Tennessee Senator Questions Memphis Mayor Herenton

Amy Speropoulos for www.wreg.com
January 7, 2005


State Sentor Mark Norris is concerned to say the least about Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton's plan to take 86 million dollars from the Memphis City School's, "If he wants to bring people to the table this is not the way to do it, out of fear and through intimidation." Senator Norris was at this meeting of the Shelby County Delegation. He says it felt more like a funeral than a meeting of political minds. "I told some of my fellow legislators, I could hear the sound of for sale signs going up all across Shelby County and we don't need that. The citizens of this county need to know that we are strong, that we have one of the best school systems in Shelby County in the United States and those of us who appreciate that are going to do the best to preserve everything that our school system's have to offer." That's why Senator Norris went straight to the top, sending a letter to State Attorney General Paul Summers in Nashville. It's a letter that questions the legality of Mayor Herenton's plan to take 86 million dollars from the school system. "There is no question in my mind the things this Mayor has proposed are not possible under the laws of the State of Tennessee, but I think the public needs reassurance. He also thinks parents need that reassurance. That's why Friday he filed legislation calling for Shelby County to become it's own special school district, one basically protected from consolidation. State Sentor Norris says, "It would freeze the boundries of the Shelby County School District as we know it, so when various politicians say we're going to take you over, we're going to get you, we're going to annex and consolidate and take your school, that can't be done."

Senator Norris says this idea should be nothing new for Mayor Herenton and says the two have talked about it in the past. He also says it should take about a month to get an answer back from Attorney General Paul Summers on the legality of the Mayor taking money from the school system. We will keep you posted.