Memphis City School District Plans to Disband

Memphis City Schools, an inner-city district serving largely African-American and low income families, plans to disband in order force merger with a wealthier suburban school district.

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Memphis City Schools, a failing inner-city district with 108,000 students and only 209 schools, plans to disband in order to merge with neighboring Shelby County Schools, MSNBC reports. MCS first made headlines when the district surrendered its charter last November, a move approved by the City Council and by the city's voters in a referendum in March. The plan would bring more resources to the district, which predominately serves African-American and low-income families. It would also force the suburban Shelby County Schools, which serves predominately white, middle class families, to absorb its students, according to the report. While the debate began over an issue of funding, all eyes are now focused on the fairness of merging two districts with very different academic backgrounds, the article writes.