At a recent candidate forum both Chip Baker and Debra Matthews said they were in favor of the Hamilton County School Board being able to levy and collect their own tax.

Can you imagine what it would be like if you had to pay taxes to the school board based on what they wanted or said they needed? That’s scary.

Both Gregg Juster and Dr. Joe Dumas were opposed to the idea and rightly so.

It’s time for a change on the Hamilton County school board. On Aug. 7, a vote against the money tree mindset of the District 2 and 4 incumbents is a vote for a new and better direction for our schools.

Betty Jones
Signal Mountain

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So, now the school board wants to be allowed control of my taxes? Ok, I have no problem with that. They can have control over my taxes, right after they learn how to provide a proper education for the children of Hamilton County public schools. Right after they give up some of their insane vacation and retirement pay, and right after they start paying our teachers a decent salary.

As selfish and uncaring as the school board is, I have to wonder why aren't they in D.C. running for President? They would sure fit right in with all the other slimeball politicians in D.C. But, since this is what the school board wants, it is eventually what will happen.

I don't know of any other school board in the entire country that gets to levy taxes. With the exception of Rhonda Thurman, these other school board members should be run out of this town.

Yet another reason to put your children in private school, or move to a county that actually cares about the education of it's children, and not money.

Ryan Mitchell

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I am not at all surprised that Chip Baker and Debra Matthews have stated at a candidate forum that they would like the school board to be able to tax the citizens of Hamilton County to fill their coffers. These outrageous statements reflect their mindset.

Instead of wanting to have the ability to tax us, they should be spending their time learning about fiscal responsibility - something they are certainly lacking in. Citizens of District 2 and District 4 - look at the past management practices of these two board members and remember they are up for re-election in August.
Chip Baker and Debra Matthews were instrumental in giving Jesse Register $150,000 of 'your' money when he left the HCDE in 2006. According the Jeffrey Wilson (a school board member who, along with Rhonda Thurman and Everett Fairchild, opposed this arrangement) the contract did not spell out what Dr. Register was suppose to do. (Chattanoogan.com 10/13/2005). I have yet to find anybody from the HCDE that can give the citizens a list of Dr. Register's accomplishments in return for this generous salary.

I ask Chip Baker and Debra Matthews, or any other board member who approved this school system expense, to let the citizens know what they paid for. We will be waiting and waiting and waiting. Two months after Mr. Baker and Ms. Matthews voted to give Dr. Register $150,000 taxpayer dollars, he joined the Annnenberg Institute in Providence, Rhode Island as an advisor. Dr. Register said, "I'll be visiting some schools and doing some consulting, and I'll be doing some writing and working on projects." Seems he was working parttime for his salary.

If the present members of the school board, who supported this example of fiscal irresponsibility, think the citizens want their money spent in this manner, they are out of touch with their constituents. The HCDE board should never have the ability to get into the pocketbooks of the citizens.

Until a few years ago, I did not pay too much attention to what the school board did, but I have changed. I do not like what I see going on in the schools. I do not like the fact that citizens cannot get a response from the board at meetings (they will get back to you). The violence needs to be dealt with now and not be just an item on the 2011 plan.

I am ashamed of most of the members of the present school board.

Jennifer Gray