Shelby County plans to give Memphis-Shelby County Schools $72 million to build a new high school in the Cordova area — an agreement that addresses the ongoing negotiations for Germantown’s namesake schools.

The commitment announced in a joint statement Monday afternoon helps the City of Germantown and MSCS reach an agreement in the disputed ownership of the three schools in the suburb, otherwise known as the 3Gs.

MSCS asks for funding for new high school

The statement was released by Shelby County government, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the City of Germantown and the Germantown Municipal School District.

The exact terms of the agreement are unclear. 

“Attorneys for all the parties involved are still working on the agreement and have not finalized it yet,” according to Jessica Comas, communications manager for the City of Germantown.

All of the parties must approve the agreement. The Shelby County Board of Commissioners will vote Dec. 14, and the MSCS board will consider it the following day. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said he would meet with commissioners over the next week to help them understand the opportunity at hand for Cordova-area families.

“I’m cautiously optimistic the parties will see this as an opportunity to have a first-class learning environment,” Harris said by phone.

Germantown’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen will vote on the agreement on Dec. 12 and the Germantown school board will vote Dec. 15, the same day as MSCS, according to a release.

The agreement talks about a multi-year transition plan for current students in the 3Gs. Harris said the transition plan could take about nine years, although that timetable could be accelerated. 

The agreement comes as the sides faced a Dec. 31 deadline to work out details to turn the schools over to Germantown. A law passed by the legislature earlier this year codified a state attorney general’s opinion that one district could not operate schools within the boundaries of another.

That has been the case since the municipal districts were formed in 2013. MSCS operated the three Germantown namesake schools within the suburb’s city limits, which coincide with the Germantown school district.

MSCS also has a similar situation with Lucy Elementary in Millington. By phone, Bo Griffin said there has not been an agreement for Lucy yet and MSCS has not contacted him.

“I hope they reach out to us this week and my hope is we can get (an agreement) too,” Griffin said.

MSCS: Germantown offers $5 million for namesake schools

State Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, who carried the legislation that forced an agreement, will learn more about the terms tomorrow in a meeting with Germantown leaders.

“I’m glad to see there is a deal that looks like a solution where it sounds like we are protecting the students,” White said. “And the property is going back to the city of Germantown, which is what they wanted all along.”

Germantown will give MSCS $5 million for “one of the buildings” as part of the agreement, according to the release and assist in selling it.

That building seems to be Germantown High School. 

If MSCS and Germantown sell Germantown High, the amount — along with Germantown’s $5 million and $72.5 million from the county — is expected to make up the remainder needed for the new high school in the Cordova area.

It would be the county district’s first new high school in more than a decade.

MSCS could sue over 3G law

Germantown Elementary and Germantown Middle will transfer to the City of Germantown — not the suburban school district — at the end of the agreement period. In the last few days, Mayor Mike Palazzolo said the city would evaluate and determine how to best use the campuses after students transition out.

Last week in a committee session with Shelby County Commission, Patrice Thomas, MSCS chief of staff, said she did not expect Germantown to use the campuses as schools. She also said it could cost the district between $110 million and $125 million to build a new high school. 

The agreement was reached Nov. 29. Although GMSD is scheduled to vote on the agreement, the school district has not been part of any formal discussions.