*School board candidates by district
*District 1Rhonda Thurman, incumbentJason MosesPatti Skates*District 2Jonathan Welch, incumbentKathy Lennon*District 4George Ricks, incumbentMontrell BesleyTiffanie Robinson*District 7Donna Horn, incumbentJoe Wingate
Nine people vying for a seat on the Hamilton County Board of Education in August went back-and-forth Wednesday morning about the school system’s budget and what qualities the board should look for in the district’s next leader.
Three of the four incumbents up for re-election were present, and they, along with their challengers, all agreed the next leader of the school system needs to be great, but argued on the qualifications.
During Wednesday’s debate, School board member Donna Horn, who is being challenged in District 7 by Joe Wingate, said the district’s new superintendent needs a background in education.
“We need to find someone who can empathize and understands how difficult the job of a teacher is,” she said.
Wingate said a main priority of his when looking for the next superintendent is the candidate’s ability to handle the more than $400 million budget.
Tiffanie Robinson, a challenger in the District 4 race, said the board must “be thinking creatively about how we select the next CEO of the largest budget in our county.”
She said the board needs to look nationwide for it’s next leader, specifically candidates who have experience overhauling school systems.
If elected, she said she’ll work to ensure the superintendent search process is transparent and involves the community.
For Rhonda Thurman, school board member representing District 1 since 2004, the district’s next leader does not need to have a background in education, mentioning she wants the next superintendent to be a strong manager of people.
Patti Skates, challenging Thurman in District 1, said she hopes whoever the next leader is will “make Hamilton County great again.”
Kathy Lennon, challenging school board Chairman Jonathan Welch in District 2, also said a national search needs to take place, and she hopes the next superintendent has at least some background in business and knows how to balance a budget.
“I think we really need to look hard at our budget,” Lennon said.
Lennon, Wingate and District 4 candidate Montrell Besley all agreed the school board is lacking a strategic plan.
Besley said it’s time the board “cut some of the fat” in the district’s budget. He did not mention what specifically should be cut, but said that the school system also needs to focus on redirecting funds to some schools that don’t have “all the tools they need.”
Robinson said she’s in favor of a student-based approach to budgeting, which does not fund schools on enrollment numbers, but instead uses a predetermined formula to allocate certain amounts of funding for different students. She said this way of funding can help students at all schools attain similar outcomes.
“We need equity in our school system,” Robinson said.
Thurman said each year the school system does not go back to zero and start over when budgeting, but instead simply builds on what it did the year before. She said that needs to change.
“I’ve never been one to ask for more money or a tax increase,” she added.
District 4 incumbent George Ricks reminded everyone gathered that the school board cannot raise taxes – that is up to the Hamilton County Commission.
“We can request and ask,” he said.
Several times throughout the debate, Ricks said there is too much “doom and gloom” circulating about the school system and more emphasis needs to be placed on the positive things happening.
But for Skates, she said her district in Soddy-Daisy is ready for a mix-up.
“Change, that seems to be a theme this year, all the way from local to national,” she said.
Jason Moses, also running for the District 1 seat, did not say much during the debate, but during his opening remarks talked about his wife, a teacher at Hixson High School, and his kids, who attend Hamilton County schools.
The Chattanooga firefighter said it’s his first time in politics and he is ready to be involved.
“I feel like I’m a little behind,” Moses said. “But I’ll do my best to catch up and make schools better.”
School board Chairman Jonathan Welch was the only candidate still running in the election not to participate in Wednesday’s debate, hosted by the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors.
Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at 423-757-6592 or kendi. anderson@timesfree press.com. Follow on Twitter @kendi_and.