Meet Jenny Hill: 4 things to know about the new District 6 school board member

Staff photo by Tim Barber / Jenny Hill is the new Hamilton County Schools board member for District 6.

Jenny Hill is one of two new Hamilton County school board members sworn in last week.

The representative from District 6 and Tucker McClendon, of District 8, were elected to the Board of Education in August, and will participate in their first work session Tuesday as full-fledged board members.

Hill beat out opponent Michael Henry for Joe Galloway's seat, after the former board member announced earlier this year that he would not run for re-election.

Here are some things you need to know about the newest District 6 school board member:

1. She is a Hamilton County parent.

First and foremost, Hill believes the greatest asset that she brings to the school board is her experience as a parent of Hamilton County students. A product of the school district herself, Hill's son and daughter attend the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences, her alma mater.

"I am a parent who has a full-time job, who faces the daily struggle of getting everybody out the door, making sure homework gets done, trying to feed them vegetables balancing that with being an engaged parent at their school," Hill said. "My life is not a 1950s TV sitcom, and that's not the reality for hardly any of my peers either. That gives me some unique perspective of what real life looks like."

2. She is a businesswoman.

Hill and her husband, Jason Hill, are not only a team as a family, but also at work. Jenny Hill co-owns Papercut Interactive, a local web development company, which was a 2018 finalist for the Chattanooga Chamber Small Business award.

Throughout her campaign, Hill emphasized that as a business owner in Chattanooga, she understands workforce needs as well as the versatile skills needed to run a successful business.

Many current board members acknowledge that Hill's experience as business owner will be significant for her new role.

"I think Jenny [Hill] and Tucker [McClendon]'s backgrounds both definitely lends to us really being able to promote the district," said Tiffanie Robinson, of District 4. "The more networks our school district touches the better."

3. She is committed to the future of Chattanooga.

As a full-time business owner, especially within the tech industry, Hill also shares similar priorities with other business owners across the region. One of her biggest needs as an employer is well-qualified candidates, and one of Hill's priorities as a school board member is to ensure the school district is preparing students for the future.

"I believe that the number one measure of a school system is how well its graduates are prepared to do something after high school that's something I will use as a standard to judge us on," Hill said. "Student achievement needs to be the focus of the school district."

Hill's commitment to preparing the next workforce for the community and her relationships with other businesses and organizations through previous experiences are valuable, said Kathy Lennon, of District 2.

"I think one of the things that is going to help our school board and help Hamilton County is we need to develop more partnerships and bring more businesses partners to the table. We have to have partners to help us," Lennon said. "I think it's going to be a good year with this new board."

4. She plans to raise expectations.

Hill, who is replacing a longtime educator, is also tipping the scales on the school board - five of the nine members are now women, and fewer members have actually worked within Hamilton County schools.

Hill has already committed to dedicating herself to her role.

"My hope would be that the work I do will elevate expectations of school board members," she said. "I think our school board has historically been disrespected in the community I don't think our school board has taken full advantage of the long-term impact that [it] can have on the day-to-day life of Hamilton County."

Hill says she wants Hamilton County to "expect more from school board members."

"That is going to get us to where we want our community to be," she added. "Our schools are the engine to progress."

Contact staff writer Meghan Mangrum at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.