“Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools. Memphis-Shelby County Schools leaders are proposing a $1.7 billion dollar budget for the 2026-27 school year, as a new state-appointed board comes in to assume control of the district’s financial decisions. The MSCS board is set to vote on the proposed budget, which is a reduction from last year’s $1.9 billion budget , at its May 26 meeting. The budget then goes to the Shelby County Commission for final approval. But the state takeover of the district, which would seize budget power from the local board, is waiting to be signed into law by Gov. Lee. It’s unclear whether those nine GOP-selected members would be able to touch this year’s budget. Their terms are set to start on July 1. Most of the district’s budget is taken up by mandated costs, said Chief of Business Operations Tito Langston, including staff salaries and transportation. In a presentation to the county commission last week, Langston said the district is left with around $500 million to spend on additional services. Here are four key takeaways from MSCS’ budget proposal: Low enrollment could take a bite out of funds County and state funding hinges on student enrollment, which has dropped by over 9% in MSCS over the past decade — far outpacing state and national trends. In a March budget planning meeting, Langston said projected enrollment is up by 1% next year in traditional charter schools because of the reabsorption of two former Achievement School District buildings. But the state says MSCS lost 2,400 more students than anticipated in last year’s projections. Langston said that those numbers still need to be verified, because they could equate to millions of dollars being taken away from MSCS’ state funding. He said the district can also make up that difference by improving attendance, which factors into county funding. Shelby County only counts the percentage of enrolled students who show up to school. Right now, MSCS has a 92% attendance rate. But for every 1% increase, Langston said, the district could receive $800,000 additional dollars. “So what’s important is for every kid you’ve got to come to school,” he said. In that same meeting, Superintendent Roderick Richmond said dwindling enrollment is a motivating factor for closing and merging schools to save money. In December, Richmond announced a plan to close up to 15 schools in the next three years, starting with five this June. “We all know that we really have too many schools for us to truly be able to sustain both the student population, but also to be able to leverage our human capital,” he said. Bonuses included for teachers who stay in high-need positions MSCS is proposing to offer $1,000 bonuses for fully-certified teachers who stay at their current school through the next year, and $2,500 bonuses for those who do the same in priority or CSI schools. They’re also hoping to offer $2,500 sign-on bonuses for new special education and priority school hires. In last week’s presentation to the commission, Langston said that’s because research shows consistency in teacher relationships boosts student achievement. Richmond said in March that he wants to start next year with less than 100 teacher vacancies, down from 226 last year . Vacancy rates are highest in positions being offered the bonuses , including in special education and priority/CSI schools. $200 million ask for building repairs, especially former ASD schools MSCS leaders are asking the county for just under $200 million to address long-delayed and pressing building improvements , a project they’ve been spearheading since the beginning of this year . Last year, the district had to cut some renovation and repairs after the Shelby County Commission failed to fill the full $35 million capital ask . According to data obtained by Chalkbeat, most of that money would go towards big-ticket fixes like replacing roofing, electrical, and HVAC systems. Melrose High School is budgeted for the most expensive investment at just over $10 million, with Kirby High School right behind at $9 million. In March, Richmond said the district has spent $20-30 million in recent years on schools returning from the failed state-run Achievement School District , or ASD. In 2022, MSCS reabsorbed four ASD schools in Frayser and a charter school in Orange Mound in 2023 . “All the ways we’ve evolved in the past 10 years and systems we invested in, they haven’t,” said Michelle Stuart, MSCS’ facilities director. That means the district funnels money into updating cafeterias and intercom equipment. The last two ASD schools, Kirby Middle and Hillcrest High, will return to MSCS control next school year. Cutbacks on COVID-era school support positions Last year, MSCS invested an additional $30 million in specialized education assistants , or SEAs, who are school-based staff that provide one-on-one tutoring to struggling students. But this year, district leaders are eliminating almost 100 of those positions and changing the remaining 600 to 10-month employees instead of 1212-month hires. In an April budget meeting, Langston said that helps MSCS fill a $36 million budget gap in the original proposal. Richmond said the specialized education assistant model is no longer sustainable. The positions were originally funded using pandemic-era relief money that has since expired. Langston said district leaders hope to help more SEAs transition into full-time certified teaching roles. And since they’re no longer working summer months, those staffers can take jobs working for the summer learning academy or other jobs outside of MSCS. SEAs will no longer be fully paid for spring and fall breaks. Their salary will stay the same, according to a district email obtained by Chalkbeat, but payments will be spread across 10 months and face higher benefits deductions. Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org .
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