Candidates hoping to be elected to the Hamilton County Board of Education will meet in six debates beginning July 12 and ending July 21. The debates are being hosted by Chattanooga 2.0, the Chattanooga Times Free Press and Local 3 News.
Ahead of the debates, Chattanooga 2.0 asked each candidate the same three questions:
Q1: How has education played a role in your life?
Q2: What do you want voters to know about you?
Q3: What do you view as the most pressing issue students today face?
Below are their unedited answers as submitted to Chattanooga 2.0.
DISTRICT 3
Joe SmithJoe Smith, Republican
Campaign page: facebook.com/JoeSmithD3schoolboard.
Q1: How has education played a role in your life?
Education in my opinion is from the womb to the grave. I'm still being educated daily. We all need be lifelong learners. I am a product of public education both in K-12 here in Hamilton County and post-secondary.
Q2: What do you want voters to know about you?
Public Education is multi facet and complex. Here in Hamilton County we serve approximately 45,000 students of varying race , nationally, interest and belief systems. Its need always be the goal to do the very best we can to give everyone of those students the best educational opportunity and experience possible. Our young people today are exposed to many thoughts, ideas, faiths, political ideology as well as seemingly a very divided country and at times a very divided county. A huge percentage of our students are being raised in single parent or grand parent homes which at times creates challenges. Many of our students live in poverty. All of these issues create storms of life for our Hamilton County students. It should never be public educators job or the governments job to parent children. We must however do all we possibly can to meet our students right where they are and give them a good solid background educationally and prepare them for post secondary or job readiness when they walk across the stage and earn their High School diploma.
Q3: What do you view as the most pressing issue students today face?
Young people and their development into productive contributing members of society has been my life long calling. My wife and I have two bio children and have raised 19 foster children. I founded and ran the very successful YCAP program for 20 years. Which is a program that serves at risk kids and families. Today I am the Executive Director for Prison Prevention Ministries and I run the InZone program that serves at risk kids and families. I have served on the school board for the last 6 years representing District 3 here in Hamilton County. I could go on for a long time talking about my service to the students, parents and taxpayers over the past 6 years however I would encourage voters to talk to principals, teachers , parents and students in District 3 and ask them about the service of School Board member Joe Smith.
Contributed photo by Brooke Bragger Photography / Jenn Piroth is running for District 3 Hamilton County school board representative.Jenn Piroth, Democrat
Campaign page: jennpirothserves.com.
Q1: How has education played a role in your life?
I was educated in public schools K-12; I am a proud product of public education. My freshman year of High School, I was lucky enough to be offered American Sign Language as a foreign language. This altered my path forever and has become my life's work. I can't imagine my life without having had this opportunity. In short, public education gave me more than I could have ever asked for: my job is my purpose.
Q2: What do you want voters to know about you?
First and foremost, I am a mom of four children in Hamilton County Schools (ages 10, 12, 14, and 17). I have a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education and a Master's Degree in Mental Health Counseling. I am a nationally certified ASL Interpreter. I am also a former employee of Hamilton County Schools. I am a concerned mother with a background in education and counseling; I am not at all a politician and have NO political aspirations beyond serving on the School Board. I am deeply concerned about the increasing disrespect for teachers and attempts to dismantle public education by questioning professionals at every turn. I was home worrying about my teacher friends, my children, and my former students, so I decided to run in District 3 to turn my concerns into action by making changes that serve ALL teachers, students, and families if I am elected.
Q3: What do you view as the most pressing issue students today face?
Underfunding - pure and simple. Tennessee is 44th out of 50 states in educational funding. Politicians are going back and forth over how to slice a pie that is simply too small. Our students deserve so much better. Our teachers deserve ACTUAL raises that keep up with inflation. Our support staff deserve wages that reflect how vital they are in our classrooms. Our buildings are crumbling. Students have had to organize walk outs in the style of the civil rights era to get action on BASIC NEEDS. This is shameful. The 3% raise for teachers in this approved budget was an insult. A county that claims to value education needs to put our money where our mouths are and stop merely saying fluffy words.
DISTRICT 5
Charles PatyCharles Paty, Republican
Campaign page: Charlespatyschoolboarddistrict5.com; facebook.com/people/Charles-Paty-for-School-Board-District-5/100078851582028.
Q1: How has education played a role in your life?
Education is an invaluable asset that has meant everything to me. As an attorney, education has provided me with a rewarding professional career which I would not have been able to have. Education has given me the opportunity to help my clients and people in the community with their legal problems and issues. The education I received has allowed me to support and provide for my family and community at large; and to pass on the desire to succeed in life to my children. An education has allowed me to connect with people from different backgrounds to discuss and find common ground on issues which face our community and country at large. When you are educated you are better able to meet the challenges and ups and downs of everyday life.
Q2: What do you want voters to know about you?
My grandfather, Alex Greenberg, in 1914, came to America from Russia, at the age of twelve with his 18 year old brother, no parents, to escape the religious persecution of Jewish people. They lived in New York City, and during the day they would push a hand cart around and collect people's dirty laundry, and would mend and clean it. At night he took classes and learned to speak English. With this learning work experience, he became a tailor opening a clothing factory in New York. At the request of his largest customer, Sears, in the 1930's he relocated his factory to Chattanooga. He bought a home on Gardner Street in District 5 and lived there until his death at the age of 92. My mother, Selma Cash Paty, in 1947, at 20 years of age, became the first woman trial attorney in Chattanooga and practiced law for 69 years until her death at age 89. It was her and my grandfather's work ethic and desire to constantly learn and evolve which inspired me to become an attorney. I grew up in District 5 and attended all public schools in District 5, graduating from Brainerd High School. During my time as a child growing up in a Jewish household I and my family experienced prejudice and intolerance against us from name calling to shooting out our windows. We did not protest and march, but worked within the laws and system to change people's attitudes and prejudice.
As the School Board District 5 representative I want to put my education and work/life experience to work to help improve the educational and work opportunities for the students and parents in District 5.
Q3: What do you view as the most pressing issue students today face?
To me there are really two pressing issues. 1(a) pressing issue students face today in District 5 is the inability to read. If a child cannot read they cannot learn. In 2021, less than 20% of Barger and Woodmore 3rd grade students could read proficiently. This is unacceptable. We must and can do better. The State of Tennessee high school graduation rate is 90 percent. In 2021 the average graduation rate at Brainerd High School was 69 percent. This is unacceptable. 1(b) Is a safe and healthy learning environment within the school setting. If a child comes to school hungry, then we have to provide meals for these children. Bullying cannot and should not be tolerated in the school and its environs. The schools must improve the process to deal with bullying. The better educated a person is, will assist them in dealing with intolerance and prejudice and the bullying that often accompanies intolerance and prejudice. There should be school resource officers in every school and in the case of the larger ones two. If Hamilton County can come up with 87 million dollars, as has been reported, to even consider building a new baseball venue, then we can and should be able to afford to hire and train more school resource officers. Unfortunately, we have seen too many school related shootings in this country and shootings in general in our own community for young and old alike.
Karitsa MosleyKaritsa Mosley Jones, Democrat
Campaign page: facebook.com/ElectKaritsaMosleyforSchoolBoardDistrict5.
Q1: How has education played a role in your life?
Education has played a major role in my life, all my life!! At an early age, my parents expressed to me the importance of good education and bring a life long learner. They raised me value education and the greater impact that it has on your life trajectory. I believe that the most important investment that we can make as a community is to invest in a high quality public education for ALL children 0-18. This is a pivotal need in efforts to make our society better in all aspects of life. I continue to find value in advocating for a quality education for all children. It's the foundation necessary to succeed in life. One's education can never be stripped from you.
Q2: What do you want voters to know about you?
I am an authentic advocate for all children and their rights to public education. I continue to believe that investing in our children's education and supporting those that do the daily work in the classrooms and buildings with them. I'm very straightforward in holding those responsible for ensuring our children's education accountable. I'm compassionate, hardworking, and genuine. I have no ulterior motives in seeking to represent our children other than to do just that be a voice for children, families and school communities. I will continue to be a triple AAA school board member with proven leadership and dedication to the community in which I live. and the one that raised me. I've been here and remain committed! I'm accountable, accessible and an advocate for our children and my community! I am D5 proud.
Q3: What do you view as the most pressing issue students today face?
I see several pressing issues, from Mandated testing interference with actual instruction to the culture wars, peer/digital media influence and the now partisan politics of school board races that rear its ugly head in settings where it shouldn't as it relates to making decision about our children.
DISTRICT 6
Jon BakerJon Baker, Republican
Campaign page: N/A.
Q1: How has education played a role in your life?
When I graduated from high school, it was understood that if I wanted to go to college, I would be paying for it. I worked as a deckhand on a freighter bound for Vietnam. When I returned and entered college, I wasn't ready to buckle down and subsequently flunked out. Because of the draft I immediately joined the Navy and was assigned to submarines as a Polaris Missile technician. This was primarily because I had some college. By the way, I was 37 years old when I got my Bachelors in Public Administration.
All in all, my experience showed that college degrees were generally needed to apply for jobs, but, not used much after hiring. This is borne out by the high percentage of people whose occupation has no connection to their degree.
Q2: What do you want voters to know about you?
My Christian faith is important to me. I pray every day for guidance and I follow that guidance. I also use common sense, which is a scarce commodity nowadays. I have spent time with "experts" who did not know what they were talking about. I will challenge them every time they assume "it is too complicated for me to understand".
Q3: What do you view as the most pressing issue students today face?
Every grade has its issues. Elementary students are being taught information that scars them for life. Middle school students are being indoctrinated and controlled by peer pressure and adults to accept nonsensical rules. High school students are being shown a fearful and dangerous future where their security and success is dependent upon a benevolent government.
Ben ConnorBen Connor, Democrat
Campaign page: votebenconnor.com; facebook.com/VoteBenConnor.
Q1: How has education played a role in your life?
Education has and continues to play a pivotal role in shaping my life and my decisions. It is hard to overestimate the importance of being a lifetime learner. I am fortunate that over the years, a number of incredible educators helped me develop (it did not come naturally) a drive to continuously reach out toward a greater understanding of things large and small. This mindset has helped me grow as a parent, as a professional, and as a person.
Q2: What do you want voters to know about you?
I believe leadership begins with listening - and I will always strive to listen, learn, treat people with respect, and make decisions based on what is best for all students.
Q3: What do you view as the most pressing issue students today face?
In my experience, having spent considerable time in and around a classroom as a volunteer science lab teacher and a room parent, students today face incredibly complex challenges related to an overall lack of resources in our schools. There is a significant gap between what is necessary to create a safe and enriching learning environment and what resources are available to teachers and principals to meet these needs. This gap impacts different students and different schools in a number of different ways-from unsafe or dilapidated school buildings to over-stressed and overwhelmed teachers to a lack of school counselors and school nurses. To solve these complex problems, we must pull together as a community and meet these challenges head-on; our future depends on it.
DISTRICT 8
Larry GrohnLarry Grohn, Republican
Campaign page: facebook.com/Lgrohn7547.
Q1: How has education played a role in your life?
Education has impacted and influenced every aspect of my life, from my public school days, through my college degrees, continuing education classes and my personal research and pleasure reading activities. Education is life! Our possessions can be lost or taken away, but nothing can take away one's education. The lessons from in and out of the classroom learned from teachers, mentors, and professors remain with me always; they inspire me.
The ability to read is the key. Without literacy skills most people will never achieve their potential. I believe very person possesses God-given talent. Teachers can unlock a student's potential and open the world up for their exploration.
Q2: What do you want voters to know about you?
I am uniquely qualified for this position.
First, was a divisional sales manager for 15 years. I resigned and returned to college full time when I was 38 years old to become a public school teacher.
I retired after 18 years of teaching social studies at the middle and high school levels. Because of my wife's military career, I have taught in three states. My master's degree in Education was in Curriculum and Instruction (Master of Science, Education – Kansas University 1990). My thesis was on the readability of textbooks and supplemental materials
Finally, I served on the Chattanooga City Council from 2013-2017. I have experience in analyzing multi-million dollar budgets. Budget analysis requires the ability to see the big picture but also the small moving parts that contribute to the whole.
Q3: What do you view as the most pressing issue students today face?
There is no one single issue which is the most pressing. Forced to choose, I would point to reading and math ability as the most pressing issues facing Hamilton County students today. These skills have been a constant and ongoing problem in our district, and across the state. Our district administration has failed in its primary responsibilities – the proper education, discipline, and safety of our children.
The Hamilton County Department of Education (HCDE) has claimed it is the second fastest improving district in the State of Tennessee. My research shows the district administration was able to set its own improvement goals regarding TCAP scores (Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program) improvement. Refer to Teaching reading and math cannot be isolated from the teaching environment.
There are many good teachers throughout the district working hard to teach their students.
I contend that teachers have morale issues, feel unappreciated, and unsupported by the administration. Education cannot take place without school and classroom discipline, and consequences for bad behavior. Bullying has become a huge, but hidden, problem, even in our District 8 schools. The district has failed to provide a safe and learning-friendly environment throughout the system. The future of our children and the social and economic health of our communities depends upon an educated public. Hamilton County, with its many positive attributes, is reaping the whirlwind of the failure of our public schools to provide a proper education for all students.
Katie PerkinsKatie Perkins, Democrat
Campaign page: katieperkinsforschoolboard.com.
Q1: How has education played a role in your life?
I was raised by an educator. My mother was a kindergarten teacher my entire life. I watched her work far more hours than what was expected of her. She formed relationships with the people in our community and with the families of the children who were in her class. For my entire life, I have had a front-row seat to see the impact that educators and education have on the community. From a young age, even before I became a parent I've dedicated my personal and professional life to education, just like my mother did, just like my children hope to do.
Q2: What do you want voters to know about you?
Like all parents, I want the best education and childhood experience for my children. I know the only way that happens is to ensure that all children have the best education opportunities. I have spent my adult life pursuing college degrees that will lead me to become an inspirational person in the school system. I have been a pre-K teacher, as well as a substitute teacher; I am currently involved as a volunteer teacher at Christ United Methodist Church, an engaged parent on the PTO, and community rec. coach. I have a BA in Communication and a MFA in Fine Art.
Q3: What do you view as the most pressing issue students today face?
The biggest issue that children face in the classroom today is a lack of mental health support. With a global pandemic, mass shootings, and partisan bickering, it's no surprise that kids are overwhelmed dealing with fear and distractions. It is difficult for a teacher to teach when these issues hinder their job of educating our children. Having enough counselors, social workers, and other supportive workers in the building would help our teachers, while our students have the support needed to deal with these issues.
DISTRICT 9
Gary Kuehn, Republican
Campaign page: gary-kuehn-schoolboard-d9.mailchimpsites.com and on Facebook.
Q1: How has education played a role in your life?
Education has played THE key role in my life. When people see me on the street or in stores, they say hello Coach Kuehn, hello Mr. Kuehn, or Hello Principal Kuehn depending on how they know me. The important thing is that they say hello to me or I to them. They do not shy away from me and that is because of the relationships that have been seeded and grown through the 39 years as an educator. Education has allowed me to be a better communicator while also being a good listener. It has allowed me to build critical thinking skills and problem solving skills. It has given me a sense of discipline, purpose, and productivity. These factors that I have gained from my lifetime in education will also be the characteristics and skills that I will carry into my role as servant and worker for the district 9 community.
Q2: What do you want voters to know about you?
I want the District 9 community to know that though retired, I am still heavily vested in the success of our students in both D9 and all of Hamilton County. My children were all successful graduates of the D9 community and now successful citizens. Three reside in Hamilton County and some of my grandchildren are attending D9 and other Hamilton County Schools.
I have always put the needs of students first in any school I have led and will continue to do so as a board member. I have always tried to support and keep teachers happy in my schools, knowing that happy teachers are better teachers. I have always had an open door policy to listen to parents, students, and teachers. I have grown and improved on my listening skills and especially my open mindedness when in meetings with others, willing to hear and consider other approaches and ideas besides my own.
Q3: What do you view as the most pressing issue students today face?
The most pressing issues facing students today in our schools, regardless of public, private, or magnet/charter are:
a. The need to grow up too fast. Students are side-tracked by work, social media including video games, and for many, having only one parent at home so they are expected to help raise their siblings. There was a time when kids enjoyed being kids and there was time for play (face to face) and fun. Now parent(s) hope a child knows what they want to do in life before they leave middle school. They are torn between playing different sports or focusing on one that may get them a free or reduced tuition education. They have to focus on a few things rather than enjoy the plethora of options that are out there, before high school.
b. Student safety which encompasses areas that are common place where once remote. Things such as shootings, drug availability, sexual abuse and harrassment, and bullying. Some of these issues are also experienced more in the home than previous or is being reported more than previous. Regardless, students need better Social Emotional Learning (SEL) opportunities in all grade levels.
c. School is no longer enjoyable or relative for many of our students or their interests. They are being tested to the max, they see peers having diminished respect for teachers and administrators, they see teachers that are worn to an edge and can no longer be creative and exciting in what they teach due to lost time. They are told that to have a good life, college is a necessity which means at least two more years of school after graduation, or 4, or 6, or 8.
DISTRICT 10
Faye RobinsonFaye Robinson, Republican
Campaign page: electFayeRobinson.com.
Q1: How has education played a role in your life?
Education prepared me for the workforce and broaden my awareness of the many opportunities life offered.
Q2: What do you want voters to know about you?
I am a true conservative and believe education is the great equalizer for our society. I am a product of public education and received my business degree from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I believe in the fundamentals of education such as reading, writing, math, science, and respect for others. My desire is to work with others in order that Hamilton County students are able to receive an excellent education and equipped to compete on a global basis.
Q3: What do you view as the most pressing issue students today face?
My concern is that students are not reaching their full potential at an early age, therefore, higher education is more difficult and they lose interest or drop out of school.
Jeff P. Crim, Democrat
Campaign page: jeffcrim.com.
Q1: How has education played a role in your life?
The solid education I received from Hamilton County Schools enabled me to pursue college and graduate education resulting in a decades long career as an educator and pastor in our community. I'd also like to highlight that as an autistic adult I owe a particular debt to our special education teachers who pushed me to see my potential rather than my limits. The education I received was not flawless or perfect, but it prepared me to be an adult in the world navigating the messiness of life.
Q2: What do you want voters to know about you?
Above all voters should know that my sole objective is to ensure that Hamilton County has a strong comprehensive public education system because ensuring that the children of today emerge as the educated adults of tomorrow ensures the strength of our community. I take it as a given that the word we are preparing students to enter is multifaceted and diverse. Our schools need to embrace that diversity in preparing them.
Q3: What do you view as the most pressing issue students today face?
One of the biggest advantages I had as a student were the teachers. Our teachers were valued as the highly qualified professionals that they were. Today, we have devalued teaching as a profession. Record numbers of teachers are leaving the profession and fewer and fewer college freshmen are choosing education as a major. Our young people face a variety of problems and difficulties in many areas of life. Speaking solely to the realm of public education, I fear that without quality professional educators we will not be able to address even their most basic educational needs.
Christine EssexChristine Essex, independent
Campaign page: N/A.
Q1: How has education played a role in your life?
Education is supposed to be learning about morals, values, and basic skills. When I was in school We learned about the history of our country, we learned how to write in cursive and we also had home economics class. We didn't have all these tests that are given now that is a waste of time. How can children learn effectively if they are being indoctrinated and not being able to have classroom time to learn what they need to be learning? Most children in our schools are not reading on their grade level, and most of them cannot even read cursive. How can our children be successful in life if they can't read or barely write? How will they learn to fill employment applications out or resumes if they are not being properly taught! Stop with the indoctrination and start educating our children!
Q2: What do you want voters to know about you?
I am a mother who is very active in my child's education and sports! My children are taught to be respectful of others and to stand up for themselves for what is right! I am against Obscene books in our schools, and Obscene books should not be given to our children to read! Why is it okay to have pornographic books in our school libraries but if we have them in our homes we can be arrested? Also CRT needs to be abolished from teaching our children as it causes racism and divisiveness.
Q3: What do you view as the most pressing issue students today face?
Bullying is my number one priority for our children. I have a child that was a victim of bullying, assault and battery and it was mentally effecting her as well as academically. When children do not feel safe in school how are they supposed to learn effectively?
DISTRICT 11
Virginia Anne MasonVirginia Anne Manson, Republican
Campaign page: virginiaanne.org.
Q1: How has education played a role in your life?
Education has always been a priority for my family. I have dedicated my entire adult life to educating my children and others. As a parent I have been involved in my children's school and made sacrifices for my children to get the best education I could provide. As a career I have focused on the importance of a strong fundamental education.
Having been a part of helping to provide the opportunity for a robust education to many children, I have always emphasized to the students that I have worked with, that education gives a person choices, which opens opportunities for a productive and fulfilling life.
Q2: What do you want voters to know about you?
Being born and raised in Hamilton County, having the blessing of raising my family here, I have both a love and appreciation for our county and all those that live here. Being from the Chattanooga area has had a great impact on my life, and I want to give back. I believe working to give all families access to a great education is the best way that I can to give back to my community. Working in one of the top performing schools in the state of Tennessee over the last 17 years has given me a unique opportunity to be exposed to an environment of academic excellence. That gives me a different perspective, and a fresh set of eyes to tackle the challenges that exist in District 11. This is not a stepping stone for me, this is a passion and a desire to make a difference by using the skills I have learned as a mother and administrator.
Q3: What do you view as the most pressing issue students today face?
I have two pressing issues. The first is safety. Parents must feel safe about sending their children to school. Our students need to be safe to learn. Putting an SRO in every school is of the utmost importance. Equally as important is preparing our students academically, which is the number one mission of our educational system. Preparing our students for life and the workforce. So, they have opportunities for a successful path in life.
Jill BlackJill Black, Democrat
Campaign page: JillBlackForSchoolBoard.com.
Q1: How has education played a role in your life?
I was raised by a single mother in Alabama who sacrificed and cut corners to send me to private school. She wanted me to have the best education she could provide; she wanted me to be able to take care of myself as an adult no matter what life threw my way. Education was always a core value and a college education was the goal. I learned a lot in the classroom earning a Bachelor's and then a Master's degree, but some of the greatest education I've received is working in the community. Working alongside community members from totally different backgrounds, and still finding similarities in our experiences, continues to teach me as much as any professor I've ever had.
Q2: What do you want voters to know about you?
Even though I am a product of private school, I'm a staunch advocate for public education. I know that most families do not have that option, no matter how many sacrifices are made. I'm the mother of 2 children who attend Hamilton County Schools; I'm personally invested in public education. I don't just want the best education for my own kids, I want the best education we can provide for every student in Hamilton County.
Q3: What do you view as the most pressing issue students today face?
The last two years have presented challenges for all of us, especially our students. They have experienced the same stress, anxiety, fear, and loss that all of us have faced during this trying time. For some students, school was the most stable environment in their lives, and with the instability that COVID brought, their stress and trauma increased. Yes, our students have experienced learning loss over the last 2 years that must be addressed. But we have to address ALL the effects the pandemic had on our students, increased stress, anxiety, and fear, more difficulty with attention and behavior as a result, and the loss they experienced. Many students lost loved ones during this time, and some of our students lost primary caregivers. HCS students are not just walking test scores, but whole people. We must meet them where they are and give them the tools they need to be successful, whatever those tools are. Because of my professional background as a social worker, I will bring a trauma-informed perspective to the board of education that prioritizes the whole child.
Steve McKinney, independent
Campaign page: votesteved11.com.
Q1: How has education played a role in your life?
Education has positioned me to make a difference. Education has shaped my character, strengthened my mind and enabled me to become an independent thinker, capable of becoming a contributing member of society.
Q2: What do you want voters to know about you?
Man of faith, Parent and Grandparent, State Licensed Teacher who chose the path of a sub for 244 days in 36 different Hamilton County schools. I am a homeowner on Saint Elmo Avenue.
Q3: What do you view as the most pressing issue students today face?
Distractions. Disorganization. Detachment. Safety. Poverty. Health.
- Compiled by Chattanooga 2.0