Highway 58 community forum highlights school engagement

Highway 58 stakeholders want to know how Hamilton County Schools can make it easier for them to volunteer.

On Saturday, neighborhood leaders asked Hamilton County Board of Education member Tiffanie Robinson about it during a community meeting at St. Thaddeus' Episcopal Church, hosted by Hamilton County Commissioner Warren Mackey.

Mackey and Robinson both represent District 4, which stretches from Alton Park to Highway 58. It includes more than a dozen schools.

Marie Stoudemire, secretary of the Lake Chickamauga Community Association, voiced frustration over fingerprinting and "20 things" volunteers had to do for required background checks.

"We're not going to take the children [anywhere], we're just going to monitor the lunch period or whatever," Stoudemire said.

Many people find the $45 fingerprinting fee and transportation to the schools' fingerprinting vendor in East Brainerd a challenge, audience members said.

Robinson said the issue gets her "blood boiling" and added the school board plans to make changes this summer.

"We're going to be tackling this because we have a lot of community members that are not engaging with our schools because of those problems," Robinson said.

While state rules may require fingerprinting, the board would seek to have it take place at the schools, Robinson said. The board also will look for ways to pay for fingerprinting and take the burden off would-be volunteers.

Robinson also fielded questions about how to get parents involved with their children's schools when they lack transportation.

She believes the school system should offer shuttle buses if it's going to offer services or other opportunities for families who can't easily walk to their schools.

Another avenue for community involvement will come in the form of a proposed District 4 foundation, Robinson said.

Robinson also reviewed a number of key issues facing the entire school board, including its search for a new superintendent, the fiscal 2018 budget proposal and a plan to improve Hamilton County's five lowest-performing schools.

Two of those schools - Orchard Knob elementary and middle - are in District 4. The other three - Woodmore Elementary, Dalewood Middle and Brainerd High - are in District 5.

"We have some of the highest-needs schools in District 4, and it's imperative that our new leader understands how to turn around those schools," Robinson said. "Because in order for us to really change our school system, we've got to change some of our lowest-performing schools and really provide those students with the curriculum and the resources they need in order to thrive."

Robinson favors a proposal to create a special school district for the five struggling schools, and said new blood will be needed for its top leadership position.

"Right now we don't have that person on our staff," Robinson said. "We don't have anyone that really specializes in and understands school turnaround with those types of challenges."

Mackey praised the school board's balanced budget proposals, which include a list of $24 million in additional unfunded priorities, and thanked Robinson, who chairs the school board's finance committee.

"Across this state, school board members and county commissioners do not get along," Mackey said. "But, I'm hear to tell you, Tiffanie and I, we have - and we're building - a really good relationship, communicating with each other, making sure we're in sync with one another."

Chattanooga City Councilman Ken Smith, whose district extends from Hixson to the Highway 58 area, also spoke at the meeting.

He told residents the council was reviewing plans to create a special short-term vacation rental district, generally based on Chattanooga's urban core.

The increased use of internet booking sites such as Airbnb, which allow people to rent their homes to overnight visitors, has prompted local and state lawmakers to seek a regulatory solution.

Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @pleach_tfp.

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