More than five years of innovations and investments in teaching and learning have ushered in sweeping changes in Memphis schools that leaders say are just beginning to pay off.
Now leaders worry that the next budget cuts could reverse the academic progress they’ve worked so hard to achieve.
More than $50 million in proposed cuts to staffing and programs were outlined Wednesday as Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dorsey Hopson unveiled a $949 million budget plan for next school year. Even if those cuts are approved by the school board, the district still will face a $36 million funding gap, which Hopson hopes to close with additional money from local and state governments.
The $50 million in proposed cuts would eliminate hundreds of academic staff positions and cut $6 million from special education. It also would impact two major programs that have had success at increasing student achievement: the Innovation Zone, which leads school turnaround work; and CLUE, which focuses on academically gifted and talented students. Other proposed cuts include:
- $18 million from the academics department including foregoing new textbooks and cuts to classroom supplies, equipment and teacher development;
- $9 million from business operations including facilities and maintenance positions and increasing the walk-to-school radius for high school students by a half mile;
- $19.5 million from other departments including reduction in academic enrichment programs and substitute teachers
“There are no more nibble-around-the-edges cuts,” Hopson said as board members grimaced at options on the table. “I could pull all this stuff and put some other stuff up that would be just as unappealing.”
Both CLUE and the iZone have staunch supporters and are considered bright spots in a district historically beset with low test scores and a high concentration of low-performing schools — and more recently challenged by shrinking enrollment, which reduces its level of per-pupil funding. Administrators estimate the district will lose $22 million in state funding, mostly because of four schools being taken over this fall by the state-run Achievement School District.
Local funding for CLUE, which stands for Creative Learning in a Unique Environment, would be cut by almost $3.3 million — impacting 1,800 students and 34 teachers in pre-kindergarten through second grade. Hopson said the rollback is not due to the program’s performance.
“Here’s a program that works, people are passionate about and pulls families back to the district,” Hopson told reporters during a morning briefing on the budget. “It’s really heartbreaking even to talk about cutting a program like this.”
The iZone has begun to turn the trajectory of student performance at many of its 18 schools through intensive — and expensive — interventions. The proposed budget would eliminate an extra hour of instruction in the seven schools that have been part of the initiative the longest, as well as eliminate some reading teachers and staff at other iZone schools, saving the district $2.5 million.
The additional hour of instruction is the most costly component of the iZone model and viewed as a critical factor in the district’s school turnaround efforts thus far. The iZone “has always been a five-year treatment” plan, Hopson said. “I don’t think any of those schools are ready to move off the additional hour.”
The $6 million of proposed cuts to special education include eliminating eight occupational therapists, four nurses and 20 special education teachers, saving about $2.6 million. The rest would come from contracted services such as speech, music and behavior therapy, as well as materials and resources.
“There are no more nibble-around-the-edges cuts.”
Dorsey Hopson
Even though the district has made more than $275 million in cuts in the last two years, administrators have known that fiscal challenges would intensify. Tennessee’s Race to the Top grant, which funneled $69 million to Memphis schools, expired last year, and a $90 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for teacher effectiveness work is scheduled to dry up this year. Some leaders believe the long-term answer lies with the state, which they say could provide an additional $100 million annually if it fully funded Memphis schools. Last August, Shelby County’s school board sued the state over the adequacy and equity of state funding based on the state’s constitutional duty to “equitably and adequately fund public school education for all students.”
The district went into this year’s budget season facing an $86 million deficit, and Hopson said the administration had no choice this year but to identify cuts that will hit classrooms.
The school board is scheduled to vote on its budget on April 26. Leaders will present the approved plan to Shelby County Commission, the local funding agent, on May 25.
The school system is attempting to increase pressure on county and state officials for more funding by creating an online information hub for parents and employees, with instructions on how they can advocate on behalf of the district.

Superintendent Dorsey Hopson confers with staff.
Micaela Watts
“Today is not the end of the process, but the beginning,” Hopson said as the work session opened.
Commission Chairman Terry Roland has said the county isn’t likely to bridge the district’s funding gap. He cited under-enrolled schools as one example of inefficiency. The school board voted last month to close one under-enrolled school and is expected in September to consider a five-year plan for closing more schools.
Board member Stephanie Love, when reviewing a copy the budget, said she welcomes a closer look at facilities but added that not all budget problems can be solved that way. “We cannot cut our way to a better system. The more we cut, the more people are neglected,” she said.
Without additional money, potential cuts to address the $36 million gap include:
- $10 million — changing the staffing formula for classroom teachers;
- $8 million — switching employees older than 65 to Medicare Advantage;
- $5.3 million — reducing assistant principal and teaching assistant ratio in schools to legacy Memphis City Schools formula;
- $5 million — reducing employee benefits and life insurance;
- $3.6 million — reducing elementary school librarian staff to state minimum;
- $2.2 million — increasing walk-to-school radius for all students by a half mile;
- $945,000 — eliminating study hall monitors;
- $650,000 — eliminating middle school athletics;
- $450,000 — eliminating Win-School overtime
The work session attracted a crowd of about about 30 citizens, many holding up signs protesting potential cuts to CLUE.
“CLUE is what really makes going to school fun for them,” said Mary Allison Cates, whose two children are students at Grahamwood Elementary School. “They absolutely love it, and it’s going to make a huge difference if we lose it.”
Leonard Smith, a retired teacher and administrator at Bolton High School, was sorry that pay raises weren’t included in the proposal, particularly when the district is seeing academic gains.
“[The district is] saying you’re doing a good job verbally, but they aren’t rewarding them,” Smith said.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with details on the proposed cuts.
Memphis reporter Micaela Watts contributed to this report.
Check out Tweets from the meeting:
About to get this @SCSK12Unified budget meeting started. Any bets on when we'll be done? pic.twitter.com/UTnvDtQFfM
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
Board member Chris Caldwell says @SCSK12Unified should ask Commission for $75M not just $36M deficit: "I cannot live with that $50M" in cuts
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
"In a city where transportation is already a huge issue, how are we going to handle that?" @ShanteAvant on widening walk-to-school radius
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
Under the proposed cuts, SCS academic support for about 900 incarcerated students would be eliminated $625K
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
“I am going to challenge the staff to go back… I don’t think that anyone would say this is good use of our resources” - @ShanteAvant on cuts
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
Board member @lovesblessing on shifting the way SCS asks commission and not cutting: "Propose? No. This is what we need and why we need it."
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
"It's just not acceptable," says board chair Teresa Jones. "I need to know at a ground level which schools we're talking about."
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
.@SCSSupt says the admin has that info but doesn't want to cause alarm before meeting with board. Not a part of the presentation so far
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
Jones pushes back on the choice of venue for this meeting. It's not ideal for a meeting where lots of public is present.
— Jennifer Pignolet (@JenPignolet) April 6, 2016
"I will not support any cuts to guidance counselors" says @KevinWoods "We're way off" on the ratio; will impact Destination 2025
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
Proposed cuts impact on career & technical edu: $2.5M including cutting 32 teachers, 1 admin, 2 clerical positions
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
.@BradLeon16: eliminating extra hours for iZone cohort 1 would equal 23 instructional days; other schools would lose some reading teachers
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
"We’ve got something that works. And we want to start dismantling it," says Caldwell about iZone. "We ought to be investing."
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
specifically 7 teachers, saving the district about $500K
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
.@KevinWoods suggests redirecting bonuses for iZone teachers, one of signature elements of program, in order to retain reading teachers
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
"How do we mitigate the loss of reading coaches?" in iZone when literacy is one of the biggest issues facing the district, says @ShanteAvant
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
Hopson: "There r no more nibble arnd the edges cuts. I could pull all this stuff & put some other stuff up tht would be just as unappealing"
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
There are about 3 county commissioners in the room right now, for the record.
— Jennifer Pignolet (@JenPignolet) April 6, 2016
.@BradLeon16: Biggest cost driver for the iZone is the additional hour. So altering signing/retention bonuses would not be as effective
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
HR chief: reduce substitute teacher budget by $1M by not providing subs last 20 days of school, strong reaction from board members
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
HR chief: model based on what legacy Memphis schools did; lately they've seen uptick in teacher absences
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
.@MiskaClayBibbs wants specifics on teacher absenteeism and why, HR chief says they have that data.
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
.@KevinWoods all about the mandate message. Wants principals to be more accountable for teacher absences rather than district-wide policy.
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
.@lovesblessing "If they're not in the building, where are they going to come from?" on people cut who are also expected to step in for subs
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
HR chief: Plan to put more info and tools online so there will be less visits to HR office, where 17 positions are proposed to be cut.
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
HR chief wants to keep membership in Urban Schools Human Capital Academy to help recruit and retain. Gates funded the $150K until now
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
.@SCSSupt "really our whole talent management process has changed" re: Gates funding drying up "that does put some of those gains at risk."
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
HR chief wants insurance to "mirror" county plan, but says employee benefits talk are "ideas not even recommendations."
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
.@KevinWoods would rather have the district look at what "competitor" districts offer their employees
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
Now onto business operations budget. Fun fact: SCS has processed about 400 short-term rental permits for its facilities
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
Overview: $18M cut to academics, $2.5M innovation dept, $9M to business operations & $19.5M spread among subs, central office, support staff
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
That's out of $949M budget. Still need $36M to close deficit.
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
If @SCSK12Unified were to make further cuts to close $36M gap, these are their recommendations pic.twitter.com/8hbrFK8rtK
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
Transportation post-school closing is expensive, says business op chief Cerita Butler, e.g. 366 more students needed buses after Corry MS
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
Caldwell: "I don't know we considered the extra cost of transporting students" when decided to consolidate schools to open Westhaven ES.
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
Plant managers are like the "first responders" for facilities issues, chief says. Proposing cutting 30 out of 133.
— Jennifer Pignolet (@JenPignolet) April 6, 2016
In the home stretch. One more department presentation: student support services including athletics, homebound teachers, summer school
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
About 2,000 fewer students would be able to go to summer school under proposed cuts: $323K
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
That's about 1/3 cut. Caldwell laments potential impact on graduation rates.
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
.@lovesblessing if summer school cuts do come, SCS needs requirements i.e. attendance to not turn away hard-working students who need help
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
.@KevinWoods suggests pay-what-you-can policy for some extracurricular activities instead of cutting them entirely.
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
About 200 central office positions cut altogether.
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
Weekly meetings with school board coming between now and approval April 26. Next one will be Wednesday 3pm. Place TBD says chair Jones
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
I think what happens in the next few weeks will impact what @SCSK12Unified looks like for the next few decades - board member Mike Kernell
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 6, 2016
The info from the district was incorrect. Cuts to special education is $6M with those positions along with reduction in therapy services
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 7, 2016
Long 20 days ahead of us as @SCSK12Unified board considers cuts. Nothing final tonight. But stage is set for difficult talks. #tnedu
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 7, 2016
Teacher pay raises weren't even on the table today. Retired teacher told me admin publicly praises them "but they aren’t rewarding them"
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 7, 2016
Destination 2025: 80% students college or career ready, 90% graduate on time 100% enroll in post-HS opportunities https://t.co/KPdHFSnwPF
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 7, 2016
eeek. SCS Chief Financial Officer Lin Johnson says the $50 mil cuts do not even include lost revenue from expected enrollment loss.
— 〽️icaela Watts📰 (@megawatts2000) April 6, 2016
Bottom line tonight (same goes for the $50M already proposed) >> https://t.co/qu6UCnbiiv
— Laura Faith Kebede (@kebedefaith) April 7, 2016