The time bomb is ticking, and the clock is counting down.
Hamilton County Schools officials and school administrators are trying various strategies to keep the district’s five priority schools from being taken over by the state after years of low performance.
We hope their efforts pay off, but the onus to score well on standardized tests this spring will be on the students. If any of the schools – Orchard Knob Elementary, Woodmore Elementary, Orchard Knob Middle, Dalewood Middle or Brainerd High – can earn a TVAAS score of 4 or 5, which reflects academic growth, they will not come under state control.
District administration has known of the possibility of a takeover for several years. To highlight the plight the schools have fallen into, the state sent a scathing report last school year saying the district needed to act with “absolute urgency” to improve the schools, which are in the bottom 5 percent of schools statewide.
Hamilton County Board of Education member Karitsa Mosley Jones attempted to highlight the successes and challenges the schools are facing in a community meeting Monday night, but fewer than half of the 40 who attended were District 5 community members.