We might meet the new Hamilton County interim superintendent tonight. He or she will be charged with the daunting task of fixing a giant mess. The three finalists to fill the seat - on an interim basis - left by Rick Smith's departure have the chance to deliver their messages. It's an important time in the spotlight for each, and here's hoping the politics of today will not alter the chances of our kids in the future.
Our school system is cracked, and we know it.
This mess was unraveling long before the nightmare in Gatlinburg when three Ooltewah High School basketball players were allegedly raped.
This quagmire of mismanagement started long before that fateful basketball trip to the Smoky Mountains.
That awful incident simply was the emotional tipping point that has forced us - dragged us - to today.
Smith is out, and the Hamilton County Board of Education will hear from three candidates today to pick the next leader. He or she will be an interim leader, granted, but "interim" in a time of turmoil figures to be critical.
And critical - the condition of the patient that is Hamilton County public education - is an appropriate term.
Dr. Kirk Kelly, retired Marine Corps Col. Shaun Sadler and Normal Park Museum Magnet Principal Jill Levine will get time to speak to the nine board members and all of the interested folks in the audience.
Here's hoping each delivers a stirring soliloquy of solutions and salvation.
This is not a time for pointing out problems. We know the problems. This is a time for pointing out plans and purpose.
This is a time for leadership - and the accompanying passion needed.
"Passion and desire for excellence in all things and all areas," school board Chairman Dr. Jonathan Welch said Wednesday about what he wanted to hear from the trio today. "I want to see how they think and a true desire to get rid of the perception that we have fallen behind."
That Kelly is a contender in this is puzzling. He was a central figure in the central office that has led us to this central place of frustration.
A vote for Kelly, in my mind, is supporting the status quo, which seems utterly unacceptable.
A vote for Levine, while not completely accepting the status quo, still seems short-sighted. Levine cultivated a nationally acclaimed school with some deft rezoning help and a ton of subsequent community support. We are standing in the middle of a desert in need of a complete overhaul.
Those are not the same skills.
That leaves Sadler, who has a recognized background of running big budgets under big demands and big stress.
The messages tonight will be interesting and, hopefully, insightful.
"I hope to hear how we are going to make the most of this time to reset our goals and vision to become the best school system we can be," Welch said. "How can we get there in the interim is the question."
No one is happy with the state of the leadership of our education system. Here's hoping that back-room politics are not playing a role in the school board's choice. We are broken; promoting from within seems at best short-sighted and, at worst, playing politics with Hamilton County children's educations. And that could be the definition of criminal.
Contact Jay Greeson at 423-757-6273 or jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.