ATTENTION: A LITTLE MORE CONVERSATION
The Hamilton County Board of Education put itself into a spot recently it didn’t need to be in. On the same night, it elected a new superintendent, Justin Robertson, it was to approve a new state pilot program for Orchard Knob Middle School. Since the pilot program was part of a bill mandated by the state legislature, it would be happening; it was just a matter of giving it the proper stamp.
But through miscommunication or misunderstanding about the pilot among board members, district administration, the board attorney and the state, board members decided they would vote against the program, and did. Tonight they will meet in a special called meeting and are likely to re-vote on the pilot. A little more discussion among all concerned might have staved off the situation. You can read about it below.
Among the other subjects we explored last week was a poll among college students by Generation Lab/Axios that showed that despite President Joe Biden’s inaugural address call for unity, the country is more polarized than ever. For instance, 37% of Democrats said they couldn’t be friends with a Trump voter, but only 5% of Republicans said they couldn’t be friends with a Biden voter. And, with Christmas rushing toward us at the end of the week, we also provided a few last-minute ideas about gifts you can give (including giving of yourself). Check out those pieces, the weekly Ron Hart musings and a commentary by local writer Roger Smith, who laments that military academies recruiting minorities haven’t learned much in nearly 50 years since he attended one, all below.
– Clint Cooper, editor, Chattanooga Free Press opinion page, ccooper@timesfreepress.com
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