COLLIERVILLE, TN -
(WMC-TV) – Collierville officials are moving forward with plans to start their own school district and makes it the first city to officially try to break away from the county's merged school system.
Collierville is the first municipality to draw up an ordinance to form its own school district. The resolution will determine if the community supports the extra cost to prevent a merger with Memphis City Schools.
"We have developed language for a referendum," said Mark Heuberger, Collierville spokesman.
On February 13, Collierville aldermen will vote whether or not to intervene in the Memphis and Shelby County Schools merger.
"We will be requesting the Shelby County Election Commission to allow us to have a public referendum on May 10 of this year," Heuberger said.
The referendum will pose a question to Collierville voters.
"Basically we will ask the citizens of Collierville to support the concept of creating a municipal school district," he said.
The cost is also covered in the language.
"There will be a secondary item to the question of providing financial support for that effort," Heuberger said.
Town leaders say the cost for schools will come in the form of either a property tax or sales tax. If it's a property tax, it will cost 15 cents for every 100 dollars on the cost of your home.
Simply put, town officials say a $200,000 home would cost a single taxpayer an additional $75 per year.
Meanwhile, the Unified School Board and the school transition committee are moving forward with plans to merge Memphis and Shelby County Schools.
"We are moving ahead so that we can exercise all our options while monitoring what's going on with the transition committee," said Heuberger.
The ordinance requires three readings to make it to the ballot.
Collierville leaders are holding a town hall forum at Collierville First Baptist Church at six Tuesday night to present their findings and for people to ask questions.
They say people should get there early because residents had to be turned away at the last meeting when they ran out of room.
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Collierville is the first municipality to draw up an ordinance to form its own school district.
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