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Chattanooga: Math professor Polk-Conley seeks school board position

By: Kelli Gauthier
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Anita Polk-Conley

In her developmental math classes at Chattanooga State, Dr. Anita Polk-Conley teaches many Hamilton County school system graduates.

But about two-thirds of the students at Chattanooga State Technical Community College require a remedial math course, and that needs to change, she said.

“That says a lot about the preparation of our students,” she said. “Skills need to be reiterated all the way from elementary school.”

Better preparing students for life after high school is one of the biggest reasons she’s running for the District 4 seat on the Hamilton County Board of Education, Dr. Polk-Conley said.

The 52-year-old math professor will compete against M. Fran Pierce, Gregg Juster and George Ricks for the position vacated when Debra Matthews died in August. The winner will represent nine downtown schools in areas including Avondale, Bushtown and Alton Park. The election is Nov. 4.

Dr. Polk-Conley said one way to increase student success is to better utilize data. Hamilton County has a vast amount of test scores and assessment data that administrators are not using to their full potential, she said.

“I know (the data) is out there, but I don’t think we’re using it in a way that informs parents,” she said. “We need to put it in a way for them to understand.”

But all the data analysis in the world can’t fix the problem Dr. Polk-Conley sees with low expectations across the district. Whether it’s pushing a child to read on grade level or asking a teacher to think outside the box, the bar needs to be raised, she said.

“People should expect the best,” she said. “Expectations drive outcomes.”

Dr. Polk-Conley served as the president of the M.L. King Neighborhood Association that helped oversee revitalization in that area. As a school board member, she said, she would use those leadership skills to organize “a cavalry of volunteers” in certain communities to provide assistance to their schools.

Freda Moore-Smith is the former principal of Brown Academy and Dr. Polk-Conley’s sister-in-law. Mrs. Moore-Smith said the two women often talk about their philosophy of public education and how to improve schools.

“Anita knows what education is all about, since she teaches at Chattanooga State. She knows what teachers need. She knows what parents need to do for their children to help them excel,” she said. “She has that first-hand experience of what it takes for schools and children to excel.”

When Hamilton County built Battle and Brown academies in 2002, she helped plan for those schools, Dr. Polk-Conley said, and her experience shows that she’s an advocate for public education.

“We need someone on the school board who can articulate the needs of the community,” she said. “I have the ability to stand firm and be flexible, and the ability to see how policies affect students.”

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