A Tangled Web To Say The Least

This idea of withholding funding from the school system has multiple implications.It forces you to make a decision as to what is more important, taxes or tradition. Lowering the property tax rate at the alleged expense of the children, or consolidating city and county schools. I am in favor of dropping the funding completely, but that might be a bit harsh. I've always said " when the city and county have the same problems. Then the problems will be solved." If it's good for the county. Why wouldn't it be good for the city?

I liked some council member's original idea, but I've noticed a bit of backpedaling here. I've witnessed some encouraging partnerships on this issue. I guess they have to consider reelection or future votes. It seems now the plan that gives the least amount of money seems to be building steam. Anything less than a reduction in property taxes will be unacceptable in my opinion. I appreciate a city council that is a good steward of the taxpayers money. So far this present group seems to be doing that.

I'm not surprised that the council members whose districts lose the least money, would be making the most noise. Barbara Swearengen Ware and Joe Brown Jr. are the most vocal opponents of any plan to reduce city funding.They just built an high school in Douglass they have to bus students in to fill. Very few school age children live in North Memphis proper. Which entails both councilman Brown and Ware's districts. Their respective districts probably have less students combined than some of the others have by themselves. I wish this had come up before we built some of the newer schools that have been constructed in the last few years. Man millions may have been better spent.

The school system over time has taken on various directions. In the course of it becoming the eighteenth largest system in the nation. And having an annual budget of over 900 million dollars. A lot of skeletons have been hidden there over the years.Nobody wants to concede any of their control. Which make it next to impossible to do the best thing for all parties involved. It's a tangled web to say the least.