Roy Exum: County Commissioners Not Getting Bang For Their School Bucks

  • Friday, April 28, 2017
  • Roy Exum
Roy Exum
Roy Exum

The Hamilton County School Board passed a balanced budget to present to the County Commission at a Special Called Meeting on Thursday night. They also attached a prioritized list of $24.5 million in critical needs for the County Commission to consider that will never see the light of day. The long and short of it is easy to see -- the County Commissioners have had enough.

It has been 12 years since the county fathers have approved a tax increase and, in the most hostile environment in recent memory between the two elected bodies, there is little if any trust for our school leaders as Hamilton County wrestles with the worst public education crisis that confronts the 42,000 students in the embattled district.  “I am totally committed to education,” said County Mayor Jim Coppinger, “but we don’t have any additional money.”

Twelve years ago the school budget was $317,341,939 and this was for 40,066 students according to Department of Education records. In 2017 the school board budget was $417,716,269 – roughly $100 million more for 43,242 students. That means the cost-per-student has jumped from $7,523 in 2006 to $9,260 in 2017 and, in the terse words of one commissioner, “Every taxpayer in the county knows we are not getting the bang for our bucks.”

The funding dilemma is only a fraction of the problems. Earlier this week the state’s Education Commissioner revealed she will create guaranteed havoc in Hamilton County by taking five low-performing schools as hostage. She has devised a “partnership plan” between the state and the school district that, in fact, is not a partnership at all. She has intimated that, if the Hamilton County School Board rejects the horribly lopsided plan, she will totally seize all five schools and place them under state control, which has proven to be disastrous in Memphis with notoriously poor results.

The partnership, quickly drawing both chuckles and exasperation from Hamilton County officials, appears to be a ruse that will be hotly contested – the overwhelming reason because neither Hamilton County nor the state of Tennessee has the financial resources to commit to such a folly. To wit: it is seemingly impossible for one person on the school board to approve the state plan without violating their fiduciary duty. Please, there is no money!

County school officials confirm they have seen improvements in the failing schools but the bitter truth that the state has thus far not acknowledged is that poverty can be neither legislated nor punished.

For example: Orchard Knob Elementary, one of the five schools targeted by the state, serves over 300 children breakfast as well as lunch each day. If the school does not offer breakfast, children arrive who are hungry. “Latch-key” kids are not illegal, neither is the stark finding that many public-school students in the inner city are under-fed every weekend. Once again these families live in poverty.

The state Department of Education grades children only by classroom activity when the real reasons for poor scholastic performance are environmental rather than educational. According to a number of educators, “We have to change the way we are doing things.” David Testerman, a former school principal now on the school board, shakes his head in disbelief.

“What teachers do today in our iZone schools is nothing short of heroic. So you are going to allow the state to take over these schools when you have no concept of the struggles and tears and the sacrifices that are accomplished every day?” said Testerman. “Let’s be real.”

Rhonda Thurman, who is in her sixth term on the school board, confirms the same schools that were challenged 12 years ago are still the same ones on this list. “I can tell you that hundreds of thousands in additional money were poured into our needy schools long before the state got involved. This problem is a puzzle a lot of good and decent people have been working on a long time. I personally feel we have to focus on the students. And we must try everything we can.”

Thurman, outspoken and candid, mourns the fact past school administrations have fallen short “but what if all of us just quit? That’s not acceptable. We have children who deserve the best we have to give. I understand the frustration but I would hope the County Commission doesn’t make this a school board fight. I ask our county commissioners to fight for our children. Some have grandchildren in public schools. Think of them. If a commissioner doesn’t have grandchildren, think of mine.”

* * *

Teddy Alling and his wife, Kelly, were in the school board meeting and a faint glow of a ‘halo’ appeared over both of their heads as the dream of a new charter school was unanimously approved to begin in the 2018-19 school year. The Allings are creating and underwriting a visionary school for inner city boys that will begin with 60 sixth graders and add a class each year as it builds into a high school.

The Chattanooga Preparatory School will take over two buildings on the former Tennessee Temple campus and the Allings are in negotiations for a third building. They hope to donate classroom space for a potential satellite school for adult high school students in one of the most heart-felt acts of philanthropy in Chattanooga’s recent history.

The school will be loosely based on the highly successful Girls Leadership Academy that Elaine Swafford has forged into one of the finest schools in the state. “Elaine is absolutely a genius and, largely due to her, we are thrilled we can offer a group of deserving young men the same promise she has made to girls,” said Teddy. Elaine, a member of a family of legendary educators, sat with the Allings last night and beamed like a new mother.

“Kelly and I are so grateful for God’s blessings and,” said Teddy, a former McCallie School boarding student, as he grinned and recited, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

royexum@aol.com

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