Suburban superintendents hope for increased county funds

Wheel tax increase could help fund capital needs

By , Daily Memphian Published: May 28, 2023 4:00 AM CT

Mayor Lee Harris’ proposed budget includes increasing the amount for maintenance in suburban school districts with an eye on equitable funding for the outlying systems.

While MSCS is the largest district in the county, the six municipal school systems get a share of funds based on individual attendance data. The superintendents of the suburban districts say they have plenty of projects on which to spend the funds.

“We want to make sure the investment is comparable regardless of where a student’s family decides to make home,” Harris said. “All seven of our municipalities (including Memphis) are important, and all of our kids — no matter where they live — are important.”


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Harris said equitable funding is generally the policy and the expectation. He said the numbers are baseline commitments if approved by county commissioners later this month. He hopes more can be contributed to schools — county and suburban.

“The more the county invests in capital projects, the more the suburban systems can allocate their local resources,” Harris said. “That means the resources they are currently using on construction projects are resources that can go to teachers and students.”

The funds would come through the increase in the county vehicle registration fee — often called the wheel tax — which is proposed to go from $50 to $100. The increase is expected to generate between $30 million and $35 million annually which would fund bonds for rebuilding Regional One and new high schools in Cordova and Frayser.

But it also includes additional capital funding for all six of the suburban districts — double what was given last year and tripling in the 2025 fiscal year.

   FY 2023
(passed in 2022)
 FY 2024
(under review)
 FY 2025
Arlington  $926,000  $ 2.1 million  $2.8 million
Bartlett $1.6 million $3.7 million $ 5 million
Collierville $1.7 million $4 million $5.2 million
Germantown $1.1 million $2.5 million $3.4 million
Lakeland $370,000 $860,000 $1.4 million
Millington $460,000 $1.1 million $1.4 million

Superintendents said they had no shortage of needs on which to spend the money. When the districts first formed, county funding helped pay for deferred maintenance on the inherited buildings. About a decade later, the suburban districts are seeing inflation impact their capital budgets challenging the cost of routine maintenance and long-scheduled improvements.


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Arlington Superintendent Jeff Mayo declined an interview, but said in a statement the district is seeing the effects of inflation with its fine arts building already under construction.

“Our needs will also grow as more families with children move to Arlington,” Mayo said in the statement. “More capital funding will help us be even more proactive in addressing routine maintenance and building needs due to that growth.” He said the reallocating of funding will give the district “more room in the general budget” for covering academic initiatives, staffing and state unfunded mandates.


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For Bartlett City Schools, Altruria Elementary needs drastic renovations or replacement. The district is in the midst of a feasibility study to determine next steps. However, Superintendent David Stephens said additional funds from the county and BCS reserves could cover most of the cost.

Costs have increased, so the extra funds could help fill the gap, Stephens said. Currently, BCS is replacing a roof at Oak Elementary. Stephens said the cost was double what it historically cost to replace a school roof.

“We definitely have needs. It’s not frills and extras,” he said of ongoing projects. “It’s going to be keeping us up to a standard.”


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Collierville is beginning to expand its high school, but remaining dollars from the federal government through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER 3.0) will cover most of that. However, the district is looking to move its central office to the former University of Memphis space in Collierville and estimates transforming the 18 classrooms into offices will cost about $2 million.

If the increased funding is approved, Collierville could use the funds for needed HVAC replacements at Collierville Elementary and Bailey Station Elementary as the refrigerant is being discontinued. With the age of the HVAC systems, parts are harder to find. Looking forward to the 2025 fiscal budget, roof replacements are also needed at the two schools. While those are priorities, there are other needs. The district also has painting and flooring projects along with chair and desk replacements on a rotating basis between its nine schools.

“If we don’t get the funding, the situation you get into is sometimes you have to defer the maintenance,” Collierville Superintendent Gary Lilly said. “The problem with that is it kind of creates a backlog. It snowballs, and it’s difficult to get yourselves out of that situation.”


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Germantown is in the early phases of studying its master plan for Houston High School, but architects showcased a number of ideas costing between $133 million and $145 million. The suburban district will likely ask the city to help because $5.9 million over the next two years won’t help significantly. Before any plan is adopted, the district will host input opportunities.

Germantown has helped the suburban district with a number of projects, but the county commission funds should help GMSD tackle projects in its five-year plan

“It’s paying for roofs, it’s paying for ADA-compliant bathrooms, ceiling tile and grid, LED lighting,” Superintendent Jason Manuel said. 

There are modulars remaining at Dogwood and Farmington schools. Manuel said increased funding from the county could also help fund brick-and-mortar solutions along with the cost to remove the temporary instruction spaces.


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Anytime Lakeland has improvements, there are likely infrastructure costs too, Superintendent Ted Horrell said. The district is working to provide better connectivity to Campus Drive, west of Lakeland Preparatory to U.S. 70. 

The district is also in need of a central office. At the inception, Lakeland used space in the suburb’s City Hall but is now utilizing classrooms at Lakeland Prep. As the school adds high school grades, the district staff must find a new home, so the cost is expected to be $3 million.

Lakeland was small at the inception of the district, so it’s had some larger needs over the years. Increased county money will continue to help the district fund needs as the city and school system grow.

“We have not had a single problem spending the money,” Horrell said. “It’s very much needed. Definitely, it goes to help support these large projects and keeps us from dipping into the general fund where those funds can be put into instruction.”


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In Millington, Superintendent Bo Griffin knows improvements will be needed once Memphis-Shelby County turns over Lucy Elementary to the district. However, Millington hasn’t done an assessment so there are still many unknowns related to needs and cost. He knows the county funds can be put to immediate use with routine maintenance, and it will free up funds in their budget.

“Every penny we save, we put back in the classroom,” Griffin said.

Topics

Shelby County Board of Commissioners Shelby County Budget Shelby County suburban schools Capital Improvements school funding Mayor Lee Harris
Abigail Warren

Abigail Warren

Abigail Warren is a lifelong resident of Shelby County and a graduate of the University of Memphis. She has worked for several local publications and covers the suburbs for The Daily Memphian.


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