MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - While Dr. Kriner Cash was visiting Charlotte last week, a survey of Memphis City Schools staff members was released that gave the superintendent low grades.
48-percent of workers who took the survey, made up of mostly teachers, gave Cash either a D or an F. They also had plenty to say about the upcoming school merger.
The Yacobian Research Firm surveyed more than 2,000 Memphis City and Shelby County school employees.
Shelby County teachers seem to have a negative outlook on the merger, but Memphis teachers have the opposite view.
61 percent of city school teachers support the merger versus just 12 percent of county teachers.
Almost 60 percent of city teachers say they definitely plan to continue working for the district when the merger takes place, compared to just over 30 percent for county teachers.
When asked if they thought the administration will get worse when the districts are merged, 60 percent of Shelby County teachers said yes and just nine percent of MCS teachers felt the same.
69 percent of county teachers felt school quality will get worse, compared to just 10 percent of city teachers.
When it comes to quality of teachers, 40 percent of Shelby County teachers say it will get worse compared to just four percent of MCS teachers.
Keith Williams, President of the Memphis Education Association, doesn't give the survey much weight. He says it's not surprising teachers from the two school districts feel so differently.
"I do not give much credibility to anything done anonymously, you don't know who they are, you can't see them, touch them or verify," he said. "Your working conditions are not the same so your responses won't be the same."
Shelby County School Board member Mike Wissman adds while the survey is a good gauge of how teachers are feeling, the reality is "surveys can be taken either way; like statistics, the numbers can be used either for or against you."
Although, Wissman said, the survey is "something that can be used as a tool to help guide decisions."
Right now, Williams says teachers from both districts are dealing with a lot of anxiety.
"I continue to be hopeful citizens and students won't be hurt by this merger," he said.
