MEMPHIS, TN -
(WMC-TV) - The Shelby County municipal schools discussion started again Thursday after a holiday break.
The six municipal mayors and school board commissioners spent most of the day behind closed doors talking about the future of the merged school system. Details about their progress are vague, at best.
At a law firm downtown, the suburban mayors met with attorneys to discuss the future of a merged school system in Shelby County.
They were private negotiations that could affect thousands of public school students who will become part of a Unified School District next fall.
The idea of suburban charter schools is expected to be on the table but participants are sharing very little about what is going on behind closed doors.
Bartlett Mayor Keith McDonald told Action News 5 that the group would be having a working lunch with no breaks and the talks would likely continue all day.
His only comment on the potential for progress was, "Deliberations continue and we are still hoping for a good outcome."
The talks began on December 14 after a federal judge ruled municipal schools unconstitutional.
Members of the Memphis and Shelby County Unified School Board were absent from these discussions.
Action News 5 is aware that their chairman was asked by the attorney for the suburban districts to form a committee that could participate in the discussions, but they have not yet been invited to the table.
The meetings would have to be open to the public if more than one member of that elected board was present.
The group meeting behind closed doors is obviously not ready to negotiate publicly.
Copyright 2013 WMC-TV. All rights reserved.
