Candidates hoping to be elected to the Hamilton County Board of Education will meet in six debates hosted by Chattanooga 2.0, the Chattanooga Times Free Press and Local 3 News.
The debates will be held for two weeks in July and will be livestreamed at timesfreepress.com and local3news.com.
The debates will be moderated by Local 3 News anchor David Carroll; Dave Flessner, Times Free Press business editor; and Allison Shirk, Times Free Press digital and engagement editor.
Hamilton County's general election is Aug. 4, along with state and federal primary elections. Early voting is July 15-30. Citizens have until July 5 to register to vote.
There are two important changes to school board elections this year.
School board elections are partisan for the fist time in Tennessee after the state legislature passed a law that allows local political parties to decide whether to put forth candidates with Republican or Democratic labels. Candidates also can run as independents.
(READ MORE: Results of Hamilton County school board primary election)
Also, a redistricting process following the 2020 census produced two new school board districts - 10, which encompasses Apison, Ooltewah, Silverdale, Collegedale, Summit, Ooltewah, Georgetown and Savannah Bay, and 11, which includes Alton Park, East Lake, East Side, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Valley and St. Elmo.
(READ MORE: Politics are still shaping Chattanooga-area public schools)
The debates will be held at 7 p.m. on the following dates:
July 12 - District 8, Republican Larry Grohn and Democrat Katie Perkins.
July 13 - District 10, Democrat Jeff Crim, Republican Faye Robinson and independent Christine Essex.
July 14 - District 11, Democrat Jill Black and Republican Virginia Ann Manson and independent Steve McKinney.
July 19 - District 3, Democrat Jean Piroth and Republican Joe Smith.
July 20 - District 5, Democrat Karitsa Mosley Jones and Republican Charles Paty.
July 21 - District 6, Republican Jon Baker and Democrat Ben Connor.