Donna HornWith a four-year incumbent trying to defend her District 7 seat on the Hamilton County school board, her challenger smells blood in the water.
Joe Wingate, an assistant professor of exercise science and physical education at Chattanooga State Community College, says it's time for some new faces on the board, and he is looking to unseat Donna Horn, who most recently served as the board vice chairwoman.
In a debate Thursday night at East Hamilton Middle/High School, Wingate said voters need to "make sure we elect people of character and integrity who we can trust when the time comes to make a major decision."
He said the public's view of the school board is tanking and has been for a while, thanks to infighting, a lack of strategic direction and mishandling of taxpayer dollars.
"We need to change the poor perception in the community and the bad publicity because of a divided and fractured school board," he said.
Horn said there are challenges ahead, but she is confident of the system's ability to find solutions to them going forward with the help of the County Commission. She also said her own resolve has not been shaken by the tumultuous events of the last year.
"It's just made me want to work harder," she said.
One of those issues facing the school board is the search for a new superintendent, and Horn said it will take time to find the right person who possesses the "superhero powers" she said would be necessary.
"We're just going to have to be really patient because this is not going to happen in three months," she said.
Wingate said he would prioritize searching for a candidate who demonstrated excellent leadership skills and said it wasn't absolutely essential for that person be an educator.
When the discussion turned to the school's $417 million budget, Wingate said he would not be seeking a budget increase because the system already spends the second-most per student in the state.
"I am of the belief that we will not be asking for taxpayer money until we show ourselves capable of handling the money we already have," he said.
If he is elected, he said he would focus funding on the basics in order to get students ready for post-secondary education or the workforce.
"We've seen the numbers, they struggle with reading, writing, and being proficient in math," he said.
Horn said administrators must start scrutinizing every dollar that gets spent and pinned some of the blame on defunct programs that cost money without improving student outcomes.
"We need to hold expenses as low as possible because taxpayers are saying, 'There is no tax increase coming,'" she said.