How blessed the Chattanooga area has been during the ongoing economic crisis with the recruitment of major manufacturers and other businesses such as Volkswagen, Internet retailer Amazon and many others. The vote of confidence by those companies creates justified optimism about our prospects for long-term prosperity.
Chattanooga, Hamilton County and the surrounding area also are rightly proud of this region’s natural beauty and varied attractions. And a phenomenal can-do spirit drives local residents to volunteer in high numbers for countless civic endeavors.
In short, there are many areas in which we are progressing and fulfilling our potential as one of America’s finest places to live and work.
But in at least one key area, we are not really making the progress that we desire: public education.
It is no secret that an unusually high percentage of local students attend private or home schools. There are many reasons for that, of course, and not all of them reflect lack of confidence in public schools, some of which offer a solid education.