C O V E R S T O R Y
During her time on the Council, Vice Chairwoman
Robinson co-sponsored the Pre-K Resolution in
Memphis with Chairman Kemp Conrad, worked
to re-establish the Greater Whitehaven Economic
Redevelopment Corporation, initiated the MLGW
Share the Pennies Initiative, and created the
Weatherization Task Force.
Memphis is at an exciting turning point with a
bright future. The elusive “potential” that
Memphians have always talked about, but that
always seems just out of reach, is now within
our grasp. An analysis by my company, Cushman
and Wakefield, pinpointed that there is now
$11.3 billion worth of new construction projects
or renovation of existing buildings happening
here today.
Further, Memphis city government is driving
some new and ambitious projects to transform
our downtown riverfront and invest in a youth
sports complex at the Fairgrounds. Both of these
projects are projected to drive millions of new
tourists to Memphis and new opportunities for
jobs and economic development through
additional tourism spending.We are on the move
like never before and these investments prove it.
It’s easy to be excited about the future of Memphis,
and we should celebrate the good that is
happening around us. Yet here is the stark reality
that can’t be ignored: Nearly half of all children
in Memphis are growing up in poverty. Isn’t it our
moral obligation to change their future as well?
On Tuesday, Dec. 5, joined by my colleagues
Berlin Boyd and Patrice Robinson, we
announced our intention to take a leap forward
on what is the core civil rights issue of our time:
providing universal pre-K education. Making a
community-wide investment in child and family
well-being, by prioritizing Pre-K first, will be
the catalyst that will propel us to the promised
land of reaching our potential as a city.
By providing pre-Kindergarten and a robust
early childhood education plan to every child
who needs it in Memphis and Shelby County,
we are taking a massive step in solving
abject poverty and giving our kids a starting
chance. According to some estimates, there
is a 9-million-word deficit between
disadvantaged and privileged children in
the U. S. Closing that gap requires a
comprehension, cradle-to-career approach,
and that’s the path we’re taking. Finding
the funding to expand pre-K is an economic
no-brainer and the best anti-crime strategy
we can ninvest in. Most estimates suggest that,
for every $1 we spend on pre-K education,
we’ll get a $7-$8 return. In Shelby County,
students who attended pre-K outperform
their peers by 10 percent on core assessments,
and 49 percent of our pre-K students out
perform the national average.
Over the past five years, expanded pre-K in Shelby
County has already increased the countywide
Kindergarten readiness by 30 percentage points,
and over the next five years, we can do
the same again to achieve 90 percent kindergarten
readiness.
Over the past five years, we have seen huge gains
in Memphis and Shelby County pre-K expansion
led by a community of partners. However, in 2019,
up to $8 million in federal grants will expire; that
translates into more than 1,000 seats or 50
classrooms that we could lose without new
funding in the next year. We can’t turn back now.
Dec. 5, we introduced and debated a resolution
stating our intent to make a material investment
in this initiative. Over the next few weeks, the
Memphis City Council had a real conversation
about how we can join the Shelby County
Commission and Shelby County Schools in
funding universal needs based pre-K.
In our city today, we’ve announced over $400
million in investments in our convention center,
our riverfront, and the historic Fairgrounds.
Shouldn’t the city also prioritize a funding
source to fund universal, needs-based pre-K
for our most disadvantaged children?
I applaud my colleagues Boyd and Robinson for
their leadership on this issue, and I applaud
Mayor Strickland for his support in expanding
access to pre-Kindergarten.
Focusing on the well-being of our children is the
best economic development and crimefighting tool
we have. Let’s continue to dream big and
go big. We’ve
built great
buildings. Now
09
let’s build a
great foundation
for all of our
kids, too.
(Special to Spirit
Chairman
Kemp Conrad)