What's the problem with Cordova? (Memphis, Germantown: section 8, apartment complexes, foreclosures)

[JCleveland2]

It looks so nice there but the middle school children behaved terribly. Most of them had good grades on record but I suspect those grades were padded and not earned. I also heard the high school is even worse. Anyway, I won't be working there anymore. I find some of the schools in the city of Memphis to be better. But my question is, how many people know about this and WTH happened to cause it?

Sorry if any typos- on my phone.

Thx

[CristenS]

As in, what's wrong with the schools in Cordova? I have heard the same, they have gone downhill rapidly. They were City of Memphis, not Shelby County before (right?). Of course now it's all the same. But I think Cordova overall has gone downhill a lot, it's very cheap, so people can live there for cheap and send their kids there, as opposed to raising them in some of the very rough areas of Memphis. Lots of apartment complexes. Tons of rentals due to the foreclosures and people who are upside down on their owned-homes but wanted to move out. It's a rapid process where "riff raff" starts to move in, so the well to-do start sending their kids to private schools or other public schools instead. From there it's a snowball effect. In terms of, what is wrong with the management of the schools there - that's a whole other issue that can be blamed on laws, money, government, etc. But that's for all public schools in the country, not just Cordova.

And yes, there are many schools within Memphis that are better, especially the optional programs.

[eastmemphisguy]

Yeah, the "nice" people avoid sending their kids to public schools in most city neighborhoods. The overall area of Cordova is not nearly as bad as some people make it sound. It's super generic and busy, but it's not even remotely scary or anything like that. The only good public Middle School in the city of Memphis is White Station.

[Longtimelistener]

One thing that happened to Cordova was apartment complexes like Country Squire accepting more section 8ers. That area and by Dexter/Germantown RD are getting rougher but most of Cordova is pretty nice. More rental homes though each year so it will continue to go down some more.
Cordova Middle is terrible. At least 4 kids have been arrested this school year on drug charges. Not where I want my 12 year old going.

[bjh]

Originally Posted by Longtimelistener

One thing that happened to Cordova was apartment complexes like Country Squire accepting more section 8ers. That area and by Dexter/Germantown RD are getting rougher but most of Cordova is pretty nice. More rental homes though each year so it will continue to go down some more.
Cordova Middle is terrible. At least 4 kids have been arrested this school year on drug charges. Not where I want my 12 year old going.

Do they have any choice?

[Longtimelistener]

Originally Posted by bjh

Do they have any choice?

Fogelman started accepting more section 8ers to boost occupancy so he could unload the complex. Starting to really get wild in there.
Of course they have a choice. Clean up the complex and make it more attractive to cash paying renters. They took the easy way out though.

[CristenS]

Everyone is aware of the decline of Cordova, and the schools go along with that. Just look at the home prices and foreclosures.

The difference between Cordova and say, some of the iffy area of midtown, is that people move to midtown knowing what to expect. Old historic areas in all cities all over the countries are the same - they were top notch 100 years ago, they decline, they get better.... People know it's a crapshoot, they know that some areas are going uphill greatly, while some aren't, some areas are a work in progress. However the people who moved to Cordova 15-20 years ago probably had no clue what was going to happen to their neighborhoods. I'm sure most people thought it was next Germantown (although, I'm not sure why since it was unincorporated, people had to have known the inevitable?). Stores were built practically overnight, as were residential neighborhoods. I'm sure people thought it was exciting and the new thing to do. People in midtown tend to stick around and work to better their neighborhoods. People in Cordova simply move out. No one is going to "fight" to make Cordova better, like people do in midtown.

[bjh]

Originally Posted by Longtimelistener

Fogelman started accepting more section 8ers to boost occupancy so he could unload the complex. Starting to really get wild in there.
Of course they have a choice. Clean up the complex and make it more attractive to cash paying renters. They took the easy way out though.

I meant doesn't the government force landlords to take on section 8ers? Big fines, if they don't.

[Jardine8]

Originally Posted by bjh

I meant doesn't the government force landlords to take on section 8ers? Big fines, if they don't.

No. Landlords are not required to accept Section 8/Housing Choice Voucher Program tenants. Landlords simply are not allowed to discriminate based on color, race, religion, sex, familial status or national origin.

[bjh]

^^
Six of one . . .