Although the races for seats on the Hamilton County Board of Education are now partisan, thanks to a law passed by the state legislature in 2021, the issues on the minds of all candidates should revolve around schools, students, parents, safety, policies and funding — not R’s and D’s.
They don’t have to know anything about Gaza, Ukraine, the federal debt, abortion or same-sex marriage. They don’t have to declare for Donald Trump or Joe Biden.
But if they’re unwilling to talk in front of the larger public on education issues, are they worth supporting?
We bring this up because all five Republicans seeking seats on the school board in the Aug. 1 county general election have declined invitations to participate in the debate series Chattanooga 2.0, the Chattanooga Times Free Press and Local 3 News have hosted in past elections.
Oh, most of them have excuses. They don’t have enough time. They’ve already participated in a smaller forum. Or it’s not a good use of their time.