Content Tagged 'Municipal Schools'

Memphis suburbs are one step closer to creating their own school districts. Watch Video

One signature. That's all six Shelby County cities are waiting on to move forward with creating their own school districts. Watch Video

A measure that would clear the way for cities to begin forming municipal school systems has passed the House.

Dorsey Hopson, recently named the interim superintendent of both Memphis and Shelby County schools, said a bill advancing in Nashville wouldn't change the work being done right here in Memphis. Watch Video

A Unified School Board member wants to put the brakes on consolidating Memphis and Shelby County school districts.

Shelby County Republican legislators have filed bills which they say will clear the way for municipal schools.

Dozens of Shelby County parents and leaders pleaded with County Commissioners to give up the Federal lawsuit against municipal school districts. Watch Video

Suburban mayors have pulled out of school negotiations with Memphis and Shelby County.

Memphis city leaders don't like it when state lawmakers butt into their business, but Shelby County officials welcome it when it comes to the Unified School District. Officials from all six Shelby County suburbs met behind closed doors with lawmakers in Nashville this week, and they're asking parents not to lose hope. Watch Video

2012 was a year people tried to raise taxes for education in Shelby County, then tried to figure out how to get everything done before the August 2013 school merger. Watch Video

Bartlett Mayor Keith McDonald has been fighting for suburban schools for months and months. He’s aware that right now it’s a dead issue, but he still has hope. Watch Video

Lawmakers are weighing in on the federal judge's ruling that creating municipal schools was unconstitutional. Democrats and Republicans are dissecting the judge's decision, and both sides are trying to figure out their next move when the legislative session starts in January. Watch Video

The Shelby County Commission showdown between Commissioners Mike Ritz and Terry Roland is heating up. Ritz is chairman of the group, and admits legal bills in the municipal schools case are being paid by taxpayer dollars while the explanations for the bill are being kept from several commission members. Roland is hot, saying as a commissioner he has a right to know, and as taxpayers you have a right to know how more than half a million of your dollars have been spent. Watch Video

“Municipalities are going to get their own school system,” says Shelby County Commissioner Chris Thomas. “It’s just a matter of when.” Watch Video

The fight for suburban schools in Shelby County is far from over, even though a federal judge just ruled they are unconstitutional. Watch Video

A bid by six Shelby County municipalities to start their own school systems were dealt a severe blow Tuesday night, when a federal judge ruled the state law used to create the districts violated the Tennessee constitution. Watch Video  |   Read the Entire Ruling by U.S. District Judge Samuel Mays (364.9KB)

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that forming municipal school districts within Shelby County is unconstitutional.  |   Read the Entire Ruling by U.S. District Judge Samuel Mays (364.9KB)

A federal judge could rule on the legality of starting suburban school systems as early as Tuesday. Judge Samuel Mayes has been working on the case since October, and has told many he hopes to have a ruling in place before he goes on vacation. Watch Video

A U.S. district judge will make a final ruling on Shelby County Municipal schools on Tuesday after attempts at mediation ended Friday November 23, 2012. Watch Video

Nobody's talking about an attempt to reorganize Shelby County schools. The federal judge who will decide if municipal schools can be created ordered everyone to mediation. He put everyone involved from the city, county, state and six municipalities under a gag order. Watch Video

Rest time is over for the Unified Memphis City and Shelby County School Board. It’s busy time. Nothing can stop time, they know it, and they know that by August of 2013 they’ve got to have a merged unified school system ready to go. Watch Video

A Millington chancellor ruled Tuesday that the half cent sales tax increase referendum on the August 2 ballot passed, even though it failed on Election Day by just two votes.

Two million dollars and counting, that's how much money has been spent in legal fees in the battle over merging Memphis and Shelby County schools. Watch Video

Serious issues are popping up in connection with the trial over whether the Memphis suburban municipalities can legally start their own school systems. A scheduled two day hearing on the issue has been continued for two weeks; that delay will mess up a lot of other things. Watch Video

A federal judge has recessed a hearing on the constitutionality of municipal school districts in Shelby County for two weeks to give both sides time to consider testimony and take depositions of the last witness to take the stand. Watch Video

The battle to create suburban school districts in Shelby County began in federal court Tuesday. Watch Video

A hearing is underway that will determine the fate of municipal school districts in Shelby County.

Judge Samuel Mays has made it clear that he’ll have no trouble tossing those election returns out, no matter how big of a landslide municipal school won by in the suburbs. Watch Video

A vote that changes the landscape of public education in Tennessee's largest county may be thrown out by a federal judge presiding over a lawsuit challenging the vote's constitutionality.

Shelby County has made its next move in the ongoing battle over education and money. Commissioners voted Monday afternoon to hold a public referendum asking to raise the county sales tax rate by half a percent. Watch Video

At the polls earlier this month, suburban voters said yes to creating their own municipal school systems. Now the question is: what will it really cost? Watch Video

Obviously, the mayor says, the constitutionality question has to be answered. Mayor Luttrell however says the racial issue is one that has no place in the municipal schools fight because he says nobody has been able to convince him, or even show him that race has anything to do with the municipal school law. Watch Video

Lawyers for the Shelby County Commission are asking the General Assembly for all communications related to the merger of the Memphis and Shelby County school systems and the formation of six new suburban school districts.

Millington officials are moving to wash their hands of a recent annexation attempt. They say votes from the Lucy community probably cost the city a tax referendum to fund municipal schools.

There were plenty of people celebrating on election night, once it became clear that the people of suburban Memphis wanted their municipalities to have their own school systems. Watch Video

Even though voters were overwhelmingly for municipal schools, that won't mean a hill of beans if Judge Samuel Hardy Mays says the law is unconstitutional.

As six suburban Shelby County cities have referendums on starting their own school systems, local officials say a possible backup plan could be charter schools.

In spite of the many problems at the polls, voters turned out in droves for early voting over the last two weeks. Watch Video

The Shelby County Commission voted to stick behind a subpoena for the identities of those posting online comments on the Commercial Appeal website. Watch Video

Put the wrong sign in your yard and investigators from the District Attorney's Office could show up at your door. It's happening in Lakeland, where voters supporting the city creating its own school system are being told their yard signs are illegal. Watch Video

Memphis voters will be asked to approve a sales tax hike this fall. Now a Shelby County commissioner is proposing a countywide bump in the sales tax rate. Watch Video

Shelby County Commissioners Mike Ritz is holding a Twon Hall Meeting in Collierville Thursday, July 26 at 5:30 p.m. at New Shelby Missionary Baptist Church.

Down but not out, one Shelby County city is vowing to press on with its effort to start its own school district. The promise comes as Millington's "Plan A", to annex the community of Lucy, was dealt a blow late last week.

"We're sorry." That's what the Shelby County Election Commission said to a Bartlett man who wasn't allowed to vote on the suburb's school referendum. "You're fired." That's what the election commission said to the poll worker who prevented him from voting. Watch Video

Voters in Collierville and Bartlett anxious to vote on their own school districts are already fed up with the early voting process. Many of them left the polls Monday without being allowed to vote on the question. Watch Video

Suburban voters flocked to early polling locations to cast their ballots on starting their own municipal school districts, but not without some problems. Watch Video

Officials with the Town of Collierville are urging newly annexed residents to wait "a couple of days" to vote until a problem with the Municipal Schools referendum on their ballots is resolved.

A federal judge has set a September 4th trial date to determine if it violates the state's Constitution for Shelby County's suburban municipalities to create their own school districts. Watch Video

The school vote will go on as scheduled, whether your vote will mean anything in the end is another question. Watch Video

A federal judge has ruled in favor of Shelby County municipalities voting on whether to create their own school districts. Watch Video