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Chattanooga: Juster runs again for school board

By: Kelli Gauthier
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Gregg Juster

When it comes to running for the school board, Gregg Juster believes the second time’s a charm.

After capturing about 40 percent of the District 4 vote during the August election but still losing to incumbent Debra Matthews, he decided to run again in November after Ms. Matthews’ death last month.

“I think I’ve got a pretty good shot,” he said. “I’ve got name recognition.”

This campaign, Mr. Juster, 57, is running against M. Fran Pierce, George Ricks and Anita Polk-Conley to represent nine downtown schools.

Although he competes as a single candidate this time around and not as a member of the “Back on Track” team of Rhonda Thurman and Joe Dumas, as he did in August, Mr. Juster said his reasons for running remain the same.

The current school board often serves as a “rubber stamp” for the administration, Mr. Juster said, including its recent decision to give Superintendent Dr. Jim Scales a new four-year contract after only two years.

“Do you want to make it better? Or do you want it to stay the same?” he said. “We need to go in and throw a monkey wrench into the system.”

Mr. Juster, a retired businessman, said he is the candidate to help the board use its money more wisely, including cutting expenditures from the school system’s central office.

“You need someone who is fiscally responsible on the inside,” he said. “We need to quit wasting money.”

With the school system facing a $15 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2010, current board member Rhonda Thurman said she supports Mr. Juster’s candidacy now more than ever.

“Gregg being a businessman; we very much need his expertise to get our budget under control,” she said.

In response to an assault this week that sent a teacher at Howard Middle School to the hospital, Mr. Juster said the school system needs to better support teachers and enforce discipline policies.

“This administration doesn’t support discipline,” he said.

Mr. Juster said previous school board members have focused their efforts so much on the downtown area of District 4, constituents in North Chattanooga, Lupton City and Harrison have been ignored.

But if elected, Mr. Juster would represent everyone equally, Ms. Thurman said.

“He wants to represent all of District 4, not just certain schools,” she said.

As a Chattanooga transplant now living on the Southside, Mr. Juster said he brings a fresh perspective. For too long, he said, candidates have emphasized how much they care about children and how agreeable they are with other board members.

“That’s what has screwed up this system,” he said. “I (couldn’t) care less if anyone likes me or doesn’t like me, it’s not a stepping stone to anything else. I’m there to make a better school system.”

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