Despite years of experience at watching the tone-deafness of the Hamilton County Board of Education and central office administration, our school leaders shocked us yet again Thursday night.
In a two-hour board meeting and work session, they never once talked about the tragic bus accident that killed six Woodmore Elementary School children and critically injured another half dozen. Nor did they once discuss the fact that some Hamilton County municipalities in the county are openly talking of forming their own school districts – to get out from under the Hamilton County Department of Education.
They did talk about new school construction and facilities needs, and raised questions about the progress made or not made at the five low-performing schools likely to be taken over by the state in coming months – so the two hours were not completely wasted.
But it is mind-numbing that not one member nor the interim superintendent would look to the audience, acknowledge those other important topics and at least say something – even a simple: “We don’t have the answers yet, but we’re working on them.”
They talked about giving the athletic fields at East Ridge High School – about 12 acres of land – to the city of East Ridge because the city will improve the fields and manage them if the land is city property. But in that discussion, never once did anyone say, “Isn’t East Ridge one of the towns talking about forming its own school district?”
Then in talking about new school construction, Kathy Lennon, who represents Signal Mountain and Red Bank on the school board, voiced support for a $60 million new school for Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts, a magnet school. We wonder how that sounds to Signal Mountain and Red Bank, both towns that voted in recent days to investigate leaving the Hamilton County system.
Gosh, we wonder if all of the school board members even know about the secession talk.
Clearly, this goes far beyond being tone deaf. There is a fundamental lack of leadership on this board.
And yes, we’ve said this before, so we certainly should not be so surprised.
But we are.
Despite hopes for improvement, we’re shocked anew each time they show themselves to us again.