“Something has got to change.”
That was the general consensus among Hamilton County District 7 Commissioner Sabrena Smedley’s community council members and Chattanooga Chamber employees who met last week to discuss education reform across Hamilton County.
“It’s pretty sobering to look at the [Hamilton County] school system,” said Dr. Jared Bigham, coordinator of the education reform initiative Hamilton County 2.0. ” We’ve got some of our schools – five, to be exact – that are in the bottom percent of schools across Tennessee. And then we’ve got about another 15 to 20 schools that are in that bottom 10-15 percent range.”
Bigham met with Smedley’s community council members as well as county commissioners Chester Bankston and Tim Boyd, who was present by phone, to discuss an upcoming community meeting to gather input on local education reform.
As the county commission’s education chairwoman and graduate of the Hamilton County School System, Smedley said now is the time to implement long-needed changes. The gravity of recent news reporting on the school system – from sexual assault charges and the stepping-down of former Superintendent Rick Smith to continuously low test scores across much of the county – indicate not only that change is needed, but that people are paying attention and willing to get involved, she added.
The public is invited to share their thoughts at a community meeting for the 2.0 initiative Tuesday, April 19. There will be a panel of local experts as well as a questionnaire and a forum for parents, students and other concerned citizens to voice their biggest concerns.
The meeting is being held at Woodland Park Baptist Church, 6735 Standifer Gap Road, beginning at 6 p.m.