The Pros And Cons Of School Reform

The education system and workforce has been a major issue on the minds of District Eight voters. Former Representatives have not appropriately represented its continents in the recent school system merger of Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools. The merger consolidated resources, increasing funding and integrating schools within the greater Memphis Area, making it the largest merger in the country. In the 2016 election, Republican David Kustoff won 66.5% of the majority vote of District Eight, promising to fight against “wasteful government spending”. Additionally, During the 2016 presidential election, Kustoff supports 90% of Trump policies, including the repeal of teacher preparation programs in all 50 states. Correlating with this trend, Kustoff did not approve of the school merger, believing the large school district limits student success in the classroom. …show more content…
Through this action, Kristoff's promise to eliminate wasteful government spending was not kept to his constituents. By dividing school funding to seven school systems and rezoning schools for those systems, it forced the board to decrease the budget, causing school closings, increased unemployment of teachers, and failing schools. Moreover, since the majority of the demerged school systems lie in higher-income white communities, the decreased budget forces a glass ceiling over the heads of low income African-American families, leaving children within the Shelby County System without equal opportunity in the classroom. Republican Kustoff does not consider the racial and socioeconomic consequences of separating the Shelby County School System, an issue the merger aimed to