After a full year of investigating a break from Hamilton County Schools, town of Signal Mountain officials are planning their first sit-down with the Hamilton County School Board for Thursday, Jan. 4.
The joint meeting, initiated by the Hamilton County Department of Education, is being held at Nolan Elementary School beginning at 4:30 p.m.
HCDE spokesperson Tim Hensley said the purpose of the meeting is to identify educational issues important to the Signal Mountain community and to discuss ways the two bodies can work together to meet those needs for local students.
Hensley said school officials are planning to hold similar sit-downs with parent groups and community leaders across the county over the next year. The move is part of HCDE’s newest effort to stimulate community involvement in education by creating a mechanism for listening.
“You have to take time to step back and not just ‘talk at’ but ‘listen to,'” Hensley explained. “[We’re] putting systems in place so that we can listen to the community, to our students, to our parents, and trying to get a feel of what their goals and wishes are for the future.”