Hamilton County Schools opened Thursday with expectations for a better future the highest they've been in years.
That's new Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson's blessing and curse.
The blessing is that the young superintendent is eager to bring change to a district that, to be kind, has endured several significant challenges over the last 10 years. The Hamilton County Board of Education picked him and wants to see him succeed. Movements such as Chattanooga 2.0 that have sought to change the conversation about the importance of education in the area are supportive. Citizens hope they can feel more confident about sending their children to public schools.
The curse is that the superintendent's presence itself will not change the culture in schools. He cannot snap his fingers and create the new buzzword of "equity" in every school and especially in every home. He cannot change the past performance of the district's low-performing schools that has them on the brink of being taken over by the state. He cannot guarantee student achievement and test scores will rise in all district schools during the upcoming year.
We want to tell the public to give him a chance, to allow him to settle in, to check out the lay of the land before he begins to make changes. The problem with that is we would be guilty of the same sentiment as that of parents, teachers and elected leaders who say the same thing about the district's low-performing schools. Don't involve the state, they plead. Allow us just one more year to turn things around, they ask.
But how can we wait? How can we put off the fact major change is needed and has been needed for more than a decade?
What is not needed is more discussion around rich and poor, black and white. If Brainerd High had what Signal Mountain High had, everything would be fine. If Woodmore Elementary had the same resources as Lookout Mountain Elementary, all would be equal.
That's a broken conversation and doesn't help anyone move forward. When we discard that conversation and begin to look at each school and each student and think about what each one needs - not taking away something from one to give to another - we begin the journey down the right path.
If we forget rich and poor and black and white, though, the discussion turns to money. More money. Just put more money in low-performing schools, and you'll see them turn around. Many people in Hamilton County - even many who claim to care about public education - still believe it's that simple.
More money, indeed, will be required. Certainly, a district that has not seen a property tax rise to benefit schools in more than a decade could find a use for more money. But that can no longer be the way we look at such financial discussions. Simply putting more money into the district's general fund is akin to putting money down a black hole.
If Johnson wants to succeed on the money end, he'll have to convince Hamilton County commissioners, foundations, the state and the public that more money strategically used can be effective.
The 20-year-history of the merged city and county system shows some successes from such as a pathway. Eight elementary schools where Benwood Foundation money was effectively placed more than a decade ago showed steady gains in reading and math scores. Other programs, once in place, offered money for teachers earning their master's degrees and teachers whose test scores grew a certain percentage.
However, more than $10 million in state money provided the district over the last three years wasn't strategically spent and didn't achieve similar gains.
Beyond the money and the day-to-day operation of the district, Johnson has lots to juggle. The state's years-in-coming consideration of what to do about the low-performing schools is on the front burner. Several municipalities have made noises about leaving the district. More consideration likely will be given to moving more experienced teachers into schools that seem to collect the newest and least experienced teachers and to wraparound services. Zoning to equalize numbers in overcrowded schools will have to be on the board. A recent report has suggested a number of schools need to be closed.
For the 2017-2018 school year, the new superintendent will have a certain cachet. He'll be able to make moves, changes and suggestions that only will become more difficult in succeeding years. We urge him to be bold, innovative and thorough, secure buy-in, then move decisively.
Hamilton County students are depending on it.