By Cathryn Stout
MEMPHIS, TN — There’s about a $31.6 million gap between the amount that Shelby County Schools has requested for building new schools and renovating campuses and the amount that Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris has allocated for such projects in his proposed budget. Harris
gave Shelby County Commissioners a preview of his budget for fiscal year 2022 on Wednesday.
The $1.4 billion balanced budget includes $427 million for schools and about $23.4 million for construction costs for Shelby County Schools, the largest district in the county. Following Harris’ presentation, which he called “The Road to Recovery,” Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray presented his own school construction proposal, dubbed “Reimagining 901,” which seeks to upgrade facilities for Shelby County Schools.
Ray’s plan proposes about 60 changes to campuses across Memphis and Shelby County, including building five new schools, closing 13 to 15 schools, and merging or renovating several others. To pull off the ambitious plan and build the new facilities, such as more outdoor learning spaces and new STEM classrooms, Ray and the school board need the County Commission to allot $55 million annually towards school construction and renovations for the next 10 years.
Commissioner reactions to the superintendent’s presentation and the $55 million request were mixed.
“You know, I heard through the presentation, “We have challenges throughout,” and for the ask, we have challenges too,” said Commission Chairperson Eddie Jones.
“Realistically, if I were to look at it from a CIP standing, $55 million to SCS would equate to about 70 [percent] of our CIP spend annually, which is $75 million,” added Jones.