In late summer, temperatures eclipsed 100 degrees and overwhelmed the HVAC systems in some local public schools, causing them to break down. Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ operations team looked to fix the broken systems swiftly; and during a meeting on Aug. 29, the district’s board increased the size of the deferred maintenance fund in its budget from about $64 million to around $69 million ― with the additional $5 million being used for preventive maintenance.

While this was expected to prevent things like HVAC systems from failing in the future, it was a temporary solution to a long-term problem in a district that has aging facilities and around $500 million in deferred maintenance. And during the meeting, interim superintendent Toni Williams noted that MSCS was assembling a steering committee to assist in the creation of a comprehensive Infrastructure plan that would address larger needs.

Now, that plan ― though still in the development stages ― is coming into focus. And on Tuesday morning, Williams sat down with members of the media to discuss what people can expect from it. Here are some highlights from that conversation.

How do you prioritize?

The steering committee is made up of local politicians, business and community leaders, and MSCS representatives, and it recently held its first meeting. The committee is expected to focus on data and ensure the district is making decisions that are not emotional, but effective. It’s not the only group that’s been assembled to help map out the infrastructure plan, either.

There are also nine subcommittees ― one for each school board member ― which include teachers and principals.

“We wanted them to create this plan as we go along, and voice, ‘What’s needed in schools? Why are we having certain issues academically? Why are we having issues around even community involvement and engagement?’” Williams said. “‘We’re really taking their feedback as we’re building this plan.”

Currently, the plan is slated to come along in three phases, with phase one expected to impact 50 schools and administrative buildings in five years, through renovations, reuse and mixed-use opportunities, and consolidations. Phase two is set to focus on funding strategies with the city, county, state, and federal government, as well as a strengthened partnership with the organization More for Memphis.

And in phase three, the district will look to broaden the reach of the plan, by impacting 110 schools in 10 years through renovations, reuse and mixed-use opportunities, and consolidations.

Implementing the plan, however, won’t be easy, especially when you consider the breadth of MSCS’ footprint. The district has over 200 properties ― 155 school campuses, 13 stadiums, 18 administrative locations, 17 vacant lots, and six vacant buildings ― which contain about 22 million square feet.

And the average age of its school buildings is 64, 24 years past the national recommended life span of a school building.

“How do you prioritize?” Williams said. “That’s the biggest challenge here… As a community member, someone who’s grown up in this community, it’s really challenging ― when there’s limited resources ― to prioritize.”

Reusing spaces

She remains confident, however, that MSCS can implement a plan that’s beneficial for students throughout the district. And as she discussed its development, she emphasized not just renovations and investments, but re-usage.

“We can be a little bit more efficient,” she said. “How do we utilize our resources to ensure that we look within ourselves, and we reuse buildings? … I think about the reuse part of the plan when I think about Crosstown [Concourse]. That is a beautiful project that we may not have seen the vision for at one point, but when we go to Crosstown, we look at the reuse of those facilities, and how they’ve given something beautiful back to it.”

Williams also brought up reuse when The Commercial Appeal asked how MSCS would determine which schools close and which remain open if the district consolidates some of them.

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“I wouldn’t say close, I would say reuse,” she said. “If there is a building that isn’t used that could blight a community. Our goal right now is to ensure that, those reuse spaces, the community has a voice in them.”

‘One discussion’

But MSCS’ infrastructure plan isn’t just about physical spaces.

“I don’t want you to think about infrastructure as a building,” she said. “When we think of our infrastructure, we think about programming… How do we have more Promethean boards? How do we have more technology? How do we have more blended learning for students in our buildings?”

This ties into the district’s academic goals, as the district is balancing the development of a comprehensive infrastructure plan with efforts to boost student achievement rates. For example, last year, 23.6% of MSCS third graders earned proficient results on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program English Language Arts tests. By 2030, the district wants that number to be 52%.

And to Williams, the infrastructure plan and the academic goals go hand-in-hand.

 “You can’t do this piecemeal. You can’t plan from a poor infrastructure standpoint,” she said. “How do we support students, along with this infrastructure plan, to me, is one discussion.”

John Klyce covers education and children’s issues for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at [email protected]