Show Your Support
You can make a big difference in improving the lives of Shelby County students.
Let’s make sure leaders in Memphis and Shelby County hear the voices of teachers, students, parents, grandparents and others in our community who want better education for our children. Add your name to show your support for the YES Fund and help move us one step closer to getting it passed.
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Improve Early Literacy Instruction & Support
In Memphis, only 1 in 5 students read on grade level. Students who do not read proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school. Our schools need to invest in full-time literacy coaches and identify evidence-based curriculum for highest-needs students. Improving literacy rates will increase economic opportunities for our youth.
Increase Mental Health Resources, Social Workers & Nurses
Our children need nurses in schools to address health issues that lead to chronic absenteeism. Youth in Shelby County have a high rate of adverse childhood experiences. Children who have experienced trauma or stress are unable to focus, learn and absorb new information.
Promote High School, College, & Career Success
Students who successfully complete the first year of high school on track were 3 to 4 times more likely to graduate on time. By investing in 9th grade success programs, we can increase graduation rates and set up more students for post-secondary success. Every student in the district needs access to a counselor.
About This Campaign
Stand for Children Tennessee and its partners seek to leverage coordinated funding support from the county, city and philanthropic community to fill education budget gaps and use targeted investments to improve literacy instruction and support, promote ninth grade success, and expand effective college and career preparation. See a list of YES Fund supporters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Schools will apply for funding, and then it will be allocated through the local Memphis foundation, School Seed. School districts receiving funds from the YES Fund will be required to report annually on results following administering entity guidelines. The administering entity will monitor YES Fund grant recipient performance, intervene when necessary to ensure appropriate and effective use of funds, and share best practices to facilitate continuous improvement. The administering entity will establish plan guidelines, reporting criteria, and audit processes to ensure that expenditures from the YES Fund increase literacy scores, high school graduation rates, and graduates’ readiness for college and career.
The YES Fund is a unique opportunity to leverage coordinated funding support from county, city, and philanthropy.
Example: $20 million could be drawn from a 10-cent adjustment in the County property tax (remaining 22 cents lower than FY17 levels) or corresponding amount from wheel tax, expiring PILOTS, or another sustainable revenue source.
The administering entity would retain up to 3% of the YES Fund for administering and coordinating evaluation of the impact of programs supported by the YES Fund and providing technical assistance to school districts. The administration fee would be based on a sliding scale from the final YES Fund amount and support resources committed by the administering entity.
Allocated YES funds must be used to supplement the district’s budget; districts may not supplant funds for existing programs.
To ensure an equitable allocation of resources across Shelby County, the YES Fund will be distributed to schools in school districts with 40% or higher economically disadvantaged student populations. This requirement will ensure that funding will support students with the highest need, including schools in Shelby County Schools, the Achievement District, and the Millington Municipal School District.
To ensure resources from the YES Fund achieve their intended impact on literacy, graduation rates, and success beyond high school, the fund administrator with the Shelby County Director of Education and the Shelby County Commission Education Committee shall adopt rules governing eligibility of the Shelby County school districts to receive grants from the Fund. These eligibility rules include guidelines regarding 1) school district agreements required for evaluation of funded programs, and 2) plan for how funds would be expended towards the targeted strategies, tracking metrics, and outcomes expected from the investment.
Schools will apply through School Seed. Upon application, YES Fund money will be distributed to eligible districts proportionately based on total number of students enrolled. To qualify for funding from the YES fund, school districts must submit meet eligibility requirements (outlined above in question #5) and submit annually to the administering entity for its approval a plan detailing their proposed use of such funding.
Schools can use the money to invest in the YES Fund’s key initiative, research-backed strategies including:
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- Improving Early Literacy, Instruction, and Support
- Hiring full-time literacy coaches dedicated to supporting reading curriculum implementation and directly supporting teachers
- Implementing high quality Response to Intervention (RTI) programming and associated RTI curriculum staff support
- Increasing Mental health Resources, Social Workers, and Nurses
- Scaling up current pilots to increase the number of social workers, nurses, and nurse practitioners available in schools
- Expanding to build more trauma responsive reset rooms that include trained staff and necessary mental health resources
- Promoting High School College and Career Success
- Implementing and sustaining high school Freshman Success Teams that track student data, develop targeted interventions and promptly address concerning trends for all 9th graders
- Hiring additional college and career counselors to enable more Shelby County students are prepared to pursue college degrees or career training
- Improving Early Literacy, Instruction, and Support
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