Memphis-Shelby County School Board Closes Down Five Schools with More Closures Potentially On the Way

Memphis-Shelby County School Board logo

The Memphis-Shelby County School Board voted to close five schools during its meeting on Tuesday.

At the behest of newly appointed Superintendent Dr. Roderick Richmond, board members approved closing Georgian Hills Elementary School, Lucy Elementary School, Chickasaw Middle School, Frayser-Corning Elementary, Ida B. Wells Academy at the end of the school year.

Pushback From Board Members

Board member Stephanie Love provided significant pushback to the closure of Frayser-Corning Elementary, which is in her School District 3. She asserted that while attendance and enrollment still “isn’t where it needs to be,” grace should be given to the principal, Dr. DeAngela Graham, for the progress she has made in recent years.

“My kids went to this school, and I know what the superintendent is trying to do,” Love said. “But, that principal (Graham) has been working her tail off for three years. She had 50 percent uncertified teachers in her building, and she still came to work and made some improvements in that school.”

Fellow board member Tawanna Murphy echoed Love’s concerns about the impact of shutting down schools.

“I just don't agree with closing any schools, because we have to figure out where our teachers are going to go,” Murphy said. “Will they have a job? Will they be able to provide for their families? …I just don't agree. I'm going to say no anyway, because I just don't agree with closing schools, but those are all the things we need to consider before we close a school.”

Ultimately, Frayser-Corning’s closure passed with only Love and Murphy dissenting.

Board member Michelle Robinson McKissack addressed those in attendance and the district at large, specifically the “amazing students and families” who advocated for their schools. She mused on memories of attending Black History Month programs at Ida B. Wells Academy and visiting its living museum.

“It is more than admirable, and your passion, we all heard it,” McKissick said. “No one ever wants to close a school. Not a single board member up here wants to do this, but we are charged with making difficult decisions and being fiscally responsible, and so, from what I've been told, there is declining enrollment. (There are) 84 students across grades K through nine.”

Local Pushback

A total of 11 people spoke during the public comments section of the meeting, including four who spoke out against the closure of Ida B. Wells Academy.

This is not a failing school,” TaSharra Tuggle, parent of three current and two former students at Ida B. Wells Academy, said. “This is not a school in crisis. This is a high-performing school. Our students are producing strong academic outcomes and high scores on state assessments. They are meeting and exceeding benchmarks. The teachers are doing their jobs, and the students are doing their jobs.”

“I would like to ask that, whatever happens in this building today, that you keep the students of Ida B. Wells and the teachers together, because all of my children (have attended) Ida B. Wells,” another parent said. “They (have had) great kids coming up out of Ida B. Wells.”

“I never thought that I’d be able to go to college,” a former Ida B. Wells student said. “I currently attend the University of Memphis. I’m more than halfway through my degree, and I’m also going to the United States Air Force as a nurse, and I would never have been able to do any of this without these teachers. And to see that their livelihoods are potentially at risk and to see that so many students are potentially going to miss out on careers because their education is (going to be uprooted).,, I still feel as if it’s a part of me and my family.”

The Potential Fallout

According to a report by The Daily Memphian, the closures will affect 2,650 students and staff and could mark the beginning of a series of future closings, specifically 15 by 2028. It also details these expected mergers:

• Frayser-Corning Elementary closes, merges with Westside and Whitney

Elementary Schools in Frayser

• Georgian Hills Elementary closes, merges with Hawkins Mills and Whitney

Elementary Schools in Frayser

• Lucy Elementary is sold, students merge into Woodstock Middle School to create

Woodstock K-8 near Millington

• Chickasaw Middle closes, merges into Westwood High School to create Westwood 6-

12 in Westwood

A district report also stated that it would cost $27.5 million over the next 10 years to make the improvements necessary to continue operating the schools, and that repairs across the district over the same period are estimated at $1.4 billion.