When he began creating the Bartlett City Schools system five years ago, superintendent David Stephens had more middle schools than he had middle school students in the suburban city. And the high school-aged population was split between Bartlett and Bolton high schools.

2. Last Word: Keeping Kirby Together, Out of State Tuition and Memphis at Navy - Friday, September 7, 2018

I’ve seen school officials have some pretty interesting conversations with parents and students over the last few decades – explaining the school merger comes to mind immediately, of course the demerger too, along with the always charged conversations surrounding busing and even the kidnapping of a child from a school building. But when SCS superintendent Dorsey Hopson met parents and students from Kirby High School Thursday evening in Hickory Hill, it was new ground. The subject was rats – lots of rats.

3. Germantown To Fund School Deferred Maintenance - Friday, May 4, 2018

Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo will propose more city capital funding in his upcoming budget proposal for renovation and maintenance of schools in the Germantown Municipal School District.

Palazzolo announced the move this week at the groundbreaking for construction of the new $27 million, 110,000-square-foot Germantown Elementary School on Forest Hill-Irene Road south of Poplar Pike.

4. Skipping School - Saturday, September 16, 2017

The farm field at East Shelby Drive and Sycamore Road is “growing” steel beams, classroom walls and concrete floors. Nearby, the athletic fields of the new $90 million Collierville High School are being traced and laid out at summer’s end next to the framework of the large school.

5. Riverdale Expansion Goes Beyond Bricks and Mortar - Wednesday, September 6, 2017

By the time work began in 2016 on an addition to Riverdale School in Germantown, the K-8 school was using 22 portable classrooms, Germantown Municipal School District superintendent Jason Manuel said.

6. Germantown Offers $25M for 3 SCS Schools - Thursday, May 4, 2017

Germantown leaders made Shelby County Schools an offer Tuesday, May 2, of $25 million for Germantown Elementary, Middle and High schools – known as the “three Gs” – that remained part of SCS in the 2014 demerger of public education in Shelby County.

7. Germantown Offers SCS $25 Million for 'Three Gs' Schools - Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Germantown city and school system leaders made Shelby County Schools an offer Tuesday, May 2, of $25 million for Germantown Elementary, Middle and High Schools – the school known as the “three Gs” that remained part of SCS in the 2014 demerger of public education in Shelby County.

8. Germantown School Board Approves New School Site - Thursday, April 6, 2017

The Germantown school board has approved a contract to buy 38 acres of land at Forest Hill-Irene Road and Poplar Pike for a new elementary school for 750 children.

The board, which voted on the contract Wednesday, April 5, also set terms for further negotiations to possibly buy Germantown Elementary and/or Middle schools from Shelby County Schools.

9. Superintendent Supports Germantown School Site - Saturday, April 1, 2017

Germantown Municipal School District superintendent Jason Manuel has recommended 38 acres of land at Forest Hill-Irene Road and Poplar Pike for the site of a new elementary school with 40 classrooms for 750 students.

10. Germantown Superintendent Recommends School Site - Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Germantown Municipal School District superintendent Jason Manuel has recommended 38 acres of land at Forest Hill-Irene Road and Poplar Pike for the site of a new elementary school with 40 classrooms for 750 students.

11. Johnson Road Park Dropped As Germantown School Site - Wednesday, February 1, 2017

The Germantown Municipal Schools board has dropped the idea of building a new elementary school in Johnson Park.

Meeting Monday, Jan. 30, the board narrowed its choices to three sites. One is on the north side of Poplar Avenue between Kimbrough and Oakleigh. The second is at Forest Hill-Irene Road and Poplar Pike, and the third is a parcel of land south of that.

12. Last Word: Curry Todd, Crosstown Brewing and Cursive Comeback - Wednesday, August 3, 2016

A word at the top of Last Word about campaign signs and what happens to some of them during a campaign.

There are a couple of sayings – bits of political wisdom by the judgment of some – that are uttered numerous times during every election season.

13. Last Word: Using the ACT, Murmuration and We Grow - Tuesday, August 2, 2016

The superintendents of the Bartlett and Germantown school systems say they have a remedy to the testing complaints state education officials are grappling with.

David Stephens and Jason Manuel, of Bartlett and Germantown respectively, tell us on WKNO's Behind The Headlines that they support using the college ACT test for high school students in place of the end-of-course exams.

14. Municipal Districts Tout ACT for Testing - Tuesday, August 2, 2016

The superintendents of at least two of Shelby County’s suburban school systems say the state should use the ACT college entrance exam to gauge the achievement levels of high school students.

“We have universities who are giving full-ride scholarships based on their ACT scores,” said Germantown Municipal School District superintendent Jason Manuel on the WKNO/Channel 10 program Behind The Headlines. “Let’s use that test. It has a math component. It has a science, a reading and social studies component. Let’s use that as a measure.”

15. Last Word: Convention Bounces, Changing Schools and Blue Collar Changes - Friday, July 29, 2016

Before the balloons dropped Thursday and a Katy Perry soundtrack brought the Democratic National Convention to an end, state Representative Raumesh Akbari of Memphis spoke at the convention on its final day.

16. Germantown Eyes Area South of Poplar for Elementary School - Saturday, July 18, 2015

Germantown leaders are looking for land south of Poplar Avenue in Germantown for a new elementary school for the Germantown Municipal School District.

“South of Poplar we want to have a community school, an elementary school,” Germantown Municipal School District superintendent Jason Manuel said on the WKNO TV program “Behind The Headlines.”

17. Germantown Schools to Hold Town Hall Meetings - Saturday, June 20, 2015

The Germantown Municipal School District is holding a set of three town hall meetings next week on new school options.

The Germantown school board voted in May to explore the idea of a new elementary school for the system.

18. Germantown Schools Leaders Schedule Town Hall Meetings - Thursday, June 18, 2015

The Germantown Municipal School District is holding a set of three town hall meetings next week on new school options.

The Germantown school board voted in May to explore the idea of a new elementary school for the system.

19. Lakeland Explores Plan to Build Middle School - Wednesday, June 3, 2015

The Lakeland School System is considering a plan to build a $20 million middle school on the 94 acres it looked at earlier this year for a $50 million grades 6-12 school.

The new plan was recommended to the Lakeland school board Monday, June 1, by Southern Educational Strategies LLC.

20. Lakeland School Idea Resurfaces - Tuesday, June 2, 2015

The Lakeland Schools system is considering a plan to build a new $20 million middle school on the 94 acres of land the school system had looked at earlier this year as the site for a $50 million grades 6-12 school.

21. Lakeland School Idea Resurfaces - Tuesday, June 2, 2015

The Lakeland Schools system is considering a plan to build a new $20 million middle school on the 94 acres of land the school system had looked at earlier this year as the site for a $50 million grades 6-12 school.

22. Germantown Leaders Exploring Elementary School Possibilities - Monday, June 1, 2015

When Germantown Municipal School District leaders began talking openly last week about new school construction, they did so cautiously, keeping in mind similar recent discussions in Lakeland and Collierville.

23. Germantown Schools To Look At New Elementary School - Friday, May 29, 2015

The Germantown Municipal School District is going to explore building a new elementary school and several options for adding onto an existing middle schools.

Germantown schools superintendent Jason Manuel talked publicly for the first time about the possibility Thursday, May 28, at a special meeting of the city’s school board.

24. Germantown Mayor Hosts Inaugural CEO Roundtable - Saturday, April 11, 2015

Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo recently hosted a meeting of area CEOs as part of the city’s new CEO Roundtable.

Palazzolo said he recognizes “the need for the top level executives within the city of Germantown to meet peer-to-peer and discuss matters of mutual concern regarding the challenges and opportunities that face our organizations and the greater community.”

25. Germantown Mayor Hosts Inaugural CEO Roundtable - Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo recently hosted a meeting of area CEOs as part of the city’s newly formed CEO Roundtable.

Palazzolo said he recognizes “the need for the top level executives within the city of Germantown to meet peer-to-peer and discuss matters of mutual concern regarding the challenges and opportunities that face our organizations and the greater community.”

26. Class is In - Saturday, August 23, 2014

For Collierville Schools superintendent John Aitken, the demerger of public schools in Shelby County didn’t become “real” until teachers reported the week before the Aug. 4 first day of classes.

27. School’s In - Monday, August 4, 2014

When public schools open Monday, Aug. 4, for the academic year across Shelby County, the merger of public education into one school system will give way to the demerger into seven separate public systems.

28. Registration Could Reflect Suburban Relocation - Tuesday, July 29, 2014

When Shelby County’s six new suburban school districts register students on Tuesday, July 29, some of those systems’ superintendents will watch for changes from the numbers of students who pre-registered in the new school systems less than a year ago.

29. Suburban Schools Mark A Week to Debut - Monday, July 28, 2014

Suburban school leaders drop by the Shelby County Schools data center Monday, July 28, to get their first formal look at achievement test scores for their students during the only year of the Shelby County Schools merger.

30. Germantown Schools Joins Shared Services Pact - Friday, May 16, 2014

When the Germantown Municipal Schools board voted May 5 to not participate in three shared services agreements with the other five suburban school systems, it “strained” the school system’s relationship with the other five, Germantown Schools superintendent Jason Manuel told the board Wednesday, May 14.

31. Schools Merger ‘Closeout’ Underway - Thursday, May 15, 2014

The first and only year of a single public school system in Shelby County comes to an end May 23 with the last day of school.

And the legal details of the demerger are quickly taking shape.

Leaders of Shelby County’s seven public school systems met Tuesday, May 13, to discuss the closeout procedures starting June 2 that will begin the actual demerger of public education in Shelby County.

32. Suburban Schools Seek Share of $50 Million - Wednesday, May 7, 2014

The leaders of Shelby County’s seven school systems are expected to make their cases before the Shelby County Commission Wednesday, May 7, for $50 million in capital funds the county set aside for the current fiscal year.

33. Germantown School Board Approves Budget Without Shared Services - Tuesday, May 6, 2014

The Germantown Municipal Schools board approved Monday, May 5, a tentative $47.1 million budget for the coming fiscal year and school year that includes the school system opting out of shared services with other municipal school districts for in-house nutrition services, purchasing services and employee benefits services.

34. Germantown School Board Reverses Tuition Requirement - Monday, March 10, 2014

Less than a week after approving a tuition requirement for open enrollment of students who live outside Germantown, the Germantown Municipal Schools board reversed course.

In a special meeting, Friday, March 7, three of the five school board members voted to rescind the earlier open enrollment policy with the tuition requirement of $200 a year per student and replace it with an open enrollment policy without any tuition requirement.

35. Germantown Schools Tuition Debate Lingers - Wednesday, March 5, 2014

UPDATE: In a special meeting Friday, March 7, the Germantown Municipal Schools board voted 3-0 to rescind its tuition requirement for open enrollment of students living outside Germantown.

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36. Leaders of Suburban Schools Get to Work - Saturday, January 11, 2014

Minutes after his contract as superintendent of Germantown Schools was approved, Jason Manuel was already well along with the process of contemplating the detail work that followed the milestone closely.

37. Suburban Superintendents Start Work - Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Each of their contracts now approved, the superintendents and directors of Shelby County six suburban school systems sat down Tuesday, Jan. 7, around the same table for the first time to talk about how to build their school districts.

38. Four Suburban Schools Superintendents Chosen - Saturday, December 28, 2013

As the Christmas holiday began, four of Shelby County’s six suburban towns and cities have superintendents for their municipal school districts.

Bartlett Schools board members selected David Stephens as the superintendent of their school system Friday, Dec. 20, in a unanimous vote.

39. Four Suburban Schools Superintendents Chosen - Tuesday, December 24, 2013

As the Christmas holiday began, four of Shelby County’s six suburban towns and cities have superintendents for their municipal school districts.

Bartlett Schools board members selected David Stephens as the superintendent of their school system Friday, Dec. 20, in a unanimous vote.

40. Barber Realizes Dream of Having Own Shop - Monday, February 16, 2009

A mother has to trust a barber to let him put a razor next to the scalp of a 1-year-old child.

But Laquita Gardner wasn’t worried when she brought her son, Josiah, into Stylez 4 Starz for that close of a cut. The toddler had his first visit at the Frayser barbershop five months earlier. So last week, he sat patiently as the barber gently, but firmly held his head and applied the razor.