Roy Exum
The name of the project is hokey, and the odds against it working are longer than anyone involved will admit, but as “Chattanooga 2.0” is launched, it must never be allowed to fail. It isn’t a stretch to declare that individual lives and most certainly our geographic area – I’m including every county that touches our Hamilton – are now “at risk.” It isn’t a matter of trying any longer; it is a matter of doing.
Four of the most meaningful support groups we have serving our citizens are jointly announcing a star-struck initiative today that will prepare our children to embrace the great opportunities that are already here. To cut quickly to the chase, we don’t have the young people who can meet the 21st century demands that the flood of new businesses are already offering in Chattanooga.
That is why the Benwood Foundation, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, the Hamilton County Department of Education and the Public Education Foundation are joining together to put a massive effort to make … no, demand … that Chattanooga will become “the smartest city in the South.”
On the surface the effort is laughable. We know that the public school system in Chattanooga is all but broken. Of every metro area school system in the state, Chattanooga is the doormat. Do you realize that each year since 2012 our test scores have gotten increasingly worse? That represents a huge dereliction by the elected members of the School Board, not to mention almost every principal in the county. Every person involved must be held accountable if ever Chattanooga is going to climb from “rocky bottom.”
We know that a good number of the teachers we hire, this after the brightest and best have already been picked from the tree, are sub-standard (please, a full 60 percent of our third-graders can’t read on grade level) and – most staggering – that 15,000 jobs now available in our area cannot be filled because our high school seniors lack the training, the skills and the education.
According to the massive study that has just been revealed, only 35 percent of our young people are properly qualified to fill the technical skills jobs at such places as Volkswagen, Wacker and a wide myriad of other employers. That number must rise to 80 percent in the next five years because the demand for employees is expected to quadruple in the next five years.
No one seems to be quite sure how we are going to change over half of our teenagers from “wanting” to “wanted” but right now there is nothing off the table. Should we fire school superintendent Rick Smith, under whose watch our schools have floundered, or does he improve “the central office” in a way that attacks problems rather than skirt them? Has the School Board already given up, or is now the time some dedicated and earnest people must take off the gloves so they can scratch for every new inch?
If that sounds harsh or unkind or “un-sensitive” please understand how serious our problems in education have gotten. The press release for “Chattanooga 2.0” was over 40 pages and the data it contains is astounding. But rather than be embarrassed, it clearly shows what we need to do in order to be better.
Obviously turning one, or even two, of our high schools into a technical institute – much like Kirkman was years ago – is overdue with the dramatic need for an early start into technology. Computer literacy has never been in such a demand -- but so is fixing one. Most plumbers make a better living than recent college graduates but, with today’s standards, you almost need an engineering degree to properly pipe a house.
Any and all “dead wood” in the education system must be removed – as harsh as that too may be – for ‘Chattanooga 2.0’ to have a chance. Non-performers on every level of the Hamilton County system must also be replaced. It’s not a matter of “a dear professor” any longer – what matters is his grandchildren getting a good job for a good wage and a good living.
The Greeks had it right many centuries ago when they fashioned the proverb, “Societies grow great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in.” This is why the Chamber’s Bill Kilbride has already gotten huge pledges of support from the business community, why Chattanooga State just hired Flora Tydings who some consider the best at what she does in the country, and why groups from the Urban League to the United Way are among hundreds of organizations already on board.
Today’s students need to be mentored. They must also plan to take classes in technical skills because 80 percent of the jobs that pay $35,000 and up will soon require a certificate or post-secondary training after high school diplomas are given. Dr. Tydings has already instituted two new course routes since she has headed Chattanooga State and promises more.
Now, add Gov. Bill Haslam’s “Tennessee Promise” and “Drive to 55” programs offering free tuition, and the stage is set if only we can figure out a way to conquer two things: First, the fact that one of every two children entering kindergarten is not “ready to learn” and – secondly – how to make at least 80 percent of the kids in grades K-to-12 eager and excited to learn.
UT-Chattanooga, where only half of its students graduate after six years, has pledged to raise the bar on its degrees in education, health care, and technology. UTC could play a major role but Chattanooga State offers a quicker route and is better designed to support the technical needs of today’s workforce.
The way it was explained to me is that there are about 3,000 high school graduates every year. One-third get out of high school with a plan, be it college, the military, the family business or even the Foreign Legion. The next 1,000, in honesty, don’t have a clue what to do or what path to follow. This is where the “Chattanooga 2.0” believes the ground is most fertile.
The last 1,000, historically, make sure that four out of ten students in Hamilton County live in poverty. This is totally unacceptable. Poverty is the No. 1 killer of academic success but with renewed efforts of summer internships (paid jobs), better supervision, and a more disciplined curriculum “Chattanooga 2.0” does indeed have a chance to keep kids from dropping behind and eventually out.
It is most important that everyone involved understand there is no ‘quick fix.’ Some smart people are going in many necessary directions and the earliest goal is to “fix where you are.” There has to be accountability for momentum to continue, of course, and a huge number of successful business, government and educational leaders are committed to making “Chattanooga 2.0” work.
Nashville tried a similar approach but now the light is out. That can’t happen here. And, stay tuned, a lot of us will be needed to help plant trees whose shade we will never know.
royexum@aol.com