MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Tennessee bill allowing a state takeover of Memphis Shelby County Schools passed a House K-12 subcommittee and will now move to be heard for consideration in the House Education Committee.

According to sponsor Mark White (R-Memphis), HB 662 allows the Commissioner of Education to seize control of districts meeting arbitrary performance criteria, replacing locally elected school boards with a state-appointed Board of Managers for at least four years.

That bill was introduced to a subcommittee Tuesday morning in Nashville. There were six votes in favor of the bill and two votes that were opposed, which now moves the bill to a full committee.

Rep. White says his proposal would create a “nine-member board” over the next couple of years. He emphasized it’s not a state takeover and that the board would be made up of “nine Shelby County people who are experts in education and can lead us forward.”

However, those nine members would be appointed by the state, according to Rep. Sam McKenzie (D-Knoxville).

“I bring this not lightly but I believe it is time we have to have some kind of change in place because doing what we are doing is not changing,” said Rep. White.

Currently, elected board members will remain in place and work with the board of managers in an advisory capacity. In the first 90 days, a comprehensive needs plan will be put in place.

White says criteria must be met and that the Commissioner of Education may take three of four accountability measures including a vote of no confidence from the government body associated with the board in this case, citing the county commission. 

30% of school letter grades for district schools are ‘D’ or ‘F.’ The school district is in the bottom 5% of performance statewide. 25% or more of the district has chronic absenteeism, which White says he is striking. 

“That’s why we have local educational authorities, we don’t do a good job at micromanaging. That’s not what the state does. More importantly, we are a republic form of government. That means we elect people to represent our interest,” McKenzie said.

McKenzie says this bill erases that. He says it will override people going out and casting their votes for their representative.

“Why would we create an unelected group of people to destroy the republic form of government in Memphis, Shelby County?” McKenzie said. “It [the bill] lets an appointed board, I don’t care where they’re from, the people that are appointing them are right here in this building or the one next door. The local school board will have no say anymore. That’s not the way America works.”

Representative G.A. Hardaway, a Democrat from Memphis, was there as White presented his bill. Hardway believes lawmakers in Nashville need to be looking at ways to invest in the schools and keep local issues in Memphis, in Memphis.

“That’s all kind of wrong. If we’re looking at the constitution and we’re looking at voting rights and Civil rights issues but voting rights in particular we believe it’s a violation of our voting rights,” said Memphis Rep. G.A. Hardaway.

White says as far as the money, we are spending money but the results are not there in our young people.

He says that stats show only one in four Memphis Shelby County students are proficient in reading, One in five are proficient in math and there’s over $1 billion in deferred maintenance in facilities.

“I want the 100,000 students that attend our MSCS, I want them to be able to obtain a great education and they are not getting it,” White says. “You got to have change start somewhere and I want it to start here.”

Leaders in Memphis invited those in the community to travel with them to Nashville to express their concerns with the bill and why they are against it.

Ron Redwing, a business owner in Memphis, says a “makeover” would be a friendly amendment to the bill suggesting that, “we select those individuals who may be experts in facilities, certainly there are a number of experts in education, and all of the reference managers we have them locally who are ready and prepared to step up and serve in those same roles from an advisory committee and not to replace the elected board.”

Redwing says the advisory committee would be appointed by the Shelby County Commission and would work hand and hand with the locally elected board and the district.

Redwing also noted, “Be careful what you ask for or be careful of the doors you open, because it’s Memphis and Shelby County today, but it’s Crockett County, Fayette County, and every other county tomorrow.”

However White says, “Our county commission took a vote 11 to 0. Unless your county commission has done that for your district, it will not apply to you.”

This comes after board members, concerned citizens, and leaders gathered at MSCS headquarters Monday to discuss their disapproval of the bill.

“This bill is an attack on democracy,” said Shelby County Commissioner Charlie Caswell. “Our schools belong to our communities, and decisions about our children’s education should be made by the people who know them best: parents, teachers, and locally elected leaders.”

Faith leaders also gathered later that day to speak out against the bill claiming the state’s attempts at a takeover come down to “money and power.”

“I don’t believe for one minute that Republicans in middle and east Tennessee care anything about our children,” said Reverend Bill Adkins Jr. “You’re not going to convince me that they care. Now what I believe they care about is a $2.1 billion annual budget.”

Rep. G.A. Hardaway said that parents have to be involved and engaged in the election of the Shelby County School Board members.

“That’s got to change, we need informed voters,” said Hardaway.