Roy Exum
After studying the Hamilton County School Board quite harshly during the last seven most-tumultuous months in its history, it is only proper that I share my belief that Rhonda is its Most Valuable Player. Four of the school board’s nine members are up for re-election, with Rhonda facing capable opponents in Jason Moses and Dr. Patti Skates in District 1, but let’s never forget that Rhonda is a PhD – a “professional hair dresser.”
Lest you think that as an insult, be assured it is the highest compliment I can pay the fiercest warrior for the children of Hamilton County I know. She is, quite simply, “one of us” – a hard-working, God-fearing woman who is driven by doing the right thing every minute of the day and, in my experience, she knows more about the Hamilton County Department of Education than any living soul in the system that serves 42,000 children.
It is a fact that the two of us don’t always see things the same way, albeit rarely, and she can change my thought process a lot faster than I can change hers. As a matter of fact, there is a small sign in the cubicle where she makes others glamorous that reads, “I would agree with you but then we would both be wrong.”
Another thing she showed me on this, one week from the election. It was a bright yellow fly swatter, the handle bearing the words, “Does a lack of accountability bug you … vote for Rhonda Thurman.” We have talked about that often over the past half-year and she has told me repeatedly, “The key to the school board is five people who demand full accountability.”
That has driven her crazy – we have talked about that, too – and, after three terms, I felt her frustration might overwhelm her endless quest to straighten up our floundering district. “No, I never thought about not trying anymore. There are so many challenges we must face and fix. The first thing – obviously – is to find the best superintendent.
“I’ve had some flak over the fact I’ve seen three leave prematurely but what the critics never tell you is how I voted. I’m for doing what is best for the system and I stand by my record. Our school system is the biggest business in our county. We need to run it like a business and that’s why I still believe (former Marine Colonel) Shaun Sadler would be a great pick,” she said.
“Let me tell you our biggest problem. We don’t have the ‘outside eyes’ that can look objectively at our system and make the key changes our children deserve. ‘Oh, he’s my friend; I could never fire him,’ and ‘You know his daughter is sick,’ and ‘We dealt with this company for years … why bid it out?’”
So what is the first hurdle as the superintendent search gets underway? “We desperately need a vocational school,” she answered. “When I suggested Tyner as a location I got handed a petition from the Tyner Alumni Association with 1,000 signatures demanding I never mention Tyner again. Really? The truth is enrollment has dropped from 1,200 to less than 500. Combine the middle and high schools and use the other as an ideal vocation location. It would help restart the whole community.”
Give me another idea … “When the county can get sewers to parts of Soddy Daisy and Sale Creek, the population there will explode. That's where the available land is in the county. Let’s do some future planning and then we won’t have an East Hamilton that is already bulging with too many students.”
What is the next big crisis we ought to avoid? “The Title IX charge by the Ooltewah girl’s soccer parents could ruin sports in our district. I don’t blame them for wanting a field but I am afraid they don’t understand how Title IX really works. To buy land for boys and girls teams in our district would cost millions and millions of dollars. There is no way we have the money … so do you know what Title IX does when that happens?
“Go look,” said wise Rhonda, “They take things away, no soccer field then no football field. No softball field then no baseball field. This is the real reason the Department of Education isn’t in the sports-facilities business,” she explained, “and the Ooltewah situation could lead to a real disaster.”
Speaking of Ooltewah … what will be the aftermath of the horrible hazing tragedy? “That has been handled well. None of the people who allowed that to get out of hand are at the school any longer. The new leadership is ready to move forward and Ooltewah, as a community, will be much stronger after such a horrible experience.”
Rhonda said she was shocked by the hazing and bullying that went on at Ooltewah High. How could this stuff have gone on without somebody at each school’s knowledge? I think every member of the school board feels the same way. We should have known it long before now.
“That’s what I mean when I say the new school board, no matter how things turn out after next Thursday’s election, must include five people who will absolutely demand accountability. Had we five people two years ago, we wouldn’t find ourselves where we are today.”
Told that I believe she is the board’s MVP, she shook her head. “I really appreciate that but I was too frustrated by the way we voted … I believe Jonathan Welch was the key guy. He was a real hero for the way he guided the board in such a storm and, if he doesn’t get re-elected, the board will suffer.”
If we are going to get five people on the board who demand accountability, the voters of Hamilton County need to make Rhonda Thurman one of them because she’s got more common sense and practical solutions than anyone else in our entire school system.
Don’t stay at home. Get out and vote. We need Rhonda Thurman.
royexum@aol.com