I just moved back in September. PM me if you want to chat more!

[NitaX]

You have mail blackkitty!

[Deleted]

Jun 27, 2012 10:15:24 GMT -5 NitaX said:

Oh and Septimus - word on the street is that the vouchers are going to get through. We've heard that Kelsey was told by Haslam that he would do this task force as a way to slow the train, but he's on board with Kelsey's voucher proposal being pushed next year.

If these munis don't get the schools, you better dayum well know that vouchers will be a done deal.

ugh. Vouchers help no-one except the upper middle class.

[NitaX]

Bingo on the vouchers.

Oh and I'm reading an article now that says the unified board voted last night to conduct a superintendent search! YAY!!!!!!!!!!

[Deleted]

Jun 27, 2012 10:37:03 GMT -5 NitaX said:

Bingo on the vouchers.

Oh and I'm reading an article now that says the unified board voted last night to conduct a superintendent search! YAY!!!!!!!!!!

Do you think I'll be able to get a voucher to send my son to the local montessori school for elementary and still depend on district to provide his services under his IEP/Service Plan.... that would be all sorts of wrong, but good for my wallet :-)

[NitaX]

Septimus - honestly, you may be able to do that if the school and the district enter into cooperative agreements to provide those services to the school.

[Deleted]

Jun 27, 2012 10:48:33 GMT -5 NitaX said:

Septimus - honestly, you may be able to do that is the school and the district enter into cooperative agreements to provide those services to the school.

he already gets services through the schools at Montessori, but I have to pay tuition.

He's actually going to the public school next year, because he needs more services and the county only provides speech to the private schools.