Memphis’ approach to fixing up Whitehaven High School can boil down to addressing “the same thing over and over and over,” said Nylah Sanders, a senior at the school. And the fixes, she said, are the “simple, little things.” 

Her classmate, senior Austin Townsel, agreed with her and with adults in the room on Wednesday, Aug. 13, who said Memphis-Shelby County Schools has been “patching up” what’s not working at its schools.

“I think we have a great education,” Townsel said. “I think a lot of times with the air conditioning, the temperature and the walls and some of the electronics or technology, we can use better.” 

Auditors arrive at MSCS looking for fraud in high-stakes probe

The group — a new committee of representatives from school campuses, community leaders and elected representatives — convened for the first time Wednesday. Their task? Readying the district and its board to make decisions about closing, consolidating, repurposing and building schools, said committee co-chair Natalie McKinney, a board member. 

“This is an expensive endeavor,” McKinney said. She stressed that the community should be brought along in the board’s decision-making.

Sable Otey, committee chair, told The Daily Memphian that she would be ready to work with the administration to close schools this year. She sees the plan as “a step forward,” she said.

Facility reports estimate $2.9 billion in maintenance over next 20 years

MSCS staff Wednesday publicly discussed the findings of its facility reports for one of the first times since the results came in several months ago: With its current portfolio of buildings, the district will need to pour some $2.9 billion toward maintenance projects just to keep its schools in shape, according to assessment estimates. 

The reports, conducted by firm Bureau Veritas, also found about $1.6 billion in needs over the next decade, the district said. The Daily Memphian first reported the results of the reports in April. The news outlet’s analysis, based on a review of the individual reports, found the figure to be at least $1.4 billion. 

“It’s not just that we have $1 billion of things that are broken right now,” said Michelle Stuart, a longtime district staffer who heads up the facility department. Rather, she said, those estimates show how the district should plan to address its needs over time. 

Bureau Veritas’ reports showed the following, she said: 

• $65 million in immediate needs
• $269 million in the short-term of 1-2 years
• $635 million in the near-term of 3-5 years
• $663 million in the medium-term of 6-10 years
• $1.29 billion in the long-term of 11-20 years

MSCS has put nearly $500M to ‘patch’ buildings

Tito Langston, the district’s chief of business operations, said the district has spent down $381 million of the $491 million in funds it has received and designated toward school building improvements over the last five years. About half of that money has gone toward upgrades for schools’ heating and air, or HVAC, systems. 

“Before I go through the slide, I want to see what you guys notice,” he said, presenting a slide showing 20 different spending categories. 

The five years of funding included about $260 million of one-time federal relief funds for pandemic recovery. (Schools could use the money for certain building improvements, like air quality.) County funds accounted for about $160 million, and the district chipped in another $72 million from its reserves, he said. 

Committee members took note of where the money went: A lot on HVACs, said Bobby White of the Greater Memphis Chamber, who earlier this summer shepherded a proposal to the board from artificial intelligence company xAI, which wanted to donate building improvements. 

There wasn’t much spending on interior repair, said Cato Johnson, a Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare executive who chairs the University of Memphis’ Board of Trustees. Cardell Orrin, executive director at Stand for Children - Tennessee, pointed out the budget was also small for playgrounds and painting. 

“We’re not actually putting things into where students would actually see impact,” Orrin said. 

“This is keeping our schools functioning,” board member Amber Huett-Garcia said. “...We’re patching our buildings.”

Judge declines to reinstate Feagins

Committee reviewed 2016 closures

In another exercise, committee members looked at data from 2016: A map showed part of South Memphis, with elementary schools and a middle school. A chart listed out each school’s enrollment, plus how many students the building could hold. Another score evaluated the physical condition of the building. 

The outcome of that real-life example? The district shuttered three elementary schools, and built a new one, called Alcy. It shuttered another elementary school and created a combined Hamilton K-8. 

Free Bacchus, an assistant principal at Hamilton High School who is part of the committee, reflected on the turmoil it caused in the community. But then she recalled walking into Alcy Elementary when she was looking for a school for her son that was near her work.

“When I walked in, I was like, ‘Wow,’ ” she said. “‘How beautiful. How lucky are these children to have a library like this. A ceiling-to-wall window.’” 

“I know it hurt those traditions,” Bacchus said of the closures. “... But just look at what those kids got in return.” 

Two state lawmakers plan to push for MSCS takeover

MSCS hasn’t made major closure and combination decisions in years, instead opting to repurpose a few schools into alternative or administrative campuses. 

Closing schools, while it may generate some savings for the district, can generate pushback from community members who don’t want to replace an often beloved community hub with an empty, blighted building.

Since 2010, the district has sold 16 buildings, according to data Stuart presented Wednesday. It has demolished another 14, and about a third of that land has been sold or is leased. A dozen schools or early childhood wings are vacant. Two school buildings are being leased to charter operators. 

Three new schools have been built on district land, including Alcy. A new Frayser high school is in progress. 

New plan could overcome past ‘fits and starts’

“One of the biggest things that will come out of this committee,” Langston said, “is we’re going to have to make some hard decisions around what we do with schools. It’s not going to happen overnight.” 

McKinney, the co-chair, acknowledged the district has been moving in “fits and starts,” avoiding major school closure decisions in recent years of leadership churn as each superintendent has wanted to put their own mark on a long-term plan. The goal has been to better align the district’s buildings with its student populations. 

She argued that a facilities plan will be easier to do with a corresponding academic plan from interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond. Research shows that building conditions can impact learning outcomes. 

Labrandon Fletcher, a sophomore at Hamilton High School, rattled off a litany of issues with his school: Patchwork solutions to a faulty central air system, clogged toilets, dirty walls. 

“The lighting, I see you have $1.3 or $1.4 million left” to spend toward improvements, Fletcher said, referencing Langston’s presentation. “Our lighting is very dim. No one wants a dark place to learn and get education, you know. Thank you,” he said. 

Last year, MSCS started school missing 478 teachers. This year, it’s hoping to be down to 240 vacancies — or fewer

The committee, made up of dozens, is expected to continue meetings throughout the fall. Several members were absent from the first meeting, including Tennessee Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, and Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, as well as Shelby County Commissioner Miska Clay Bibbs. 

Reginald Milton and John Zeanah, the respective appointees for Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and Memphis Mayor Paul Young, were also among those absent.