A solution to transfer two Germantown namesake schools to the suburb and sell the high school seems to put threatened litigation aside.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools will lose ownership of its three schools in Germantown, sometimes called the 3Gs. State law passed earlier this year does not allow one school district, in this case MSCS, to operate within the borders of another school system, such as Germantown’s.

County Commissioners ‘stunned’ by 3G deal press release

Rep. John Gillespie, R-Memphis, co-sponsored the legislation that forced the agreement that was reached Nov. 29. He said the terms accomplish what the law intended.

“I will wait to see the final outcome of this, but the fact that Germantown has offered what seems to be a reasonable offer, at least on paper, that’s kind of what we were going for,” Gillespie said. “Neither side wanted to play fair so the state had to step in.”

Speaking to reporters Monday during a charter school grievance hearing at the MSCS board of education, board Chairwoman Althea Greene expressed hope that a deal over the schools would result in providing the district enough funding to build a new school for affected students.

“I am thankful for the support of Mayor (Lee) Harris, the leadership of (interim) Superintendent (Toni) Williams, and the cooperation of all involved who have made it possible for Memphis-Shelby County Schools to build its first new high school in several years,” she said in a text clarifying her comments shortly after she met with reporters.

The board is set to meet for its regularly scheduled business meeting Tuesday where Greene said that more updates will be provided.

MSCS gets new high school in ‘3G’ transfer to Germantown

MSCS board member Kevin Woods, whose district includes the three Germantown schools, told The Daily Memphian in a text Monday night that while the district may have disagreed with “how we got to this point,” everyone can agree that all students in Shelby County deserve the best schools.

“By putting students first, we can get to a proposal that we are seeing today, a plan that creates new community schools, provide positive academic outcomes, and allows Superintendent Williams to focus her energy on improving education outcomes for students,” he said. 

Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo was cautious with his comments, but optimistic.

“It meets the needs of multiple parties,” he said. “It’s a solution, and it’s a compromise. I think all the folks that were involved in multiple discussions all had in mind what they wanted their specific constituencies to come out with. So I think it can meet all those needs.”

Part of the agreement requires Shelby County government to give Memphis-Shelby County Schools $72 million to help fund a new high school in Cordova. Many of the students who currently attend GHS are Cordova residents.

“The operation of state law was a real challenge and how do we navigate a state law that could upend the school futures for lots of families in the Cordova area?” Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said.

MSCS asks for funding for new high school

Over the next week, he plans to meet with Shelby County commissioners individually to help them realize there is an opportunity the county has not had in a decade, to open a new high school.

“We want to make sure we are able to give good answers to families that would be displaced by state law,” Harris said. “It’s an opportunity that’s not been done in this community in a very long time.”

Harris said the new high school will “provide a first-class learning environment.”

Germantown will pay MSCS $5 million, and will work with MSCS to sell Germantown High. If the Shelby County Commission also gives MSCS $72 million, the county district could have the needed funds for a new high school, which is estimated to cost between $100 million and $125 million. Patrice Thomas shared the ballpark number with Shelby County Commissioners last week.

MSCS: Germantown offers $5 million for namesake schools

Harris also believes if all parties agree, threatened litigation would be put aside. Last week, Williams, the interim MSCS superintendent, indicated if there was not an equal or better learning environment for Germantown High students, the county district would sue. 

“I’m happy an agreement could be reached and that a lawsuit was avoided,” said Commissioner David Bradford, who represents a portion of Germantown. “I’m glad a plan is in place to return the buildings and land to Germantown.”