Despite their differences, candidates vying for the District 5 seat on the Hamilton County Board of Education found common ground in a debate this week on issues such as increasing teacher diversity, retaining quality teachers and sex education.
Incumbent Democrat Karitsa Mosley Jones faced off against Republican Charles Paty in the fifth of a debate series sponsored by Chattanooga 2.0, the Chattanooga Times Free Press and Local 3 News.
(Watch the 2022 Hamilton County School Board Debates)
The candidate who wins the Aug. 4 general election will represent the airport, Bonny Oaks, Dalewood, Eastgate and Tyner areas, which include the following schools: Barger Academy of Fine Arts, Brainerd High, Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts, Dalewood Middle, Dawn School, Bess T. Shepherd Elementary, Tyner Academy, Tyner Middle Academy and Woodmore Elementary.
Here's what the candidates had to say about issues covered during the debate:
COLLEGE RATES
The college-going rate of Hamilton County Schools seniors fell more than 11% in the past five years, following statewide trends, with Tennessee's college-going rate dropping from 64% in 2017 to 53% last year. Students of color have lower college-going rates than white students. Latinos had the fewest college enrollees, with 35% going to college in 2021. For Black students, 44% enrolled. White high school graduates had the highest enrollment, with 57.6%.
"I believe that under the circumstances, we have a problem with District 5 graduation rates at Brainerd and Tyner High School," Paty said. "They're woefully below the state average. I think that we've got to do a better job of making sure that the coursework that these children are doing are preparing them for graduation."
Jones agreed and said there must be a focus on equity.
"I want to ensure that they have access to coursework and academic knowledge that they will be able to utilize in college or any other real-world opportunity," Jones said. "You want to make sure that that's equitable and that that looks the same across the board in all of the schools here in Hamilton County, and we know at this point that that is not the case, but we are working very hard to do that."
MENTAL HEALTH
Amid the pandemic, students' mental health at school has been a topic of debate. The candidates weighed in on how they would support efforts at Hamilton County Schools to address the mental health of students.
"We're working to make sure that our students have success planning that will support the whole child and the whole family," Jones said. "And we're also making sure that we implement, and I will continue to implement, (social emotional learning) supports, community school supports in our schools because we have to be able to address the whole child. We know that a student is only successful academically when they are successful socially, emotionally and socio-economically."
Photo contributed by city of Chattanooga / Karitsa Mosley Jones is Mayor Tim Kelly's choice to be the city's administrator of the Department of Early Learning.Paty said he thinks that, going forward, students will be evaluated more often.
"They're going to be evaluated more by the school system, by the administration, for determining whether or not they need additional help," Paty said. "And I think that's going to help alleviate some of the problems that they're facing today."
KEEPING TEACHERS
Across the country, teachers are leaving the profession en masse, commonly referred to as the "teacher exodus." Districts across the nation are looking at ways to retain and attract new teachers, according to debate moderators. One of those tactics is raising pay. Hamilton County teachers will see a 3% raise this year.
"I know that pay is not everything," Jones said. "While pay does matter, and we should be working to make sure that our teachers are making competitive wages, you also want to make sure that you're ensuring the morale of your teachers, that they have the support that they need in the buildings, that administrators are able to support the teachers, that the teachers are able to teach. And that means not teaching to a test but teaching what they know, what they went to school to do."
Paty said he agreed with Jones.
"We have to have a safer learning environment for our teachers and our students," Paty said. "The teachers are being asked to do things discipline-wise that they should not have to do. We have to do a better job of enforcing the discipline code of conduct that is in the school board's manual. They are not doing it in our schools."
Jones added that teachers aren't just leaving because of pay and behavior but because they aren't able to fulfill their passions as teachers because they are required by the state to teach to the test.
SCHOOL BULLYING
The Times Free Press previously reported that certain kinds of bullying, namely racial bullying, have increased at Hamilton County Schools.
Paty said addressing the issue means parents must get involved if their child is bullying another child.
"The bullying cannot be tolerated at any level," Paty said. "There have been times I have known when my children were in school, when I was in school, bullying took place and the parents dealt with it. Now we're having to have these schools deal with it because some of the parents just don't accept (their child is a bully)."
Jones said one way to reduce bullying is by communicating what is and isn't OK with students.
Contributed photo by Paty campaign / Charles Paty"We have to continue to enforce our bullying policies and making sure that they're uniform and equitable as it relates to the Student Code of Conduct," Jones said. "And we have to let our students understand that it's OK to share with your teachers when you're being bullied. We should not be creating a culture or even cultivating a culture where students don't feel like it's safe to share when they're being mistreated. Students should not feel like it's OK to bully."
TEACHER DIVERSITY
Nearly 50% of Hamilton County students are students of color, compared to 11% of teachers who reflect this diversity. Candidates weighed in on whether they believe the district should make more of an effort to hire minority teachers.
Jones said the district and the county at large must become an environment where teachers of color feel safe and welcomed.
"Hamilton County and the city of Chattanooga is not as progressive and metropolitan as most teachers of color would like for it to be," Jones said. "We do not present in true authenticity what we may present on paper for that progressive environment that teachers would like to live in. But I do agree that we do need to increase (teacher diversity) because students do learn better when there's a more diverse educational setting for them. I also believe that we do need to improve and enhance and increase our culturally responsive pedagogy within the curriculum that we teach."
Paty agreed with Jones.
"We need to have a larger teacher population that is African American. When I was at Brainerd, I had African American teachers, I had white teachers and even had one Oriental teacher. I didn't look at skin color or anything like that," he said. "But I can see that it will have an impact on some students. And if that's the case, then we should have more minority teachers."
PARENTS AND BOOKS
In Tennessee, there's been a push for parents to have more say in what their students read and learn in school.
Paty said parents should have a voice in the curriculum, even though the state decides what will be taught.
"The teachers (teach the curriculum) in such a way that they are not going to alienate any students or the parents," Paty said. "If you're going to be a teacher, you have to deal with parents, that's a given. And I think that if there's a dialogue and program set up where they can deal with parents, parents can get to know (the) teacher. They can get to know what the subject matter is, and if they have concerns, bring it to the teacher."
Jones said parents should have input but also trust teachers to do their job.
"We allow our children to enter into our school systems to be educated, and we entrust their academic success and their education to the teachers and to the curriculum that the state has given to Hamilton County," Jones said. "But I also feel like when there's concern, or when there are questions, or even suggestions of things that can go on in the classroom, that there should be opportunity for conversation and that parents should be able to provide their input."
SEX EDUCATION
Currently, Hamilton County Schools has no sex education curriculum beyond teaching students about biology. Moderators asked the candidates if they thought there should be sex education provided at the district.
Paty said it was a sensitive subject and that it depends on the age of the student.
"What I would advocate for is that the parents are going to have to make that decision," Paty said. "It concerns me that we have teenagers, students who are engaging in this, and they don't have any idea of the ramifications. So we need to do a better job. It should be elective, and if it's an elective and the parents agree to it, then let it be taught."
Jones said students should know what resources are available, but that sex education is parents' choice.
'"I do think we have to understand that while we would love for everyone to be abstinent, that teenagers do make choices that may not be what the parents would like or even what the community would like for them," Jones said. "And so I do think we have to make sure that they know what resources are available for them."
Contact Carmen Nesbitt at cnesbitt@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327. Follow her on Twitter @carmen_nesbitt.