
Before joining the Times Free Press in April 2022, Carmen Nesbitt spent two years covering education and public health at Flint Beat in Michigan. She is a Michigan native and a graduate of the University of Michigan, where she earned a bachelor's in English and minored in French. She also earned her master's in journalism from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich. Follow her on Twitter at @carmen_nesbitt.
The city of Chattanooga is working to remove homeless residents from temporary shelters put up outside a sanctioned homeless encampment in the city's Southside, saying the all-wood structures are a fire hazard.
by Carmen NesbittWhen ChattAcademy Community School opens its doors in 2023, its organizers say, it will be the first school in East Tennessee with a Spanish/English dual immersion curriculum for middle and high school students.
by Carmen NesbittAs in the rest of the nation, the number of homeless students attending Hamilton County Schools has risen dramatically since the onset of the pandemic, according to district officials.
by Carmen NesbittChattanooga Preparatory School, a public charter school that serves minority and underprivileged boys in Hamilton County, has plans to open a sister location in Knoxville, dubbed Knoxville Preparatory School, in 2024.
by Carmen NesbittHamilton County school board candidate Cindy Fain, of Chattanooga, filed an election challenge Wednesday with the Tennessee Republican Party Primary Board over the May 3 loss of her bid to represent District 6.
by Carmen NesbittOf the 760 water samples recently collected at 24 Hamilton County schools over spring break, six showed lead concentration levels higher than the state's action levels of 20 parts per billion.
by Carmen NesbittThe Hamilton County Schools Board of Education may soon go before the County Commission to request $10 million in recurring maintenance revenue to begin tackling nearly $1 billion in deferred building repairs.
by Carmen NesbittAfter postponing a budget decision last month until state allocations were finalized, the Hamilton County Board of Education passed a fiscal year 2022-23 $456 million budget during a special session Monday.
by Carmen NesbittThis summer, four Hamilton County teachers will collectively explore five countries and at least 10 cities across the world to bring real-life experiences and diverse perspectives back to classrooms in the fall.
by Carmen NesbittUnder the new state budget and Tennessee schools funding plan approved by lawmakers, Hamilton County Schools will receive $47 million more for students in fiscal year 2024.
by Carmen NesbittOne of seven Hamilton County school board races was settled in Tuesday's primary election, while the others will go on to an August general election.
by Carmen NesbittJanice Neal is celebrating 30 years with the Public Education Foundation, making her the longest-serving employee at the nonprofit group.
by Carmen NesbittThis campaign season, education issues in Hamilton County have been at the forefront of debate - especially given the state's first-ever partisan school board races.
by Carmen NesbittWith hopes of offering more competitive wages to faculty and staff, the Hamilton County Board of Education has delayed approval of its $448 million budget for the coming school year while awaiting action from state legislators.
by Carmen NesbittCome early May, 10 student-led teams from Hamilton County will travel to Dallas, Texas, to compete in the VEX Robotics World Championship - the largest international robotics competition, according to Guinness World Records.
by Carmen NesbittFormer Chattanooga City Councilman Larry Grohn was nearly prevented from running for school board this year because of missing campaign finance paperwork from his last run for office, when he unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2017.
by Carmen NesbittOfficials at Girls Preparatory School are investigating allegations that a former teacher sexually abused a student during their time at the school decades ago.
by Carmen NesbittThe final person to file campaign finance paperwork with the Hamilton County Election Commission for the May 3 school board primary tipped the scales in the election - partisan for the first time under a new state law - in favor of the Republicans.
by Carmen NesbittWith under a month to go until the May primary election, the 22 candidates vying for seven seats on the Hamilton County Board of Education have collectively raised more than $50,000 in the state's first-ever partisan school board election.
by Carmen Nesbitt