Signal Mountain schools committee
› Susan Speraw, retired research professor at UT-Knoxville› John Friedl, retired UTC provost and attorney› Tom McCullough, former Signal Mountain Middle/High School principal and former small school district superintendent› Thomas Peterson, retired physician and a resident of Walden› Charles Spencer, retired financial analyst at TVA and involved in robotics initiatives in many public schools› Amy Wakim, business owner and parent of Nolan Elementary & SMMHS students› Melissa Wood, former educator and the mother of students at Nolan
The Signal Mountain committee investigating the viability of launching a separate school district has begun vetting preliminary budget calculations, which suggest the three schools could have an additional $1.8 million to spend in the classroom if they break away from Hamilton County Schools.
During a three-hour meeting Monday afternoon, the viability committee just scratched the surface of the proposed budget created for Signal Mountain Middle/High, Thrasher Elementary and Nolan Elementary schools. The three are among the county’s top-performing schools and educate a very small share of minority and poor students.
A small, ad-hoc group of parents and education stakeholders informally researched the feasibility of launching a separate school district last year and created the preliminary budget, concluding that a separate district was possible and likely in the best interest of the approximately 2,500 students attending the schools. This prompted the town council to appoint a committee to investigate the option.
The group presented the preliminary budget to the committee in February, highlighting how the mountain has contributed more than $20 million to the schools since 2007, helping cover basic items not covered by Hamilton County Schools. The group noted that despite that financial support, the community has little say in decisions made about the schools.