I have been reading the buzz about Signal Mountain and other small municipalities considering a move to form their own school district within their municipal boundaries.
It is quite the comedy hour considering the notion that small cities that for decades could not even manage small sewer systems or 911 districts, are somehow going to do a better job with public education than Hamilton County.
For those that know local small municipal government history, it is surely a comedy hour thinking that the city of Signal Mountain or the other small cities could even begin to manage the regulatory maze of public education. Further, a theoretical Signal Mountain school board would be our own little Harper Valley PTA. Can you imagine the cronyism that would exist? Well okay, it would just be amplified fold.
For decades these same small cities could not adhere to the simple regulatory principle that untreated wastewater could not be discharged to surface water and streams under the Clean Water Act. What did these cities do, begged Hamilton County government to take their dilapidated systems resulting from decades of neglect.
Save us Hamilton County, they cried.
The 911 system regulations also became too complex for the small cities and costly. What did these cities do? They begged Hamilton County government to run their emergency communications.
Save us Hamilton County, they cried.
The MS4 Phase II storm water regulations became too costly and complex. What did these cities do? They begged Hamilton County government to run their storm water programs.
Save us Hamilton County, they cried.
The list goes on and on of catastrophic failures of small cities running highly regulated operations. The decades long track record and calls for Hamilton County intervention speaks for itself.
The bottom line, the small cities keep their property taxes just below Chattanooga to justify their existence, and it shows. However, even the city of Chattanooga could not manage a public school system, and once again Hamilton County came to the rescue.
Signal Mountain if you cannot operate a sewer systems, storm water system, 911 districts, how can you effectively operate a school system with extremely complex regulations?
Sure it looks easy, so Signal Mountain thinks they can do a better job. As dysfunctional as HCDE is, they do a better job with public education than the small cities would.
It appears that the objective of a Signal Mountain school district is to keep the valley children out of the Kingdom of Signal Mountain. I hope that is not true, but it is what many reasonable people believe.
Does Signal Mountain want to keep the children from the apartments below their municipal boundary out? If not, what is purpose of Signal Mountain segregating their school system from Hamilton County?
Educate us, Signal Mountain, our tax dollars built your two elementary schools and funded the majority of the middle/high school.
We the taxpayers need to know the purpose of Signal Mountain's desire to control these public assets.
April Eidson