The challenges facing Hamilton County schools over the coming year and further into the future are big. Among them:
• Enrollment in the system is expected to increase this fall by roughly 500 students -- although funding for the schools is already strained in this time of economic crisis, and lots of new money is unlikely.
• Recent numbers on educational achievement have not been encouraging. Fewer than half the schools in Hamilton County earned good standing under federal standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act. More than a dozen schools failed to make adequate yearly progress this year, and even more have missed AYP two years in a row. Among Hamilton County eighth-graders, about a third are performing at the below basic level in math. That threatens their prospects for future academic achievement and, eventually, for good jobs.
New schools Superintendent Rick Smith said during a visit to the Times Free Press on Thursday with Board of Education Chairman Mike Evatt that a renewed focus on the basics -- particularly math and literacy -- is key to addressing lack of achievement.
He and the board chairman were optimistic that some good things are happening in the schools already, and that there is general community determination to build on that. They noted that there has been some academic progress in the system, though it may not seem that way because standards are tightening even faster.
Evatt suggested that the system and the community are rebounding from recent strife over leadership of the schools.
The board has a positive attitude, Evatt said, and so does the Hamilton County Commission, which provides a great deal of the funding for the schools.
"I think everybody's on board," he said.
He noted that the new superintendent, who was in the local school system for years before being appointed to the leadership post, has received strong support from system employees and the public.
"I think you've already seen an increase in morale in just the last several weeks ...," Evatt said. "When the community can wrap their arms around somebody, embrace them, it means a lot for morale."
That is important, because next Wednesday students will be returning to school after the summer break. A bright outlook among the staff, as well as support from parents and hard work by teachers and students, will go a long way toward ensuring success for our young people.