SHELBY COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS DR. EDMUND FORD, JR. Commissioner District 9 RE: SCS Questions on the Opening of Schools July 22, 2020 Good Morning Superintendent Ray, I hOpe this message ?nds you in good health and spirit. In response to the July 14?:h letter concerning my valid questions, unfortunately many of the questions remain unanswered as we get closer to the beginning of the school year. I am responding this morning as I observed the anxiety levels rising on the prOper reopening of schools, the safety of teachers and students, and adequate learning environments for instruction. My hope was that much Of this resolve would be reached before the County Commission?s Education meeting meets today. It appears that there are now more questions than answers, more than before. With all due respect, when there is uncertainty from the top, as it is in this case, that means no one is in charge. This puts anxiety on parents, students, and others who have families themselves and have to make dif?cult decisions during this turbulent time. Time is running out. Many educators who have reached out to me are asking for guidance; as a former SCS teacher, I have been their voice in that capacity as well as an elected capacity for more than thirteen years. Your ?ve questions in your letter ask what the Commission is going to do for SCS in areas of health services, transportation, testing, and funding beyond the maintenance of effort. At ?rst glance, these questions appear as de?ections from internal responsibilities. However, to give the bene?t of the doubt, I will answer them from my perspective as best as I can. I can only work with the 36-page document and the short responses you sent to the Commission. First, all bodies should have internal protocols in place for their employees in case of emergencies. I am aware of the ones for Memphis City and Shelby County Government, as I have been able to acquire information from their Human Resources Divisions reSpectively. In the reopening plan, I did not see these aforementioned protocols referenced. Hopefully, we can expound on that in committee so I can give my thoughts. To your second and third questions, according to some of your commentary yesterday, it appears that we have gone from the possibility of reopening schools to a plain don?t know.? VASCO A. SMITH, JR. COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING 160 North Main Street, Suite 600 oMemphis, TN 38103 - 901-222?1000 -Fax 901?222?1002 I was ready to answer further on those questions, but until we know more on the reopening, it would be premature to give answers to what can be provided until actual decisions by you and the Board are made. School does start on August 31, so as soon as we know what will transpire, I will be glad to give my thoughts on what could be done. As far as broadband, the County Commission has allocated funding in the FY2021 Operating Budget to research and consider 5G networking for Shelby County. I commend Commissioner Sawyer in bringing that to the table, and I am doing my part to find groups that would be able to oblige in that endeavor. Finally, on the last item, I must give you full pushback. I strongly believe that you, your administration, and the Board can do much better in the areas of protecting your human capital and being more ?scally responsible. Respectfully, that has not been the case. We can come up with excuses and dodges all day, but by your Charter, you have some responsibilities that fall in your lap. The work just has to be done. Let me provide you with examples on that work being done. In Memphis government, the City Mayor and Council were able to successfully close an gap, provide hazard pay to their most vulnerable employees, and guarantee no layoffs. Within Shelby County Government, we eliminated a large de?cit ourselves and made sacrifices to ensure no tax increases. However, during our budget process, we were able to find funds for hazard pay, which we are considering today. Moreover, we also passed legislation to provide parental leave. I assume that SCS received funds from the CARES Act that could go to hazard pay for teachers and support staff. If this is not the case, I know hundreds of educators that would like to know where that money is going, especially those who are in the classroom such as certified tutors and substitute teachers who are still not making a living wage. As the Vice- Chairman of the Budget Committee, so would I. I sincerely hope that we can look past our differences and actually get some work done. If Shelby County Schools? only recourse is to ask what others are doing and not take some form of accountability, then we are setting up our youth to fail. I don?t think anyone wants that to happen. I look forward to the robust conversation today. Sincerely, Dr. Edmund Ford, Jr. Shelby County Commissioner, District 9 CC: Shelby County Commission Dr. Cedrick Gray Shelby County School Board