Fresh from a four-year stint on the local school board, Kenny Smith is exploring the possibility of opening a career and technical charter high school.
For years, the apprenticeship coordinator of the local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and former Hamilton County Board of Education chairman has preached the gospel of vocational education in public schools, making little headway.
Now, after an unsuccessful bid for a seat on the Hamilton County Commission, Smith says he’s been approached by a group of people interested in starting a career and technical charter high school on the campus of Chattanooga State Community College.
Along with his team — whose members, for now, want to remain anonymous, he said — Smith is looking into the feasibility and requirements of starting such a school. He also plans to meet with school board members individually to see whether they would support the idea.
“This may be a quicker way to get a stand-alone [high school],” he said. “I think it’s past time; a lot of students are falling through the cracks.”