Hotbutton Issue- Commercial Appeal Jan 15, 2010

Tell 'Hot Button' what you think about delaying funding for city schools
By Staff Reports
Friday, January 15, 2010
The Memphis City Council has voted 8-3 to delay paying $50 million it had promised to the Memphis City Schools system for the current school year until there is a "final resolution" to a lawsuit aimed at determining whether the city is legally bound to provide funding to the schools.
The day after that vote, the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled against the city in the lawsuit, agreeing with a lower court that both the city and Shelby County "are required to fund the city schools." City Council chairman Harold Collins said the city intends to appeal that ruling to the state Supreme Court, leaving MCS officials facing the prospect of having to cut millions of dollars from the district's budget midway through the school year. Tell us:
Should the City Council seek a final ruling from the state Supreme Court on the school funding lawsuit before paying the $50 million that had been promised to Memphis City Schools for the current year? Why or why not?
E-mail your response to hotbutton@commercialappeal.com by Jan. 20. Keep it short (three or four sentences, if you can) and include your name, home address and daytime/evening telephone numbers where you can be reached. We'll publish comments on Jan. 24.