Realtors Host Hamilton County School Board Candidate Forum

Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Gail Perry

District 1 incumbent Rhonda Thurman gives her opening statement to the audience of realtors

photo by Dennis Norwood

Patti Skates speaks to the gathered realtors

photo by Dennis Norwood

Firefighter Jason Moses is a candidate in District 1

photo by Dennis Norwood

District 2 school board candidate Kathy Lennon speaks to the audience

photo by Dennis Norwood

District 4 incumbent George Ricks makes a point during his opening remarks

photo by Dennis Norwood

Current school board member Dr. Greg Martin listens intently to the candidates

photo by Dennis Norwood

Montrell Besley is running as a challenger in District 4

photo by Dennis Norwood

School board member Rev. Steve Highlander listens to the opening candidate remarks

photo by Dennis Norwood

District 4 challenger Tiffanie Robinson makes a point during her opening remarks

photo by Dennis Norwood

District 7 incumbent Donna Horn makes her opening remarks

photo by Dennis Norwood

An audience member takes notes on points made by the candidates

photo by Dennis Norwood

Joe Wingate, the challenger in District 7, speaks to the audience

photo by Dennis Norwood

A sizable audience of Chattanooga-area realtors was on hand to learn about the candidates for the Hamilton County school board

photo by Dennis Norwood

The Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors on Wednesday morning hosted a candidate forum for those running for the Hamilton County School Board of Education in the August 4th election. The candidates gave their vision of the position in response to questions that came from the audience.

Questions included what the candidate thinks should be the background and characteristics for the next superintendant. Other questions were: “What do you think about student based funding?” “What is the responsibility of the board to provide an environment for learning, especially relating to use of cell phones?” “Why was there a shift in the request for funding for the arts last year, to technology this year?” “The Hamilton County Department of Education has $59 million in the fund balance.

Is it a good idea to ask for a tax increase?” and, “With the history of problems of working with past superintendants, are you committed and ready to work with a new one?”

Three candidates representing District One are incumbent Rhonda Thurman, Patti Skates and Jason Moses. Ms. Thurman has represented the district since 2004. She said that she works full time but with technology is able to keep in touch every day with the schools in her district and that principals know they can call her at any time. She said she could not solve all issues herself but that she knows who can handle different jobs and fix problems. She said she is often alone on issues facing the school board, but that is OK. As for qualifications for the next superintendant, she does not believe it is necessary for the person to be an educator but thinks they should be passionate, truthful and a good communicator. What is important, she said, is to be able to manage people and get things done. Her main focus is to get the budget under control, she said.

She believes that zero based funding for the school system would be a good thing, and suggested getting rid of people who do not do their jobs. She sees a big problem with the current curriculum used by the schools. It attempts to force all kids to learn in the same way, she said, including teaching reading to children in kindergarten and younger, before they are developmentally ready. Some of the directives come from the central office at the state level, she said, and cut out fundamental things. Her focus has always been on literacy versus programs such as art because reading is the foundation for everything. As for the $59 million in reserve by the department of education, she explained that $23 million is undesignated. The rest is required to be kept in reserve to keep the schools running for three months in event of an emergency. She said she has never asked for a tax increase. She believes that open enrollment, where students are allowed to attend the school of their choice if space is available, would benefit the realtors and help to determine which schools should have added capacity and which should be closed. As for working with the new superintendant, she said she will continue to disagree if she sees fit and will continue to oppose things if she thinks it is the right thing to do.

Patti Skates, who is also running for the district one position, said she has been in education for 30 years. She believes that working toward college credits while in high school helps people get jobs. She said it is time for a change, and the board needs to work together. She believes problems could be solved if practices and procedures were put in place. She said that the needed workforce is not available in the Chattanooga area and the school system needs to better prepare students for jobs. Not every person is meant to go to college, but the public schools need to prepare students for work, the best that they can, said Ms. Skates. The most needed qualifications she sees for the next superintendant is leadership and past experience.

The third candidate in district one is Jason Moses, a resident of Falling Water. He told the audience that he is a full time Lieutenant in the Chattanooga Fire Department and this is his first time to run for a political position.

Jonathan Welch, the incumbent from district two, was unable to attend the forum, but Kathy Lennon who is opposing him was there. She said that she has been involved in education as a teacher and administrator for 25 years and currently works with the Chattanooga Market. She is very qualified for the position, she said, because she has experience in both education and in the business world, which is what the school board needs. She said that 43 percent of children in Hamilton County cannot read when leaving kindergarten and entering first grade which she believes gets them off to the wrong start. Because now so many parents have to work and enroll their children in Pre-K, it is very important to prepare kids. Qualifications for a superintendant, Ms. Lennon said, should be great experience working in a community environment and someone with a business background in order to create a budget. She believes a nationwide search would yield a person with both skill sets. She said the best teachers allow the use of cell phone technology for appropriate uses and that they should be able to handle discipline problems surrounding misuse of the devices. The budget needs to be looked at and a strategic financial plan created before raising taxes.

George Ricks the incumbent from district four is facing two challengers, Montrell Beasley and Tiffanie Robinson. Mr. Ricks has been on the board since 2008 and said he is running again because he has an underlying love for kids. School board members need to be bridge builders, he said, “it’s about making friends.” They need to have tough skin and forgiveness. He said he takes time off from his job to visit the schools in his district. He said the board members need to be focused on all the districts, not just their own. The new superintendent should have a strong background in education, he said, but not necessarily a degree in education. The person should be a good leader because “the people around you make the leader look good,” he said.

“I keep hearing about the bad things. Failure is all I hear. We need to concentrate on positives. I’m getting a low spirit, here,” he told those present. He believes that cell phones should be allowed in the classroom as a technological tool. As for a tax hike, he said that the board could ask the county commission to raise the taxes because every year more money is needed to educate, but the decision is up to the county. He said he might disagree with a superintendant’s opinions but that everyone needs to get along. It is important for the person chosen for the job to get along with the county commission as well as with the board and the community. Qualifications that he considers important for that job are education, leadership and passion. Someone who can put together a team is needed.

Montrell Beasley, also from district four, has worked for 16 years with youth. He said he has coached and worked in a team so is able to communicate. I’m willing to reach out to others to create partnerships, he said. He advocates for school equality, for teacher retention and teacher recruitment. Schools need to prepare students for jobs. The new superintendant should be an educator, Mr. Beasley believes, and also have a business sense, and be able to work with teachers, kids and with parents. Cell phones are here to stay, he said so they should be put to use as a new tool.

The third candidate from district four is Tiffanie Robinson who works in real estate development, is a mom and a community leader, she told the room. Unfortunately when trying to attract businesses to locate here, she said he has to reveal that the school system is one of the lowest rated systems in Tennessee. Reduced rate lunches are given to 95 percent of the students in district four, she said. Pre-K is needed, and she said she would be dedicated to being transparent, and to creating a balanced budget. She believes that school buildings should be fully utilized with programs such as GED training at night. She thinks that a superintendant should be a visionary. They do not need a background in education, and the search should be a national one. Ideally, the person hired would have the experience of overhauling another school system. The board will need to be very trusting of the new superintendant, she said, to overcome different qualification and personalities the board members and the superintendant will have. Despite billions of dollars in increased spending in the schools from 1971-2012, she said the test scores have been flat. So she believes that a zero-based budget should be utilized, with all schools starting at zero. Then what is needed by each student should be determined. Equity for poor and rich students is needed so that there will be the same outcome for both.

Incumbent Donna Horn has been on the school board for four years and will be running against Joe Wingate. She is a former kindergarten teacher. She said that she has gone over the superintendant selection process with a fine tooth comb. She believes that the 2.0 initiative shows that businesses are interested in getting involved with the schools. The superintendant should have a background in education, she believes, so they will know what a teacher’s daily life is like and will have empathy with them. They should also be able to manage people and a budget, and have good negotiating skills. The most critical time to learn reading is between kindergarten and third grade, she said and because students begin kindergarten at different levels she would like to have more man power in kindergarten and first grade classes. The $28 million of undesignated money in the fund balance is not very high when the cost of running the school system is $1.1 million per day, she told the audience.

Joe Wingate is highly educated, with a master’s degree in Education Administration. He is currently an assistant professor of physical sciences (exercise) at Chattanooga State. Frustrated by the way things were going with the school system he said he decided to run. He thinks the schools are not supplying the needs of the workforce. The system also needs to get spending under control. Hamilton County is the second highest in spending per student in Tennessee, but is behind the other school systems in results, he said. The qualifications he would look for in a superintendant are experience in human resources, logistics, transportation and empathy for the educators. The person would also need to be a strong leader, not afraid to get out of the norm, and to have a vision for the next 10-15 years with a plan to be here to see it through.