What The Demerger is Teaching Our Kids About Their Worth

Despite the ringing phrases of Dr. King and his hope for a beloved community, turmoil still exists in Memphis, predominantly in the educational system.   We all know that education is full of buzz words.  Here in Shelby County, we’ve added the word “merger” to this list, and most local education discussions these days include this word in some form.  And while our school districts have been legally united, in reality we remain as divided as we’ve ever been.   Instead of thinking about ourselves as one district working together for a common purpose, schools and teachers still identify themselves as legacy MCS or legacy SCS because for most of us, those boundaries still exist in our minds.

While I wish it wasn’t the case, this is apparently the appropriate approach given that are hurtling towards a de-merger with seven Shelby County Municipalities leaving the unified district.

If we are honest with ourselves, we have to ask the question of “has all this been done with the best interests of our children in mind?” Arguments can be made for both sides, but whether this is true or not most likely depends on your street address and zip code.

I think this is entirely the wrong question.  What we really need to be asking is “What is this whole process teaching our children about their value and the value of public education in Memphis and Shelby County?”  Here are four lessons I believe the de-merger is teaching our kids, whether intentional or not:

1. Unity is an illusion –No matter what name we bestow on our school district or who is in it, we remain as divided as ever by race, class and zip code.  People would rather remain comfortably entrenched in their own little worlds instead of working together to achieve our true potential as a city and county.
2. Money supersedes all else- Decisions made throughout the merger and de-merger were and are driven by money.   We merged because of battles over money.  Teachers have lost their jobs because of money.  Students have lost services such as Pre-K because of money.  And with extreme budget cuts on the table for the next school year, money rather than educational quality will likely guide the decisions that are made.
3. Memphis is depraved and should be feared – The de-merger has been driven by an irrational fear that somehow the inner city struggles will magically infiltrate the country schools should the merger stand. Just imagine what children in both the city and the county must be thinking about the value of Memphis as they see their parents and their communities work ceaselessly to keep them apart.
4. The “haves” will continue to win over the “have nots” – Those with the money or affluence are the ones who make the decisions.  At the same time that the relatively wealthy suburbs spend incredible amounts of money to found their own districts, schools in the inner city that could be saved with that same money are shut down.

So what has this all accomplished?  In a county already oppressed by racism and poverty, instead of brotherhood and unity, this entire process has served to establish even more boundaries between county lines, continuing to widen the “us” and “them” socio-economic gap.   We have wasted countless hours and millions of dollars on a reshuffling of a system that students didn’t even know needed a makeover.  This money could have instead been used to support our schools, our teachers and our students.  This is what our children will see.

Our city historically has to bear the shame of the assassination of Dr. King, and sixty years later still cannot show that we have stepped into the light of his dream, our dream, of a unified city and county.  Our children have already been exposed to the ugly truth and subconsciously feel the discrimination and disdain from all sides.  We MUST recognize the potential in our city and our precious children to prove that MEMPHIS can embody the change that Dr. King was martyred for so long ago.  Hope is the only essence that we can offer our children and there is no amount of money than can purchase this.

By Casie Jones