Community members share thoughts on creating state-of-the-art facilities for students and addressing the district's deferred maintenance.
MEMPHIS, TN – In a continuous effort to offer the best academic opportunities for students, Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) recently established a steering committee with community members and educators to discuss and create infrastructure recommendations.
The goal is to create state-of-the-art facilities for students and address District-deferred maintenance costs, which are approximately $500 million. The steering committee consists of local public servants, business leaders, educators, and city and county employees.
“The purpose of these discussions is to create and implement a strategic and responsive solution that will not only address our deferred maintenance but also give us an opportunity to invest in our students, schools, and the communities surrounding them,” said Interim Superintendent Toni Williams.
The steering committee recently held its first discussion about the current landscape of the District. Currently, MSCS owns, operates and maintains over 200 properties. The properties consist of 155 school campuses, 13 stadiums, 18 administrative locations, 17 vacant lots, and six vacant buildings.
The proposed infrastructure planning phases include:
Phase 1: Impact 50 schools and administrative buildings in five years, with renovations, reuse and mixed-use opportunities, and consolidations.
Phase 2: Pursue enhanced funding strategies with the city, county and state and strengthen partnership with More for Memphis to aid community outreach.
Phase 3: Impact 110 schools in 10 years. With renovations, reuse and mixed-use opportunities, and consolidations.
The steering committee will publicly present its infrastructure recommendations to the Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board in the coming weeks.
“Our top priority is to invest in our students and offer them the best academic opportunities,” Williams said.
For more detailed information, see the linked presentation here.