Wharton OK's special districts for school plan

'We are building momentum,' Norris says of mayor's support

By Tom Bailey Jr. for The Commercial Appeal
April 16, 2005

County school officials and supporters Friday cheered the news that Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton now backs creating special districts for the city and county school systems.

Wharton confirmed Friday that he supports creating the two districts as part of an "overall process" that includes added revenue for schools. Wharton's backing came to light Thursday night when state Sen. Mark Norris told a Collierville Elementary PTA gathering of the mayor's support.

"We are building momentum," said Norris, who indicated that Wharton, a Democrat, called him Tuesday. Norris, a Republican, sponsors different versions of the bill calling for creation of the districts.

"We really, really, really do want a special school district," Collierville Elementary principal Louise Claney told the parents Thursday night.

"That's huge," Shelby County Schools Supt. Bobby Webb added Friday, referring to Wharton's endorsement.

Creating two special districts may not be a magic bullet, Webb said, but would be the "single greatest positive impact in Shelby County."

The support for special districts is in reaction to Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton's proposal to consolidate the two systems. Herenton has threatened to have the city stop providing more than $80 million a year to the Memphis district.

There's strong suburban support for special school districts as an alternative, in part because special districts would freeze the boundaries between the two systems. Currently, Memphis annexations convert former county schools into city schools.

Special districts also could simplify the existing funding scheme.

Shelby County now has to borrow $3 for city schools for every $1 the county system needs to build a new school.

Wharton said Friday he does not favor each special district having its own, autonomous taxing authority. Instead, he wants the state to determine what the tax rate is for the districts.

His support also assumes it's what the two systems want.

Wharton also said he would want the two special districts to coordinate their education programs so that transfers of students from one system to the other would be seamless.

Wharton said he's not "anti-consolidation."

"Mayor Herenton has his approach. We're going to study everything."

County school board chairman David Pickler was optimistic about the chances of creating special districts.

"It's incredible," Pickler said. "If we can pull the legislative delegation of Shelby County together, we feel there's a strong possibility of getting this done."

Even though the special districts could entail a new tax, suburban residents may support the "T word" this time, Norris told the PTA. Unlike now, every dollar of the tax would go to county schools, he said.

Norris said he's holding the bills from any vote in the General Assembly "until the time is right."

--Tom Bailey Jr.: 529-2388