UPDATE: The state’s Senate Education Committee passed the bill to give Germantown control of the three schools Wednesday, according to the Daily Memphian.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The sponsor of a bill that would give Germantown control of three schools within its city limits says those school buildings will likely be replaced if the bill passes, though it wouldn’t happen immediately.
In 2013, the three legacy schools — called Germantown Elementary, Germantown Middle and Germantown High School — were kept in the Shelby County School system when Germantown decided to split off and form its own municipal district.
A bill that would give management of the three schools back to the city of Germantown has made it a step further in the Tennessee House. But some opponents say the bill is not a good idea.
In an education subcommittee Tuesday night, Tennessee state Rep. Mark White told fellow lawmakers the Germantown community wants to manage its own schools, and he’s moving a bill forward to finalize the process.
He said over the course of the last year or so representatives from Memphis Shelby County Schools and Germantown have met 13 times.
But Tony Thompson also spoke at the subcommittee, on behalf of Memphis-Shelby County Schools. He said 3,300 students attend the three schools in question.
“We are adamantly opposed to this bill. Let me make that clear,” he said. “Don’t be fooled by the amendment where it says it must be used for education. The very next sentence says, ‘unless the city or the school decides something different.'”
Thompson called the bill political and unconstitutional.
“It’s all about the land and I promise you this, my clients not afraid to go to the courthouse and that’s where it will be headed and the taxpayers will be defending an unconstitutional law,” he said.
White said after current students graduate out of the system, the buildings would probably need to be demolished.
“These are 40-50 year-old buildings. They’re out of date and at some point there needs to be new school buildings on these pieces of property so these properties will probably have to be demolished,” White said.
On the House side, the bill needs to go through another committee, as well as be taken up on the Senate side.