Contributed photo by Brooke Bragger Photography / Jenn Piroth is running for District 3 Hamilton County school board representative.Democrat Jenn Piroth is running for the District 3 seat on the Hamilton County school board.
A Hixson resident, Piroth is a sign language interpreter and previously worked as an interpreter for Hamilton County Schools. She holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s in mental health counseling.
Piroth’s four children attend Hamilton County schools – one at Hixson High, two at Loftis Middle and one at McConnell Elementary.
She said during a phone interview Tuesday she decided to run after she attended board meetings and came away feeling that as a mother she was not well represented on the board.
If elected, she said one of her main focuses will be school start times.
“Schools, especially high schools and middle schools, start way too early,” Piroth said, adding that her high school daughter gets on the school bus by 5:51 a.m. and her middle-schoolers board by 6:15. “The American Academy of Sleep Science and also the American Academy of Pediatrics says that no school should start before 8:30. I understand that that will cause some issues in terms of scheduling and things like that, but we always want to do what’s best for kids, and we always want to trust experts.”
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Piroth said expert opinions should be important considerations in all school board decisions, including speaking with teachers about issues regarding education and listening to doctors about issues concerning health and safety.
She also supports providing competitive pay for teachers and making sure every child feels welcome at school.
“What I mean by that is that we have books that represent the lived experience of many different cultures, we have opportunities for families to share about their customs that they have in their homes,” Piroth said. “I just want every kid in a public school to feel like they belong there.”
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Piroth said she is also concerned with making sure public schools stay public and is against the state diverting funds intended for public schools to private institutions.
The seat is held by longtime incumbent Joe Smith, a Republican.
Voters in each party will select their nominees in the May 3 primary, and nominees from each party will face off in the Aug. 4 general election.
Contact Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6508.