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At Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ first school closure hearing, parents expressed concern about the students and teachers who could be displaced by the recommended shutdown of an elementary school at the end of this year.
District leaders said Wednesday that 11 teachers at Frayser-Corning Elementary could lose their jobs. But Jasmine Davis, a Frayser-Corning parent, said she hopes most of the staff can follow students to their new schools.
“My son, he gets close to his teachers,” Davis said. “I want him to be comfortable at the new school, not just going to new teachers over and over again.”
Some parents also questioned why Frayser-Corning Elementary, one of five primary schools in the Frayser neighborhood, is recommended to close. Superintendent Roderick Richmond also included Georgian Hills Elementary on his proposed list of school shutdowns in September, citing underenrollment and high facilities costs.
During Wednesday’s meeting, MSCS leaders echoed those reasons while emphasizing that no action has been decided yet.
“This is just a proposal,” said board member Stephanie Love, whose children went to Frayser-Corning years ago. “We want to hear from you as employees, as parents and you as students. We want to hear from the most important people.”
The MSCS board is expected to vote on Richmond’s suggested closures in February, after holding two community meetings for each of the five schools on the list. That includes reviewing Richmond’s plans for rezoning over 1,000 affected students, who will mostly attend nearby schools that have vacant seats.
Frayser-Corning students could be rezoned to Whitney or Westside elementary schools, which struggle with chronic underenrollment. But Monique Pollion, whose son is in Frayser-Corning’s pre-K program, said she’s wary of switching buildings.
“I went here most of childhood and I like the school; I like the neighborhood where the school sits,” she said. “I don’t know anything about Westside, and I don’t know anything about Whitney. I prefer him to stay here.”
Closing Frayser-Corning would save the district over $1 million in 2026-27 alone. Whitney and Westside also scored higher on MSCS’ report card for academics last year, earning C’s, while Frayser-Corning earned an F.
“Both the academic performance and the facility conditions are better at Westside and Whitney,” said Regional Superintendent Deborah Fox-Stanford. “Combining the students and resources of the two schools … will create more opportunities for our students.”
MSCS is hosting another community meeting for Frayser-Corning parents at Westside Elementary School on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 5:30 p.m.
Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.
