Former Memphis Mayor Willie W. Herenton said last night that his 2005 proposal for multiple school districts is a good starting point for structuring a new countywide school system.
On a side note, it was good to see him rested and persuasive on the issue of school consolidation. While we didn’t agree with everything in his earlier plan – notably creation of a school chancellor, a position we think is unnecessary if the superintendents of the districts are to lead and innovate at a more scalable level. Unfortunately, because he was politically radioactive at the time, his plan never got the full airing it deserved.
As he said at the time, this isn’t meant to suggest that anything is in concrete concerning districts, but rather, that it shows how multiple districts could be set up. Like most people, we see things that we would like to change in this prop0sal, but it’s certainly a conversation starter.
To read it, click here.
I was no fan of Mayor Herenton’s either. However, I always thought that his proposal was a feasible way to restructure education. Unfortunately, he was so weakened politically by thepoint was proposed it, that it received little attention and got no where.
Multiple schools district is a good idea but I hope Herenton keeps his mouth shut. He can crow after they’ve been created but his “support” of the idea will cause an automatic rejection by his opponents.
With a reservation concerning the actual district boundaries and school chancellor, this actually makes a lot of sense.
It is telling that most of the quotes found at the beginning of the report from various suburban leaders did not actually speak towards the merits or critique of the plan or concept but instead toward the personal traits of Herenton. I was not a Herenton supporter- far from it. However, being professional means rising above the personal traits of others in order to evaluate the proposal at hand. It appears that the entire community was lacking in that quality at the time.
I think people here have grown up a bit and recognize WWH for what he is, once great,now, unable to lead due to results and lack of results.
I wish he would stay out of it. He’s a narcissist.