Missing funds halt construction on Whitehaven STEM lab
Many city and county government officials were on hand for a groundbreaking ceremony for a new STEM lab at Whitehaven High School April 3, 2024. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
During a groundbreaking ceremony in April, Whitehaven community members celebrated a new $9.5 million STEM lab, and all the possibilities it would hold for students once it was complete the next year.
But the building, spearheaded over the last several years by funders outside of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district, is now on hold. Money that the school district promised to pitch in, they say, is missing.
A tangle of undelivered funds and local policies has put the project in limbo and snarled its progress. Local code requires certain school buildings, including the new STEM center, to have a storm shelter. But MSCS’ commitment to funding that storm shelter is in question. And the school district’s own policy prevents building projects from moving forward until all of the funds are secured.
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Memphis-Shelby County Schools Shelby County Commission Whitehaven Whitehaven High School Free with sign-upLaura Testino
Laura Testino is an enterprise reporter who writes about how public policy shapes Memphis. She is currently reporting from Frayser about education and housing. Please write her with your suggestions and story tips.
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