MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendent is requesting $25 million from the City of Memphis, according to the city council chairman.
Dr. Marie Feagins said the funds would support infrastructure needs for 52 different projects in the district, Memphis City Council Chair JB Smiley told ABC24.
The money is to go to phase one of the district's infrastructure plan for items like replacing roofs and air-conditioning systems and repaving school grounds.
For years, ABC24 has reported on deferred maintenance needs at schools like Cummings Elementary, where the roof collapsed in 2022.
“I’m standing with Dr. Feagins on this," Sarah Carpenter from Memphis Lift Advocate said. "$25 million is too little, if you ask me. Look at how long we been paying city and county taxes in the inner city.”
Smiley said he is open to the city providing some financial assistance but has not said how much.
The request comes as Memphis Mayor Paul Young announced Tuesday that he is going to ask for a property tax increase to account for a $30 million shortfall in the city's budget.
Some parents and student advocates alike lamented the funding structure after the Memphis and Shelby County district merger over a decade ago and the long-term consequences they say it created.
“The city pulled out abruptly and took all the money out the city schools," MSCS parent Marvin Coleman said. “In the city schools - in any neighborhood or community - when you take away the schools, the banks [and] the grocery stores, the crime rate [and] poverty [are] going to go up anyway.”
It’s not clear whether the proposed tax increase by Mayor Paul Young or Young's budget set to be unveiled next week takes Feagins’ $25 million request into account.