Joe Smith
District 3 County School Board member Joe Smith told members of the Pachyderm Club on Monday he "has never been against integration," but he said he does not believe that needs to be the main focus of the Hamilton County Schools at this time.
Instead, he said he favors "open enrollment" that would allow any county school student to attend any of the district schools - as long as there is space and they can find transportation.
He said, "I know we have some schools that are very, very white and some others that are very, very black. It reflects where people live."
Mr. Smith said when he and his wife kept foster children they would always ask them if they wanted to continue to go to their school or attend the nearby Hixson schools. He said, "Ninety-five percent of the time they would say they wanted to stay with their friends.
"So in 2007, when we had six foster children, my wife would load them up in the mini-van and haul them to six different schools."
Mr. Smith said there is a key relationship between the home environment and school performance. He said the foster children would often come with behavior problems and poor study habits.
However, he said after they received love, discipline and help with homework their attitudes would straighten out and their grades would start to climb.
He said it is no wonder that many students today fail at school because many have little or no home love and support and some do not know where they will be staying that night.
He said, "We talk about facing our monsters. These kids really do."
The speaker said it is not the job of the schools to improve home life. But he said it should be up to individuals and groups like the Y-CAP program he formed at the YMCA.
He said, "This past Sunday, 70,000 people in Chattanooga went to church. What if all those people each just found one needy kid to love on - what a difference it would make."
Mr. Smith said he often sees buses sitting idle in church parking lots. He said those could be put to use daily to transport children to the school of their choice.
He said after he and fellow board member Rhonda Thurman made a statement regarding UnifiEd's APEX Project to promote "socio-economic racial integration" in the schools, UnifiEd officials called them "shameful, hateful and dangerous."
Mr. Smith, who has nurtured 19 foster children with his wife over the years, said, "That hurt. It really hurt."
He said he welcomes continued meetings of an Equity Task Force and looks forward to its recommendations.
But he said he feels the county schools "have more pressing issues" than promoting socio-economic racial integration.
Juvenile Court Judge Rob Philyaw said the Y-CAP program is the best in the county for helping wayward children. It is now operated by Mr. Smith's son, Andy, and is starting a new branch in the east part of the county.
Former school board member Chip Baker said finding a way to improve the home life of children "is the answer."
Assessor of Property Marty Haynes said, ""Outside of my mother, there is not anybody I know who doesn't see color like Joe Smith."
Former state Rep. Bobby Wood said, "I don't know anybody else in the community who stands for what's right better than Joe Smith."