MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A fight over the future of the so-called Three G schools is heating up.
A bill that would force Memphis-Shelby County Schools to hand over Germantown Elementary, Middle and High schools to Germantown cleared another hurdle at the capitol Wednesday. The bill impacts ownership of the three schools in Germantown, and Lucy Elementary in Millington.
“I believe that it’s a fair ask to go ahead and transfer these schools back to the city of Germantown because they want to manage these schools, they want to be the ones to upkeep the property,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis).
The measure has support from Germantown’s mayor, who pledged to use the school property “for educational purposes for Germantown’s long-term school growth needs.”
“The schools are currently operated by SCS, and it is our intent for them to continue to operate. And hopefully, we’ll be able, for all those students, to grade their schools. We need the campuses, and the properties, and the facilities for our future long-term growth,” Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo said.
But Wednesday, there were some fireworks as a House committee took a vote.
White says leaders from Memphis-Shelby County Schools and Germantown asked him to bring the bill.
That’s when Rep. Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis) asked him point blank if MSCS Superintendent Joris Ray was involved.
“Are you telling me that Superintendent Joris Ray asked you to bring a bill that would ultimately, if they don’t come to an agreement, would take the property from Shelby County Schools and give it to Germantown? Are you telling me that Superintendent Ray told you to bring this bill?” Parkinson asked White.
White responded: “I’m not going to mention any names. I am telling you that in the meetings that I was in, both sides asked me to move forward with this bill.”
Moments after that exchange, Parkinson asked Ray to text him, knowing he was watching the hearing. Minutes later, this happened.
“Two things,” Parkinson said. “One, I got a text message from the Board Chair, Michelle McKissack, saying that she did not ask for this bill to be brought, and I got a text from the Superintendent that he did not ask for this bill to be brought.”
Tony Thompson, the lobbyist representing Memphis-Shelby County Schools at the hearing, said MSCS does not support the bill and he didn’t know who would’ve asked White to bring the bill to the vote.
He believes Germantown is in violation of the settlement agreement that led to the creation of the city’s municipal school district.
If the bill is passed, Thompson said he expects Shelby County to take Germantown back to court.
Parkinson also asked Palazzolo about the expected growth in student population in Germantown. A recent demographic study done in the city that showed about 1,000 single-family homes expected by 2031.
But Parkinson said, the study only forecast a small increase in middle school students and a decrease at the high school level.
