The Hamilton County School Board and Commission are one step closer to getting on the same page about school facilities.
There's been an impasse over the new East Brainerd Elementary.
Commissioner and Education Committee Chair Warren Mackey announced today a joint meeting could happen soon.
Warren Mackey, Hamilton County Commission, "There is a need for communication between the County Commission and the Hamilton County School Board."
Mackey says he's trying to make that happen ...with joint meetings three or four times a year between the two bodies.
Mackey, "We represent the same body and if we have a better sense of what they're doing and we have confidence in what they're doing it allows us to move forward with those same constituents and say, yeah, we think they're doing the right thing."
Mackey says the two groups will sit down in the same room soon.
One of the topics on the table is sure to be the new East Brainerd Elementary School. School Board members blame commissioners for holding up the project by refusing to approve hiring an architect.
Commissioners want a comprehensive facilities plan and details on where the money from the sale of the Old Brainerd Elementary School will go.
Last month school board member Mike Evatt told us a meeting won't help.
"We tried that, a year and a half ago, on Valentine's day..it was very counter-productive," Evatt said.
Mackey says regular meetings between the two groups is not just about money...rather he wants to get at the bigger picture.
Mackey, "It's more than just bricks and mortar. We have enough classroom space right now to accommodate all of the kids. That space simply happens not to be out in the Eastern part of the county. For me, I'm more interested in the students and their performance as opposed to try to build a building."
The school board meets 4:30 tomorrow to talk about an inter-local agreement with the county commission.
