The recent vote that forced Consolidation of the Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools is the first major step in Memphis, since the People’s Convention that formally elected the City of Memphis’s first African- American Mayor in 1991, Dr. W.W. Herenton. People looked beyond race and did the right thing for the future of the city. Of course, the vote was met with incredible opposition. There was strong Conservative Republican opposition from powerful elected officials, who wanted to maintain the schools the way they were. Republican State Senator Mark Norris and State Representative Curry Todd were able to pass legislation in the Tennessee House and Senate to slow the process of consolidation down, almost to a halt. With support from newly elected Governor, Bill Haslam, the Republican triad was able to author legislation that required the City of Memphis to endure a “Three - Year Waiting Process” that would require the new system to go through several “legislative & planning hoops” before the merger could fully take place. Even Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey, who is known for his “ultra Conservative views” , not to mention his lack of intelligence, was open about the State taking over the Memphis Schools because he felt “we did not know what we were doing’. Local Shelby County Commissioners Republicans Chris Thomas, Wyatt Bunker, & Terry Roland, actually threw child-like fits when Memphians voted for consolidation and even walked out of meetings in protest of the vote. Shelby County School Board President, David Pickler, who was the most visible in the effort to thwart the consolidation of the two systems, vowed to introduce so many lawsuits in Civil Court, that merger of the schools would never happen.
But the opposition was not just germane to Conservative Republicans, traditional Democratic organizations and elected officials became bizarre allies with the conservative opposition. AFSCME, the legendary union in Memphis and a Civil Rights institution, aggressively opposed the Consolidation of schools. Its reasoning was based on the idea that African- Americans would be giving up political and economic power that has been gained through the school system. Similarly, groups like the Baptist Ministerial Alliance also argued with the same sentiment. Controversial MCS Board Member, Rev. Kenneth Whalum Jr., pastor of the New Olivet Baptist Church, conducted a one man assault on the idea of consolidated schools. He even voiced his opposition on the famed national morning radio program, “The Tom Joyner Show”. Whalum’s primary argument was that we were leaving our children with people that did not want them.
What Memphians seem to understand on the consolidation of schools issue is that the separation of Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools was essentially a continuation of the old rule of “Separate But Equal”. The Shelby County Schools have long sold the idea that they were a superior system to the Memphis City Schools. That idea was more a misconception than reality. When I was student at Lemoyne - Owen College, I developed a social equation that I have found tested and proven. ECONOMICS + EDUCATION = OPPORTUNITY. The economic condition of the students who attend Shelby County Schools gives the impression that the educational outcomes of students were better than those of students who attend Memphis City Schools. In reality, the education standards of the Shelby County Schools pale in comparison to those of Memphis City Schools. Comparatively, the Memphis City Schools struggles are far more documented than the Shelby County Schools, which would also give the illusion that the Schools differed in their effectiveness in academic delivery.
Actually, statistics tell a different story. The 2010 No Child Left Behind Adequate Yearly Progress report, found on the website of the Tennessee Department of Education, shows that 45% of high school students in Shelby County failed the Algebra I exit test.
No, this issue is more than just academic delivery or merging of two school systems. The merging of Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools is about Memphis growing up. It is about the city of Memphis recognizing that we need to become a unified city with the common goal of growth as our moniker. New vocal leaders like Martivious Jones and Tomeka Hart, both Memphis City School Board Representatives, have emerged. They saw that it was time for Memphis to grow up from its reputation of being a sleepy little town and become astute enough to capture an opportunity to consolidate the schools. Others like State Rep. G.A. Hardaway and City Councilman Harold Collins, also became active voices that encouraged Memphians to look at the factual information surrounding the issue and not be distracted by the noise that the opposition was trying to sell to the public. Even Mayor Wharton, who had been criticized for being too passive on important community issues, rose up and became a vocal warrior on the idea of Memphians being allowed to determine their own destiny regarding the school situation. Steve Mulroy, a Republican Shelby County Commissioner, was one of the first to publicly blast persons in his own party for opposing the consolidation. This was a unified effort among several groups, composed of Memphians from all walks of life, who rallied behind the theme of one school system.
In my earlier arguments, I was only opposed to the consolidation of Memphis governments because there was no attempt to consolidate schools. Now that we have taken the first steps to consolidate the schools, we can now begin discussions of how to fairly consolidate the two governments. Now, I am the first to agree, that political power gained in the African American community is far too important for us to lose. We also need to understand that leadership that has been gained, needs to be cultivated and upgraded with new and intelligent voices that will be able to lead our community in the future.
My friends, the consolidation of schools was more than just a vote. It was the first sign that this “sleepy little town on the Mississippi River”, with a reputation of racial division and corruption, is becoming something greater. We are becoming a city that is taking its future in its hands and making things happen. Memphis, I THINK WE ARE REALLY GROWING UP!
