As Memphis-Shelby County Schools leaders begin meeting with community members, the clock is ticking to reach an agreement with suburban school districts regarding four schools, including the 3Gs.

MSCS owns Germantown Elementary, Germantown Middle and Germantown High schools within that suburb.

Lucy Elementary in Millington is also affected. Millington Schools officials have told MSCS, they’d like Lucy Elementary, Angela Whitelaw, MSCS deputy superintendent, said in a recent community meeting.

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However, most of the discussion has revolved around the Germantown schools, known as the 3Gs.

Legislation passed earlier this year would transfer the 3Gs to Germantown Municipal School District, although if MSCS were to sell the Germantown campuses to another entity, the matter would be taken out of GMSD’s hands.

Multiple sources said discussions occurred with Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and MSCS about the high school campus.

“It’s a different property owner but everything else remains the same,” Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo said of an ownership transfer, Friday afternoon. “... Our transition plan makes everybody whole.”

The law says the two districts should come up with a mutual agreement for the property to eventually transfer, although it allows a transition plan so MSCS students may matriculate out of the Germantown Schools.

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“The time is now,” Palazzolo said. “There is no one more readily agreeable to try to come up with a transition plan.”

Friday afternoon, Palazzolo said since the city will ultimately pay for the schools, he would like for Germantown to be involved in the negotiations. While no agreement has been reached thus far, there is a Dec. 31, 2022 deadline to resolve the matter. The law is prescriptive as to what the agreement must maintain and what happens if the two sides can’t reach a settlement.

During Thursday’s school board candidate forum, GMSD Board Chairwoman Angela Griffith said her board has not yet met with MSCS. At the request of MSCS, Palazzolo and City Administrator Jason Huisman will soon meet with the larger school district’s administration.

“I think it could all be worked through pretty quickly with the terms offered and prescribed law,” Palazzolo said.

If the property were to transfer to GMSD, the suburban system would have to must pay for the value of the land based on an independent appraisal.

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Each of the buildings has significant deferred maintenance needs, but the amount of work at Germantown High exceeds the value of the land and building. An appraisal requested by Memphis-Shelby County Schools and completed in July 2021, notes $12.5 million in maintenance issues exist among the several buildings that make up the high school campus.

Each appraisal for each school is about 200 pages to support the values given. The actual buildings have little to no value.

In a recent community meeting, Whitelaw said ever since the suburban districts were formed, the county system has sought to ensure equal or better options for students in the impacted areas.

Whitelaw said in the recent community meeting that MSCS has three options: 

1. Pursue all options to maintain buildings, which could include litigation.
2. Seek funding for new schools.
3. Bus students to existing schools.