Memphis City Schools

Memphis City Schools (MCS) was the school district operating public schools in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, United States. It was headquartered in the Frances E. Coe Administration Building. On March 8, 2011, residents voted to disband the city school district, effectively merging it with the Shelby County School District.[1] The merger took effect July 1, 2013. After much legal maneuvering, all six incorporated municipalities (other than Memphis) created separate school districts in 2014.[2] Total enrollment, as of the 2010-2011 school year, was about 103,000 students,[3] which made the district the largest in Tennessee.

Memphis City Schools
Location
Memphis, Tennessee
United States
Other information
Websiteweb.archive.org/*/http://www.mcsk12.net/

MCS served the entire city of Memphis.[4] Some areas of unincorporated Shelby County were zoned to Memphis City Schools from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Some unincorporated areas of Shelby County were zoned to schools in Shelby County Schools for elementary and middle school and Memphis City Schools for high school.

As of August 2014 there are six new municipal school districts. Collierville Schools, Bartlett City Schools, Millington Municipal Schools, Germantown Municipal Schools, Arlington Community Schools and Lakeland School System. Shelby County Schools serves the city of Memphis and as well the unincorporated areas of Shelby County.

History
Spanish sign of Berclair Elementary School

In the mid-1960s, the district had about 130,000 students. The numbers of white students and black students were almost equal.[5]

In the mid-1960s, the district still segregated its schools. Daniel Kiel, a law professor at the University of Memphis who had authored publications about school integration in Memphis, said that the efforts to desegregate were, as paraphrased by Sam Dillon of The New York Times, "subterfuge and delay".[5] Desegregation first began with the Memphis 13, a group of first graders.[6] In 1973, the federal government ordered desegregation busing in Memphis. As a result, massive white flight occurred in Memphis City Schools. In 1973, the school district had 71,000 White students. In a period of four years, 40,000 of the White students left.[5]

In July 2011, the Memphis City Schools Board of Commissioners voted to postpone opening Memphis City Schools indefinitely until the Memphis City Council provided money set aside for the school system.[7] The incident was reported in national news.

In 2011 Marcus Pohlmann, a Rhodes College political science professor, wanted to study the Memphis schools to compare performances of schools with low income student bodies and schools with higher income student bodies. He concluded that he was unable to do so because "There are no middle-class black schools in Memphis. They’re all poor."[5]

School uniforms

All MCS students were required to wear school uniforms from the fall of 2002 until the district was dissolved in 2013.[8] Students could wear oxford shirts, polo shirts, turtlenecks, and blouses with "Peter Pan" collars. Colors varied, depending upon the school. In general, all white shirts were acceptable. Sweatshirts had to be white, black, navy blue, tan or any other colors approved by the individual campus. Trousers, shorts, skirts, and jumpers had to be black, tan, or navy blue. Denim clothing was not allowed.[9] When MCS and SCS merged in 2013, the former MCS schools kept this uniform policy while the existing SCS schools did not, since the suburbs planned to form their own districts and leave SCS within a year.[10]

Schools

K-12 schools

Alternative

7-12 schools

Zoned

High schools

Zoned

Alternative

  • Middle College High School[31]

Middle schools

6-8

6-8

7-8

K-8 schools

Zoned

Alternative

K-7 schools

Zoned

Zoned elementary schools

K-6

K-5

1-5

K-4

Alternative elementary schools

K-6

Former schools

Former elementary schools
  • Hollywood Elementary School (closed spring 2007) (Students reassigned to Springdale Elementary School)
  • Lauderdale Elementary School (closed spring 2007) (Students reassigned to Larose Elementary School)
  • Macon Elementary School (closed spring 2007) (Students reassigned to Berclair Elementary School)
  • Ridgeway Elementary School was merged into Balmoral Elementary in spring 2007. The building underwent moderate renovations to accommodate what is currently Ridgeway High School's Ninth Grade Freshmen Academy.
  • Graves Elementary School, closed in 2014.

Former secondary schools

Former high schools

Blue Ribbon Schools

Seven Memphis City Schools have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education's Blue Ribbon Schools Program, which honors schools that are academically superior or demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement.[33] These schools are:

  • 1982-83 — Snowden School
  • 1985-86 — Grahamwood School
  • 1992-93 — Craigmont Junior/Senior High School
  • 1993-94 — Richland Elementary School
  • 2004 — Keystone Elementary
  • 2005 — Delano Elementary School
  • 2008 — John P. Freeman Optional School

Other facilities

Memphis City Schools was headquartered in the Francis E. Coe Administration Building,[34][35] It was shared with the pre-merger Shelby County Schools. The building has two wings, one for each district. As of 2013 the corridor linking the wings had a double-locked doors, and the glass panels had been covered by particle boards. Irving Hamer, the deputy superintendent of Memphis City Schools, described the barrier as "our Berlin Wall."[5]

See also

References
  1. McMillin, Zack (8 March 2011). "Memphis voters OK school charter surrender". The Commercial Appeal. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  2. Coverage of the School Merger News for Memphis, TN from The Commercial Appeal Archived February 22, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Campbell Robertson, Memphis to Vote on Transferring School System to County Archived June 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, January 27, 2011
  4. "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Shelby County, TN" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  5. Dillon, Sam. "Merger of Memphis and County School Districts Revives Race and Class Challenges Archived June 15, 2013, at archive.today." The New York Times. November 5, 2011. Retrieved on June 3, 2013.
  6. Moore, Linda (October 2011). "The Memphis 13: First-graders made history 50 years ago integrating Memphis schools". Memphis Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  7. Associated Press, 07.20.11–Fund spat delays Memphis school start indefinitely Archived July 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Public School Uniforms". NAESP. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  9. "Memphis City Schools School Uniforms." Memphis City Schools. March 8, 2012. Retrieved on June 2, 2013.
  10. School Uniform Policies Remain Unchanged (30 May 2013). "School Uniform Policies Remain Unchanged - Memphis Daily News". Memphis Daily News.
  11. K12.tn.us
  12. K12.tn.us Archived December 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  13. K12.tn.us, Kingsbury Archived December 1, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  14. K12.tn.us Archived November 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  15. K12.tn.us Archived August 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  16. K12.tn.us Archived June 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  17. K12.tn.us Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  18. K12.tn.us Archived April 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  19. K12.tn.us Archived November 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  20. K12.tn.us Archived January 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  21. K12.tn.us Archived April 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  22. K12.tn.us Archived January 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  23. K12.tn.us Archived June 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  24. K12.tn.us Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  25. K12.tn.us Archived April 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  26. Ridgewayhigh.org Archived October 6, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  27. K12.tn.us Archived November 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  28. K12.tn.us Archived June 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  29. K12.tn.us Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  30. K12.tn.us Archived December 8, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  31. K12.tn.us Archived June 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  32. K12.tn.us Archived November 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  33. Blue Ribbon Schools Program Archived April 8, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  34. "Contact Us Archived June 14, 2013, at the Wayback Machine." Memphis City Schools. Retrieved on July 2, 2013. "Memphis City Schools 2597 Avery Avenue Memphis, TN 38112"
  35. "Board of Commissioners Archived March 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine." Memphis City Schools. Retrieved on July 2, 2013. "[...]the Francis E. Coe Administration Building, 2597 Avery Avenue."

Further reading
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