Premium

One-year marriage of Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools ended in a happy divorce — for one side

By , Daily Memphian Updated: August 14, 2023 6:15 AM CT | Published: August 13, 2023 4:00 AM CT

It was the largest and shortest public school district merger in United States history. A decade later, leaders on both sides recall the road that led to an unhappy “shotgun wedding.” 

Topics

Memphis City Schools Shelby County Schools merger Muncipal school districts Memphis Shelby County Schools Tomeka Hart David Pickler Dorsey Hopson Wyatt Bunker Ted Horrell Brian Stephens Subscriber Only

Thank you for supporting local journalism.

Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.

Don Wade

Don Wade

Don Wade has been a Memphis journalist since 1998 and he has won awards for both his sports and news/feature writing. He is originally from Kansas City and is married with three sons.


Comments

Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here