May 28, 2011 Norris says charters offer teachers and administrators flexibility to turn around persistently low-performing schools. more...
March 18, 2011 Norris said, "I think the Shelby County Charter addresses the number and if they want to change it, I recommend they take it to the people for a referendum vote." more...
March 18, 2011 State Senate GOP leader Mark Norris of Collierville, a former Shelby County Commission chairman, is among critics of the move who contend the commission is reading state law incorrectly. more...
March 17, 2011 "I encourage them to come along with us, join arms and move forward," Norris said. "They're wasting their time." more...
March 17, 2011 "I think Section 6 of the charter of Shelby County prescribes the number of members on the Shelby County School Board, and they should adhere to their own charter," Tennessee Senator Mark Norris said. more...
March 10, 2011 Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris of Collierville, who's carrying the legislation for the governor, said federal regulations require specific initiatives to be in place by July and that teachers are not being targeted. more...
March 10, 2011 Senator Norris, the elected leader of the Republicans in the Senate, says the new system which requires five years of experience before a teacher may gain tenure is actually an easier system to deal with than the make-or-break three-year cycle they now face. more...
March 9, 2011 Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, a Republican who represents those suburbs, said a merger "could be a very good thing," but time would be needed to make sure it is handled properly and to heal wounds caused by "ugly, outmoded" racial remarks made recently. more...
March 9, 2011 The timeframe for the consolidation process was crafted by state legislation introduced by Senator Mark Norris of Collierville and signed into state law just a few weeks prior to Tuesday's referendum vote. more...
March 8, 2011 "It is a watershed event. Those of us who care about education reform embrace this as a rare opportunity to focus attention and effort on what should matter most -- how to make the best education available to every child regardless of ZIP code." more...
March 8, 2011 The new state law, pushed by Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, and others, delays any merger until the 2013-14 school year and calls for the appointment of a 21-member transition planning commission. more...
March 2, 2011 Senate Majority Mark Norris, R-Collierville, said the bill, which among other things expands the probationary period before tenure is granted from three to five years, will “help us all along on this next stop on the continuum of reform.” more...
February 17, 2011 The occasion was the announcement of a new Mitsubishi plant-to-be in a ceremony that brought together such figures as the Grizzlies' Rudy Gay, Governor Bill Haslam, venerable former U.S. senator Howard Baker, Mayors A C Wharton and Mark Luttrell, and state Senate majority leader Mark Norris, principal author of the currently controversial Norris-Todd bill on school-system consolidation. more...
February 16, 2011 Senator Mark Norris says Wharton asked for a law outlining a plan for a potential school merger, and that's what Nashville delivered. more...
February 15, 2011 In the few days between an emergency City Hall summit of local officials two weeks ago and the unveiling of Norris-Todd and its passage last week by party-line votes in the Senate and House, there had been an understanding locally that Wharton would be interceding with Haslam in order to soften the requirements or the bill’s provisions. more...
February 14, 2011 Before Shelby County Commissioners met Monday afternoon, they had an opportunity to express their displeasure with Nashville directly to Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. Haslam tried to defend his decision to sign into law a controversial merger transition plan developed by Collierville State Senator Mark Norris. more...
February 14, 2011 Mayor A C Wharton, State Senator Mark Norris, Governor Bill Haslam, various members of the Memphis City Council and Shelby County Commission were all in one room. more...
February 12, 2011 Whatever course is taken, there should be nothing to fear from a consolidation process that is fair to both sides. more...
February 11, 2011 "We appreciate the Governor's expeditious review and support of this important legislation. His decisive action should help resolve some of the confusion and restore the focus on education," said Norris. more...
February 11, 2011 Senator Mark Norris said he appreciated the signing of his bill into law, "We appreciate the Governor's expeditious review and support of this important legislation. His decisive action should help resolve some of the confusion and restore the focus on education." more...
February 11, 2011 Collierville Republican state senator Mark Norris who introduced the bill to delay the school merger by three years joined FOX13 in an exclusive interview. more...
February 10, 2011 Norris says he is looking over what has taken place at Memphis City Hall. He says it would be premature to comment on the council's vote at this time. more...
Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville) and House State and Local Government Chairman Curry Todd (R-Collierville) announced that Governor Bill Haslam signed Senate Bill 25 / House Bill 51 into law this morning. more...
February 10, 2011 Meanwhile, the Norris-Todd bill will go to Governor Haslam for action. He may sign it into law; let it pass without his signature (which would happen automatically after 10 days); or veto it, in which case a simple majority vote in both House and Senate would be enough to override. more...
February 10, 2011 The magnitude of this undertaking and the potential consequences to thousands of Tennesseans, make SB25 compelling: Providing a roadmap for transition, which assures a quality education and a stable tax base. more...
February 10, 2011 In essence, Norris' bill attaches a number of subsequent stages to the court-ordered city referendum he and other merger opponents had earlier been unable to impede. more...
February 8, 2011 "We cannot have a shotgun marriage of these school systems. He said such a marriage won't work," Norris quoted. more...
February 7, 2011 The Tennessee State Senate has approved a bill by Sen. Mark Norris. more...
February 7, 2011 "I was able to accomplish the beginning of a process where the sides are going to have to work together," Norris said. more...
February 7, 2011 The Tennessee General Assembly reconvened on Monday to debate the Mark Norris Bill that would delay the merger for 3 years. more...
February 7, 2011 Proposal would put move on hold following angry reactions more...
February 4, 2011 The Tennessee Legislature begins its working session Monday evening with schools consolidation legislation the first bill on the floor for the state House and the state Senate. more...
February 4, 2011 Sponsored by Sen. Mark Norris (R-Collierville) the plan would set up a transition team of twenty one people who would have three years to work out merging both systems into one. more...
February 3, 2011 The Norris-proposed legislation – as now written – would require a three-year planning period before any merger of Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools. more...
February 3, 2011 Norris' bill is expected to pass Monday, but Mayor A C Wharton said the governor has vowed not to sign it into law until the city council has a chance to take action if necessary. more...
February 3, 2011 The bill by state Senate Republican leader Mark Norris keeps in place the March 8 citywide referendum on a surrender of the Memphis City Schools charter that would effectively consolidate the system with Shelby County Schools. more...
February 3, 2011 "I commend Senator Norris for his leadership on this issue. I would hope the committee's work would be completed sooner than three years. However, as indicated in early January, I think it is absolutely critical that a clear and legal transition process take place," Luttrell stated. more...
February 2, 2011 Norris himself defined his measure as one that provided “enhanced self-determination” for Memphis, as “an orderly transition process,” and as an effort “to facilitate the referendum and the process to make it not only meaningful but successful.” more...
February 2, 2011 Republican State Senator Mark Norris presented a bill Wednesday during a committee meeting in Nashville. more...
February 2, 2011 A Tennessee State Education Committee has passed a bill from Tennessee State Senator Mark Norris that would implement a three year waiting period if Memphis voters decide to surrender the Memphis City Schools charter. more...
February 2, 2011 The proposal by Senate Republican leader Mark Norris of Nashville was amended with changes that were still being written up to the start of the committee session. more...
February 2, 2011 In a written statement, state Sen. Mark Norris of Collierville said Haslam and Smith share his concerns about a transition to a consolidated school district. more...
February 2, 2011 I am pleased that the Commissioner of Education shares my concerns, and those of many Shelby County and Memphis City residents, regarding the attempt to transfer the administration of the Memphis City Schools to the Shelby County Board of Education without proper planning. more...
February 1, 2011 State Senator Mark Norris is crafting a bill he says would provide a roadmap if Memphis votes to transfer the administration of the Memphis City Schools to the Shelby County Board of Education. more...
February 1, 2011 That's where Collierville Senator, Mark Norris, backed by the power of ally Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey, plans on seeking a legislative block to the referendum vote. more...
February 1, 2011 Wednesday, February 2nd – The education and finance committees in the State Senate will meet and Republicans will try to push Senator Mark Norris’ bill through. more...
February 1, 2011 “No plan worth executing that will achieve positive results for educating all of our children can possibly be written or formulated by Feb. 15 or March 1,” Norris wrote. more...
January 31, 2011 It’s not on the agenda, but council members could react Tuesday to the prospect of an amendment to Norris’ bill in Nashville on the standoff between Memphis City and Shelby County schools. more...
January 31, 2011 The legislation proposed by Senate Republican leader Mark Norris of Collierville, as it is currently, would delay any consolidation by the two school systems for at least a year. more...
January 31, 2011 If approved, the legislation Mark Norris filed, which is backed by Ron Ramsey, could be ready for floor votes in both legislative chambers next week. more...
January 28, 2011 A bill by State Senate Republican leader Mark Norris of Collierville to include county voters outside Memphis in the referendum and lengthen the transition process by as much as a year is due in two Senate committees next week in Nashville. more...
January 27, 2011 Norris is in the midst of proposing his own legislation that would open up the referendum for county citizens outside the city limits to vote on March 8 as well. more...
January 27, 2011 “In no other case did we have this inversion where the surrendering system dwarfed the receiving system,” said Mark Norris, the Republican Senate majority leader, whose district includes parts of suburban Shelby County. more...
January 27, 2011 Even state senator Mark Norris, the GOP majority leader of the state Senate and the author of legislation designed to avert the consequences of an MCS charter surrender, has expressed himself as being open-minded to some such formula. more...
January 20, 2011 The Senate Bill 25 that I’ve introduced [providing for dual city and county votes] needs to proceed forward. That’s the current law. It is the law. more...
January 20, 2011 The bottom line with state senator Mark Norris of Collierville on the standoff between Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools: Yes, his legislation to mandate separate city and county votes on merger of the two systems (via transfer of MCS authority to SCS) is going forward in the General Assembly. more...
January 19, 2011 Norris notes that Tennessee code provides that any vote on consolidation should be county-wide. However, others argue that law, and it could open up another legal battle. more...
January 19, 2011 The Shelby County Election Commission voted Wednesday afternoon to put a March 8 referendum before Memphis voters on whether to dissolve Memphis City Schools. more...
January 18, 2011 The Republican senator is trying to change the law to make sure county residents can vote on Memphis City Schools decision to surrender its charter. more...
January 17, 2011 The definition of Norris’s role in the current schools standoff depends on who you talk to. Norris, himself, describes himself as a mediator between the two school systems — not by choice — but because mayors Wharton and Luttrell — asked him. more...
January 17, 2011 School consolidation legislation proposed by State Senate Republican leader Mark Norris of Collierville is moving in the Tennessee legislature in advance of Saturday’s inauguration of Bill Haslam as Tennessee governor. more...
January 14, 2011 Senator Norris believes this discussion warrants a clear vision, exceptional strategies and a collective effort by all. more...
January 14, 2011 State Senator Mark Norris of Collierville introduced legislation this week that would allow people outside the city limits vote on the looming referendum. more...
January 14, 2011 Norris said in a statement later Thursday that after learning of the possible agreement between MCS and SCS, "further legislative action this week seems unwarranted, therefore, in light of this positive development." more...
Janary 14, 2011 Haslam had already been in touch with state Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris about the legislation Norris proposed hours earlier to slow down the consolidation move and require a countywide vote in any referendum. more...
January 13, 2011 The struggle between Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools, two separately operating systems which at the moment somewhat uncomfortably share the same district, continues to look like a see-saw act performed on a high wire. more...
January 13, 2011 I commend the representatives of both school systems for their efforts and hope they result in an orderly process. The right of our citizens to vote based on accurate information is critical to our future success. more...
January 12, 2011 Norris’ bill would make dual passage necessary before the charter surrender could occur. more...
January 12, 2011 Senator Mark Norris will introduce a bill this week that could stop the forced consolidation. His bill would require Shelby County residents to be included in the vote. more...
January 12, 2011 Readers in West Tennessee may be aware that a crisis has developed in Shelby County over the issue of consolidation of the Memphis City Schools and the Shelby County schools more...
January 12, 2011 Meanwhile, state Sen. Mark Norris of Collierville, the Senate GOP leader, formally introduced Senate bill 25 Tuesday. more...
January 12, 2011 Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris and new House Speaker Beth Harwell said Tuesday that final approval of a bill Norris has drafted intervening in the Memphis City Schools showdown could occur as quickly as Saturday. more...
January 11, 2011 Norris has written a draft of legislation that could stop Memphis schools from surrendering its charter if Shelby County residents are not included in the vote. The bill will be filed sometime this week. more...
January 11, 2011 Norris calls MCS’ December vote to dissolve and merge with the County School district a “hostile takeover.” more...
January 11, 2011 Wharton said he did talk by phone with State Senator Mark Norris Tuesday morning, who said he will delay any legislation in Nashville he would bring up on the consolidation issue until Wednesday. more...
January 11, 2011 In Nashville, the General Assembly got together for their first day back at work. State Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Colllierville) says he's already got a bill planned. more...
January 11, 2011 The legislature took no action today on the Memphis schools showdown but both Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, and the new House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, said final approval of the bill Norris drafted could occur as quickly as Saturday -- an extraordinarily swift action. more...
January 11, 2011 "Unification without unity is not unity at all," Norris said. "We have people trying to have a hostile takeover. We need a measured and considered approach." more...
December 15, 2010 State Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, the Senate majority leader, has said he would block efforts to allow special districts, so long as MCS agrees to back away from charter surrender and engage in substantive discussions. more...
December 14, 2010 Luttrell said State Senate Republican leader Mark Norris of Collierville has also suggested that the state comptroller’s office study the financial implications of a charter surrender and special school district status and report as part of the study committee that would include local leaders as well as state officials. more...
December 2, 2010 Norris suggests that there is "creative tension" in the air that could lead to a solution. A finger on the button that says "Consolidation" can do that. more...
December 1, 2010 "Everybody ought to just stand down and let things run their course," Norris said. more...
December 1, 2010 State Senator Mark Norris of Collierville and Representative Ron Lollar of Bartlett say they will not introduce the bill in January if Memphis City and Shelby County school board members agree to talk. more...
November 22, 2010 But, even with a Republican dominated General Assembly and the expressed vocal support of legislators such as Mark Norris, the potential stumbling block for passage remains the same: another property tax burden added to the mix of an already heavily taxed city and county. more...
October 15, 2010 DeWitt said Norris, the ninth political speaker the organization has brought to campus this semester, will also encourage students to become more involved in politics. more...
April 14, 2010 A bill that would open the door for Shelby County Schools to become a special school district is further along in the Tennessee legislature than it has ever been. more...
February 28, 2010 “I’ve continued to work ... to see how much debt has been authorized but never issued,” Norris said. “By canceling some of that old debt, we can free up some of the reserves by law we’ve been required to set aside, and thereby free up cash.” more...
February 28, 2010 Republican Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris of Collierville said a number of options are being tossed about, but he said one involves possibly reducing some of the debt the state authorized for capital projects, which could free up "several tens of millions" of dollars. more...
January 21, 2010 “This is a major step forward. It incorporates a number of reforms that a lot of us have been advocating for a number of years, and the timing was just right.” more...
April 8, 2009 Sen. Mark Norris of Collierville is sponsoring the Senate version of the legislation. more...
March 26, 2009 Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville) will address the state of Tennessee’s economy on Saturday, March 28, at Vanderbilt’s Averbach Auditorium. more...
March 26, 2009 Several Vanderbilt professors and financial experts from the Nashville community will be speaking in addition to Mark Norris, Tennessee State Senate Majority Leader and Richard McCarty, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. more...
March 25, 2009 Volunteers are meeting with legislators from across the state including Rep. Beth Harwell (R-Nashville), Reps. Mark Norris (R-Memphis) and Paul Stanley (R-Memphis) and Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro). more...
April 5, 2008 "I'll oppose it," said the Collierville Republican, whose senate district includes the main DSCC campus in Dyersburg and the Covington site. "And take a wait and see attitude from then." more...
April 4, 2008 "We need to strike an appropriate balance between the scholarship that is required and the performance that we really need to see to graduate top notch students but to help them keep their scholarships so they can graduate," Senator Mark Norris said. more...
March 13, 2008 State Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris recently named Dyersburg State Community College officials as the recipient of a $40,000 grant to be used to fund scholarships enhancing the college's already successful dual enrollment program. more...
February 6, 2008 The measure sponsored by Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, unanimously passed the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday. more...
January 8, 2008 They'd like to lower the standards so that anybody can go and that's going to be one of the issues to be debated hotly to be sure," Senator Mark Norris said. more...
August 16, 2007 Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris of Collierville said the last time he checked with the secretary of state's office the number of applications from his district indicated "the requests exceed the available funds." more...
July 5, 2007 “This grant unites our community and our school district in a real partnership for helping students,” Senator Mark Norris said. “Clearly, this program will better prepare our children for school and life.” more...
June 24, 2007 Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris of Collierville took a different view. "This was our first session under new management. We began the process of getting tax relief to Tennesseans -- not as much as a more substantial Republican majority would have. more...
June 14, 2007 Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris of Collierville: "This was our first session under new management (the first GOP Senate speaker in 140 years). I don't think it was flashy but it was solid and steady." more...
June 11, 2007 "There is significant discomfort on both sides of the aisle" with portions of the compromise, said Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris of Collierville. more...
June 9, 2007 "There is a lot of anxiety on both sides of the aisle (in the Senate) about this reduction in recurring revenues," said Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris of Collierville. more...
June 4, 2007 A local property tax freeze for homeowners aged 65 and older. The dispute is where to set the ceiling on household income to qualify for the freeze, which was authorized by a state constitutional referendum last fall. more...
May 25, 2007 “If you want to strike a blow at tobacco, then tax tobacco,” said Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville). more...
May 23, 2007 Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris said the memo in question, e-mailed to legislators Monday night, reminded him of a "bait-and-switch" tactic. more...
May 23, 2007 “The push with the incorrect information that had been rapidly disseminated by the administration last night along with this push to move forward with this cigarette tax is a recipe for disaster,” said Norris, of Collierville. more...
May 22, 2007 Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris responded that he doesn't want to rush. more...
May 22, 2007 The issue, raised this morning by Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris of Collierville, later drew an apology from Finance Commissioner Dave Goetz. more...
May 22, 2007 "When you just slap things together the way they've done, and then run them all down to vote them on the floor, you could put into law something that is not progress," said Sen. Mark Norris, R-Memphis. more...
May 12, 2007 But neither Ramsey nor Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris of Collierville would say how much of a tax increase they favor. more...
March 29, 2007 Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris, of Collierville, said he could sense "a softening" in the governor's attitude this week. more...
March 27, 2007 Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris of Collierville has said Bredesen’s “Schools First” proposal should instead be labeled “Schools Last,” because it doesn’t adjust the state’s regular operating budget to prioritize schools. more...
February 6, 2007 Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris of Collierville said Republicans "embrace his willingness to move forward on education," more...
December 25, 2006 "We need to legislate a ceiling that could be accepted by local and county governments," Norris said. "Senate Bill 2, which I am sponsoring, has a $50,000 ceiling." more...
April 19, 2006 NASHVILLE -- A House subcommittee killed for another year Tuesday a bill allowing Shelby County schools to convert to a special school district. more...
April 18, 2006 The bill, sponsored by Rep. Tre' Hargett, R-Bartlett, and Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, was on the first step in a long process that would ultimately would have allowed the county school system to become a special school district outside the City of Memphis. more...
April 3, 2006 That legislation -- sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jerry West of Hermitage and Republican Sen. Mark Norris of Collierville -- remains stuck in a House subcommittee and has yet to move in the Senate. more...
January 29, 2006 On Jan. 22 Shelby County Council Parent Teacher Association held its third annual Student Awards Ceremony. more...
January 27, 2006 Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, said he supports strengthening math and science education but questions whether this proposal is the best approach. more...
Shelby County board members unanimously approved an agreement to accept the students June 14 at a special called school board meeting. more...
The pledge was admirable and courageous. With an extraordinary effort, it might be kept. more...
May 20, 2005 Primary sponsor Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, says there is still hope that Senate Bill 2062 could be revived when the General Assembly reconvenes next January. more...
May 17, 2005 Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, filed the bill after both school systems said they needed protection from sudden threats such as the one posed when Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton threatened to pull school funding. more...
May 16, 2005 That bill, by state Sen. Mark Norris of Collierville, would also provide each district with limited taxing power. more...
May 15, 2005 Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, filed the bill at the start of the legislative session, partly in response to Mayor Willie Herenton's threat -- later rescinded -- to terminate the city's share of funding of city schools. more...
May 13, 2005 "I have an extensive history with this issue," Norris said. more...
State Sen. and Collierville resident Mark Norris spoke to the Collierville Elementary School PTA after the organization's general membership meeting April 14. more...
Wharton's backing came to light Thursday night when state Sen. Mark Norris told a Collierville Elementary PTA gathering of the mayor's support. more...
"There may be an element of that," said Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, who was on the County Commission before the legislature. more...
April 3, 2005 Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, has a bill to give both city and county school systems "special school district" status under state law, protecting their boundaries and giving their boards more taxing authority. more...
March 22, 2005 “It’s been very busy,” said the state senator last week from his office in Nashville. more...
March 16, 2005 The stage is set for a battle royal in the courtroom over who's responsible for the education of Memphis schoolchildren. more...
March 11, 2005 Norris, R-Collierville, said the attorney general's opinion confirmed his own belief that state law "prohibits the city from just revoking the city school system's funding." more...
March 10, 2005 State Senator Mark Norris (R-Collierville) has been selected to chair a special subcommittee to negotiate alternatives for education funding and debt reduction in Shelby County. more...
March 4, 2005 State Senator Mark Norris has filed three different versions of his special school district bill in Nashville. more...
February 23, 2005 Sen. Mark Norris said, "It runs the risk of ultimate disruption what Shelby County needs is a stabilizing influence. more...
February 21, 2005 "Dollars have to be reallocated and reallocated appropriately and that will take some time," said state Norris. more...
February 20, 2005 State Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, filed a bill this year that could set the plan in motion, by freezing the school district boundaries. more...
Norris' special districts bill, currently waiting to brought up in the present legislative session, more...
February 16, 2005 State Senator Mark Norris (R-Collierville) has been recognized by the Tennessee Parent Teacher Association (PTA) as the 2005 Outstanding Legislator of the Year. more...
more...
January 22, 2005 The General Assembly would have to create the districts. more...
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 more...
Sen. Mark Norris (R-Collierville) received the Tennessee School Boards Association Legislative Award in Nashville last week. more...
June 10, 2003 The legislature, the governor and local school districts have far more serious issues ahead in funding education adequately. more...
June 5, 2003 Several legislators backed the bill because there have been several cases of families living in neighboring states but sending their children to Tennessee schools, said Sen. Mark Norris, a Republican from Collierville who co-sponsored the bill. more...
May 9, 2003 The bill, sponsored by Sen. Mark Norris and Rep. Curry Todd, both Collierville Republicans, is being sought by Shelby County school officials, who estimate that dozens of students a year are fraudulently enrolled by their out-of-district parents , Norris said. more...
