A Texas preacher encouraged local clergy to get involved with – and advocate for – Chattanooga’s public schools Tuesday.
The Rev. Charles Johnson, executive director of Pastors for Texas Children, spoke at a luncheon that included local religious leaders, Hamilton County Schools educators and the Hamilton County Education Association at First Baptist Church.
Johnson, described on the Pastors for Texas Children website as an advocate, said religious leaders need to reaffirm and reestablish that a free, public education is a basic human right.
“We have a debate today about whether or not children today deserve an equal education,” he said. “We all know the ills of public education and some [people’s] attempts to privatize it. It’s time for the church to get back together with the schools.”
He encouraged religious leaders to bring their congregations together to support public schools through wraparound services such as tutoring, mentoring, supply drives and other tangible events and through lobbying legislators.