HOW TO WATCH
The town hall discussion about Hamilton County public schools will be aired live at 7 p.m. today on WRCB-Channel 3, or you can stream the broadcast at www.timesfreepress.com.
Interested in a conversation about public education in Hamilton County?
Well, tonight’s your chance.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press and WRCB are hosting a televised discussion this evening called “State of Education: A Town Hall Meeting,” in which local educators and officials will speak about the challenges, realities and potential solutions to problems involving Hamilton County public schools.
The hourlong event will be aired live on WRCB and the Times Free Press’ website beginning at 7 p.m.
The town hall will be divided into a series of five panel discussions covering the topics of: parent and community involvement, teacher recruitment, workforce development, funding and alternatives to zoned schools.
A surge of attention has been placed on improving public education across the county after Chattanooga 2.o, a community-led initiative to improve public education and workforce development, released a sobering report in December about the state of Hamilton County schools.
Jared Bigham, the director of Chattanooga 2.0, said he is glad so many stakeholders across the community have expressed interested in improving the school system, adding that public education affects everyone.
“It doesn’t matter if you have a child in a public school or a charter school or a private school,” Bigham has said. “It doesn’t matter if you have no children in school, period. If you’re a business owner, if you’re in the faith-based community, the entire community is impacted by education.”