This was previously published as Memphis magazine’s City Journal column:
Memphis is a mythic city. We lay claim to mythic musicians and entrepreneurs who created our greatest exports to the world — from B.B. to Elvis to Chilton and from Kemmons Wilson to Pitt Hyde to Fred Smith.
But it’s the myths of a negative nature that drag us down. They limit Memphis’ options for progress, trap us in the same old conversations, and create conventional wisdom treated as facts.
That’s the most intriguing challenge for a new Memphis mayor: to think anew about old problems and to begin by blowing up old myths.
Race, Jobs, and Growth
There’s the myth that we talk too much about race. Actually, we don’t; it’s just that we talk about the wrong things. The verbal blasts out of the Herenton City Hall were a lot about race, but not the consequences of Memphis’ economic segregation, the worst among the top 50 metros, or about breaking the inextricable link between race and poverty.
There’s the myth that new suburban highways create new economic growth. More to the point, they fueled the greatest relocation in history of people outside of Memphis, cannibalizing existing businesses, driving up county government’s debt to bankruptcy level, and forcing Memphians to pay the lion’s share of infrastructure they didn’t need.
There’s the myth our African-American majority is an economic drag. Because distinctiveness is the basis for competitive advantage, Memphis needs to be a hub of black talent. If that isn’t at the top of our economic development agenda, we’re not really in the economic development business.
They’re Not Problems
There’s the myth that the 103,000 students in Memphis City Schools are problems. Instead, our anomalous bulge in students is a strategic opportunity. As the U.S. workforce contracts and cities fight for fewer workers, we already have ours. But we’ve got to train them for jobs of the new economy.
There’s the myth that all Memphis neighborhoods are in chaos and in deep despair. And yet, for every neighborhood in crisis, there is a place like Prospect Park — proud, well-kept, and attractive. While we deal with the communities swamped by problems, we need also to shore up the islands of great neighborhoods.
There’s the myth that success in economic development is measured by the number of tax freezes we hand out. Rather, they reflect the need to create a more competitive city, because prosperous cities aren’t selling themselves on cheapness, but quality.
Downtown, Suburbs, Towns
There’s the myth that downtown is booming. Despite the frequent use of the word renaissance to describe downtown, we tend to define success by comparing Memphis to itself rather than to other cities. Our downtown still misses the vibrancy and activity so evident in other downtowns that have been reborn in the past 20 years. That’s why ideas like Memphis Art Park and the skate park on Mud Island are so important.
There’s the myth that annexation is always good. Memphis is now larger in area than New York City and eventually, it will be bigger than Los Angeles. Already, annexations have driven up the costs of public services and contributed to a deterioration of services in the pre-annexation area. The city government analysis needs to measure the impact of more land on the existing city and not assume that the neighborhoods and tax revenues will not decline.
There’s the myth that consolidating city and county governments is bad for the county’s smaller cities. A large government lies in the future for them — either a new one or a Memphis government that expands by almost 50 percent and surrounds them without them having a voice in it. It all makes the town mayor’s mantra all the more ironic: “We hate Memphis City Hall and don’t trust Memphis politicians. Memphis is full of problems. So we want to leave everything just like it is.”
The Wrapup
There’s the myth that Memphis and Shelby County governments are wasteful while the smaller towns are efficient and economical. Actually, both city and county governments spend less on services per citizen than Collierville, Bartlett, and Germantown — from 32 to 48 percent.
There’s the myth that all we need to do is to tell our story better. More importantly, we need to create a city that gives us a different story to tell.
That’s why the most dangerous myth of all is the hoariest of all: there’s nothing we can do to change things. Meanwhile, China turned its whole economy around. That’s why it’s time for a mayor — and for the rest of us — to take a “no excuses” approach to our own city’s future.
So let me get this straight. Today’s post is condemning Mark Norris for standing up for SCS not wanting to merge with MCS. Then today’s post here is essentially saying bigger is not always better. So which is it? You just proved how annexation has really killed the growth patterns and created so much sprawl in this city. Merging the schools is just another form of annexation.
Many of those that are against SCS merging with MCS don’t want to be the largest school system in the state. MCS is an out of control behemoth that is an extremely top heavy, free spending disaster. They built schools at twice the cost of Shelby County schools in areas with rapidly declining populations. They wasted millions in the Central Nutrition Center scandal, they have more layers of management and overhead than the government. And now they want to bring their disaster management to shelby county schools.
If Memphis would have followed Atlanta’s model with a small central city and create growth through multiple counties and munis with their own school systems, we would be able to compete. But merging MCS and SCS solidifies the fact that we’re a one-horse, few options town.
Chris, then let’s go to SINGLE SOURCE FUNDING, a concept the disingeuous (read liars) county leaders have fought for years, yet now they want to portray themselves as amenable to “compromise.” Atlanta already existed in a geographically small county, apples and oranges my friend. So “Memphis” could hardly have followed that “model.”
You’re contradicting yourself here. Annexation bad … consolidation good. Isn’t consolidation just annexation in one big gulp? Would not consolidation bring about the very problems that you pose annexation will bring?
In fact I think you have support my idea of de-annexing parts of Memphis. Isn’t that the opposite of consolidation?
I oppose more annexations and consolidation … they’re both the same thing in the end. I support de-annexation.
Memphis needs to focus on what it has rather than taking in more.
Charter surrender IS Memphis focusing on what it has and its core mission as a city rather than “taking in more.” It is the city choosing (as does Germantown, Collierville, Arlington, etc.) NOT to run an education system since the County is the entity legally required to operate a school system.
This discussion is mixing governments and ideas. To suggest they are interchangeable (consolidation vs. School merger) ignores the issues and complexities behind both. The City of Memphis and MCS are totally separate entities.
The city of Atlanta has faced major issues and hurdles that have required state legislative and financial support to overcome. As a small central city where only 1 in 10 metro area residents reside, it has lacked the resources to address many of its own problems.
If a metropolitan area composed of many towns and districts really is the formula for success, this metropolitan area should be second to none. There are some 45 municipalities and 10 school districts across Shelby, Fayette, Crittenden and DeSoto counties.
Consolidation and annexation are two totally different things, and the fact that so many of us don’t understand that is an example of how badly civics is being taught these days.
There is no conflict in our positions, but we just don’t have the time and energy right now to go through it yet again. Maybe later.
Also, the mayors are already talking about consolidation functions and that too is different from consolidating governments. Consolidating schools and the consolidation of government are distinct concepts even if they are using variations of the same verb.
ChrisA: We’re sorry that you’ve swallowed all the propaganda spewed forth by the county schools. It’s an average system delivering average results. Just take a minute to compare it to other districts with similar socio-economic profiles.
It doesn’t build schools at a cheaper price. It builds nondescript schools with poor HVAC systems to cut costs, but in the end, it’s always cheaper to build prison-style buildings than buildings that encourage learning. Memphis schools cost more because they are more quality, they have a sense of arrival with traditional school lobbies, etc.
As for administrators, considering the difference in student populations and student profiles, county schools’ administrative staff isn’t going to win any awards for being mean and lean. This is also a myth perpetuated by county schools. Some time back, county government hired a consultant to determine if Memphis City Schools was top heavy and that Shelby County Schools was a streamlined system. He replied that neither was the case.
Smart City: Well spending twice for a school didn’t work for MCS in the results category. Just like Kenneth Whalum has said over and over you can throw Billions of Dollars at our problem, plus the Gates money, plus the federal deficit at this problem and you still won’t have a solution. It starts with parenting, parent involvement in the schools, and kids that actually WANT to learn. You can’t buy that.
If it wasn’t for the current 2 for 1 funding formula that gives the city twice what the county gets, SCS could be a top 10 school district and stop having to educate kids in trailers.
You’ll never convince me or anyone else that has seen how school systems work that bigger is better. We can give you thousands of reasons why it’s not. De-annexing our city would re-energize the neighborhoods and get people involved because they would feel like they could make a difference. Same applies to the schools.
If you want to adopt a fatalistic attitude and quote the die-hard obstructionists, that’s your prerogative. But consolidating schools can be the catalyst to the innovation and change needed in both districts.
And if you haven’t gotten the parental involvement statistics for city schools lately, ask someone for them. Based on data and national research, Memphis City Schools is doing about two times better than the data would indicate that it would.
This isn’t about beating up parents. It’s about a community that cares about every student and their success in live.
There is research to support all sides of this – including even bigger. But we’ve said before that this is our chance to create smaller, more entrepreneurial districts where lessons are scalable and can be shared with the other districts.
Finally, city school students do not get twice what the county gets. And with the leadership that it has and the pedagogy that it has, we don’t share your belief that SCS would be a top 10 school.
If Memphis de-annexes areas of the city, then who educates those kids? SCS? lmao. They don’t WANT the city kids, period. That is what this is all about. Maybe we should form a Limbo School District for them.
You and your little pack of do nothings continue to fail the people you serve. If the county is so bad why are your solutions so dependent on them? You have failed Memphis. Give up. Walk away. Doing so would be a better contribution to the folks you think your helping.
SCM says, “But consolidating schools can be the catalyst to the innovation and change needed in both districts.”
You nailed it! Why are people so blind! I mean you would have to be some racist sexist evil doer from the burbs to not see how other areas of the city have truly blossemed under city leadership.
Our solutions aren’t dependent on the “county.” We are the county.
Try to stay on point. You could put the entire county cabal in charge of Memphis, and we hazard a guess that it would be worse since they are given to simplistic, superficial answers rather than doing the hard work of city-building.
“Our solutions aren’t dependent on the “county.” We are the county.
Try to stay on point. You could put the entire county cabal in charge of Memphis, and we hazard a guess that it would be worse since they are given to simplistic, superficial answers rather than doing the hard work of city-building”
You make no sense. How does annexing SCS help then? Let me see if I understand you.
– The county would do a worse job
– MCS can’t do a good job
– You can’t create meaningful change within MCS
– A bigger MCS will be more nimble and responsive
No. Darnit man, I forgot. It is none of that. You are going to rub some salt on a lamp, jump up and down three times and poooof. Everything gets better. Why you might ask you stupid suburbanite that is responsible for every paved road to nowhere and destroyer of trees?
Because, HEHEHHE we are living on the planet blahblah. It is a magical place. Many things do not exit here includng the definition of insanity. In our world we do things again and again and again expecting different outcomes.
We’re sorry, but we never enter into mental combat with an unarmed man, to quote former Memphis City Councilman Fred Davis.
Wow blah,
Thanks for elevating the discussion here. With the critical thinking and writing skills you have displayed here I can only wonder how this community has managed to survive until this point.
ChrisA,
We punt the theoretical de-annexation ball around as an interesting mental exercise, but the actual implementation of such a policy could be extremely difficult if not impossible. There would be serious moral and ethical questions regarding such a policy. From a pragmatic standpoint, the areas that would be the first to be de-annexed would be those neighborhoods that have deteriorated to a point that they are serving as major drains on city resources. That is not to say that residents and businesses are not located there, but that the property values are such that they are contributing less to the financial base of the city then they are receiving. However, any action to de-annex these locations would be a prime target for anti-discriminatory legal action. Think about the concept- the city would be decreasing urban services to an area that is already experiencing the stress of urban decay. Sure you r neighborhood is half vacant, and now we are cutting off street lights, removing regular police patrols and cutting back on your sanitation services.
Accompanying the moral and legal dilemma would be the concept that bond rating agencies are unlikely to look kindly on the idea of de-annexation which would negatively impact the city’s financial health as well.
Here’s some interesting reading material from the 1997 court case about Memphians voting for county schools board members:
Board of Commissioners of Shelby County v. Burson, 121 F.3d 244 (6th Cir. 1997). In Burson, Republican Commissioners Mark Norris, Bill Gibbons, and others caused Shelby County to sue in federal court (over the objection of black Commissioners) to declare its own redistricting plan for the county school board unconstitutional because it included voters from Memphis. (The Commission had done so because a new Tenn. law at the time had required it.) The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals held it was unconstitutional for Memphis voters to have a say in Shelby County school board elections. The Court stated that the “relevant geopolitcal entity” for one person, one vote issues was the school district, not the county.
Notably:
1. The Court said the constitution is violated “where the government allocates the franchise in such a manner that residents of a separate area have little or no chance to control their own school board….” Id. at 248. Here, the “dual majority” requirement gives suburban voters a complete veto over whether Memphis decides to discontinue operating its special urban school district. Memphis must have the right to decide if they will continue to operate its special school district, because state law provides the default rule that COUNTIES educate kids in the county–special school districts are a departure from the default rule, undertaken voluntarily by the city operating a special school district. Norris’ bill would mean that Memphis signed up for a SSD 100 years ago, not knowing they’d be perpetually locked in, but now has no control over its own fate.
2. Here’s the kicker. To defend the redistricting plan, the State had argued that without including Memphis voters in Shelby County elections, it would dilute minority voting strength. The court rejected this argument, because the relevant pool of voters is those inside the school district. They said it would be different if someone tried to include mostly white suburban voters otuside the school district in a an election for an urban, mostly black school district–i.e., the exact case here. The court’s exact words: “The…problem…is the issue of whether the decision to expand the electorate to include out-of-district votes dilutes minority votes. Such a case would be presented, for example, if a city’s electorate was expanded to include white suburban or rural areas in order to prevent a black majority in an urban area from controlling their own local government.”
There is some language which provides room for them to argue the other way, but I think these pull-quotes are pretty damning.
I no longer live in Memphis but I do want to agree that while downtown has made alott of progress over the past few decades it does not compare to the downtowns of other cities of comparable size. It feels ….sleepy… small townish….that can have it’s charms ….but I can’t believe after all the billions spent trying to make downtown at least an entertainment center I can’t go see a movie…..
It’s the myths of a “mythic” (lies) that hold us back.
—-
“we tend to define success by comparing Memphis to itself rather than to other cities. ”
– That’s the same as “working to your own satisfaction” regardless of how badly you fare in comparison to anyone else or even if your boss thinks you stink as an employee.
—–
” It all makes the town mayor’s mantra all the more ironic: “We hate Memphis City Hall and don’t trust Memphis politicians. Memphis is full of problems. So we want to leave everything just like it is.””
–
Which makes the county and the state, via Norris, complicit. Who funds this guy? Seems like there are court battles to wage there.
It becomes painfully obvious after witnessing this problem and all the proposed disingenuous “solutions”, that the state has a crook standing for unfair racism,
Mr. Norris.
Has the county been paying city taxes? NO.
Then they don’t get a vote in a city election CASE CLOSED. You gotta pay to play in that one and they haven’t.
This is an attempt to keep racism alive in Memphis and the county, to keep people of color ignorant and poor by institutional design by Mr. Norris.
—-
Here’s one view of the problem:
– The core problem is MCS, it’s lack of positive results for such a bloated, unmanageable, budget, and it’s lack of ability to oversee effectively or even plan effectively how it will dispense education effectively to it’s students.
The kneejerk is to blame the parents, which they do.
–
EQUATION:
– The kids are awake around their parents from 6-7 am and 6-10pm If their parents are employed with only 1 job.
Total = 5 hours, not much instruction.
– They are at MCS from 8 am to 3 pm, total = 7 hours of instruction.
And what more than 80% of MCS kids think is that doing their homework is doing their teachers a favor, some believe showing up in class is only doing their teacher a favor.
-What kind of paradigm is that?
Does that point to educational success to you?
—- Here’s the real question:
How will you effectively impart to the students that “accountability for positive results through the process” is their basic responsibility?
Right now, most kids don’t do their work.
Teachers settle for late work, no work, and must pass students in this environment that would be expelled in any other accountable environment.
——————That IS the problem.
— What’s the system’s responsibility in generating this paradigm in the children’s minds?
The system is not accountable. School security is not accountable, teachers are not accountable, MPD is not accountable, Shelby county is not accountable, and as soon as someone makes a move toward creating accountability, some TURD like Senator Norris undermines it.
Another thing, your media is not accountable. You have no real idea what goes on at MCS schools during “LOCK DOWNS” (prison term and the kids recognize it as such).
But you better find out, every incident needs to be public knowledge in both systems so that you really know what your already into and why a TOTAL REDESIGN is in order. Your systems are designed to fail and they’re achieving it.
That’s why it’s necessary, it MUST get DONE NOW, hold yourselves accountable.
—
-Let’s face the facts, MCS ONLY exists because the county doesn’t want the problem so they pay up to have someone else handle it very very badly. Once again, they achieve high marks for their total failure and complete lockstep with racism in an institutional setting, as mandated by state law.
—- Look, all the baddies have outed themselves or their face men in the last week, it’s time to bring them down.
Follow the money again.
Memphis is so far behind other cities some of you refuse to see the obvious
If Memphis is to truly be competitive with other cities, then it better hurry because other cities are doing a much better job..in education, in planning, in fiscal matters, in race/cultureal relations, in governing, etc etc
Memphis is trapped in the past..it’s been trying to ‘break out’ to the upside since the 80s, when I arrived. It is NOT appreciably better off than it was 20 years ago. That is certainly true for growth ‘between the ears’.
If you have lived anywhere else in the US you would SEE the malaise, you would SEE the city is NOT competitive in many many different areas.
Some of you are hellbent to be “cheerleaders” for Memphis, when there are not too many things to really cheer about !
Are you nuts ??
Young professionals would be crazy to set up shop in Memphis or have families here in Memphis, when there are much much better cities in which to grow, prosper and flourish.
I would never tell my son to come back to Memphis, TN say if he had a similar opportunity to prosper and live in any of the following:
St. Louis
Charlotte
Nashville
Raleigh
Austin
Des Moines
Tampa/ St Peter
Nashville
Scottsdale
San Antonio
Alexandria VA
No city is perfect, but I would never suggest to either of my grown children to place Memphis on their ‘short list’ given the sizeable and viable OPTIONS
Memphis has been ‘baying at the moon’ for so long, it has been fooling itself into believing it’s a ‘great city’. It’s NOT a ‘great city’ at all, but it might be ONE DAY sometime in the future, but it’s going to take TOO LONG and people around the nation KNOW that…people in NASHVILLE, the state’s own capital KNOW that !!
If you have that kind of TIME to waste as a young professional, I would think you need you head examioned.
Go elsewhere ! the nation has too many pockets of excellence in the 49 other states, many good choices right here in the South….and a young professional would have to be BLIND not to SEE that
Shekel,
One of the biggest things not worth cheering about in Memphis is people like you. Take your sh*tty attitude to Nashville or St. Louis where you can tell anyone who’ll sit still how incredibly awesome living anywhere that isn’t Memphis is. In the event that you no longer live in Memphis, stop coming on Memphis-centric comment boards to tell the people that do live here and are trying to make a positive change that they’re wasting their time. We all have plenty of negativity to slosh through no matter where we happen to live without your incredibly useless two cents.
Shekel,
One last note and then I will consider the matter closed. As a young professional, it is easy to find a comfortable and enjoyable spot to reside in all the cities you mentioned- except Des Moines, from personal knowledge of the place I cannot imagine where you arrived at placing that city on your list. I can testify to that because that is exactly what I did. I left Memphis behind to pursue a life in greener pastures with a higher quality of life. Manhattan happened to be “that place” for me. However, it does not require much of us to find a cozy little place and live out our lives in relative comfort and ease. New York, along with most of the cities on your list, passed through an exceedingly difficult period at some point in their relatively recent history. Periods marked by excessive crime, urban decay and a general state of decline worse than anything Memphis has experienced to date. Some have yet to truly emerge from such eras. The cities that have excelled did not do so by chance. They were inhabited by relatively small groups of intensely involved individuals who decided to fight for their cities even though simply pulling up stakes would have been much easier. You obviously are not aware of how this evolution has taken place again and again in city after city. Instead you take the quality of life these places offer for granted which is within your rights.
I am proud to think of myself as one of many here who have chosen to work towards a better Memphis so that I and my children can enjoy an high quality of urban life that exists here and can be further developed. It might be more difficult at present, but the fruits of our efforts will be enjoyed for decades to come.