Sohn: Is Signal Mountain schools secession sign of future?

This 2008 file photo shows the exterior of Signal Mountain Middle High School.
This 2008 file photo shows the exterior of Signal Mountain Middle High School.

One might say the Hamilton County Department of Education is really beginning to see the collateral damage of operating a school system on the cheap.

Signal Mountain is considering forming its own school district, meaning that Hamilton County could lose three of its top performing schools. The move comes as the county is wrestling with the fallout of extra scrutiny from the state and lawmakers over poor student achievement in many of its urban schools, as well as the Ooltewah High School rape case and uncertainty over the district's future leadership.

Signal leaders pushing for the move say forming an independent Signal school district would likely not increase taxes for those living on the mountain, as the three schools would still receive the average per-pupil allocations from the state and county, which they estimate will actually result in the schools receiving more money.

As for the town taking on the expense and responsibility for the schools' repairs, insurance and future construction, that wouldn't really be new either. Signal Mountain and Walden voters approved a half-cent sales tax increase that provided $10 million toward the construction of Signal Mountain Middle/High School years ago when county officials balked at new mountain school construction.

The loser here will be Hamilton County, which now uses the higher performance at those mountain schools to help balance the systemwide scores that are dragged down by high-poverty and low-performing schools shown to lack basic resources and to have a disproportionate share of least-effective teachers.

The big if is whether other local municipalities will follow. If Signal can make this leap, what's to stop Soddy-Daisy, East Ridge or Red Bank?

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