Mayor John Roberts is sworn in Tuesday by City Judge Johnny Houston
photo by Gail Perry
Red Bank is joining Signal Mountain in the move to study a possible revolt from the Hamilton County Schools.
At a work-study session on Tuesday, the five commissioners agreed to form a five-member feasibility study on the issue at the first of the year.
Mayor John Roberts said each commissioner will name a person to the panel, that will look into Red Bank operating the schools within its boundaries.
The mayor said, "A lot of people are not happy with the central office. And we believe that a government that is closest to the people is best."
Mayor Roberts said he has been following the movement that began in Shelby County since it started in 2013. He said he had a friend there who was telling him about it "before most people in East Tennessee knew about it."
He said, "I began asking a lot of questions about it?"
The mayor said he has been keeping up with the movement since then. He said, "I saw them breaking away in cities like Collierville and I started thinking maybe we should do that."
Mayor Roberts said that now that Red Bank has acted "I expect to get a nasty letter from the school board attorney like Signal Mountain did."
He said, "It will go in File 13.{"