The health issues created by mold at Central High School will be taken care of....but not immediately.
It was one of the issues Superintendent Rick Smith addressed in annual his State of the Schools talk Wednesday to the Hamilton County Council of PTA's.
REBECCA MILLER, CENTRAL HIGH PARENT "My daughter went back to school on Monday, she comes home from school, she's been coughing ever since...kids eyes are watering."
Those hail storms earlier this year caused major damage to the flat roofs at Central high school.
Roof leaks and flooding were so bad in early September that classes were dismissed for a day.
The school board moved quickly to approve more than 700-thousand dollars for repairs. About half of that is insurance funds.
But that work does not directly address the mold problems.
SARAH NEDEAU, CENTRAL HIGH PARENT "My students are sick. This week they're taking finals with headaches, burning lungs, sore throat."
SUPERINTENDENT RICK SMITH, HCDE "There's nothing that you've described to me that's not serious..it is serious. When people can't function in a normal way whether they are adults or kids in a school...then we need to deal with that."
The Hamilton county Health Department is monitoring the mold problem, but Smith says it cannot be addressed until the new roof is installed.
Parents also pointed out that there are many schools with structural defects.
SUPT. RICK SMITH "Yeah, there are lots of needs in our school system that resources would not help us fix."
Am ambitious building program will bring bring new schools next year, including Ooltewah elementary, East Brainerd Elementary and Red Bank Middle.
School leaders say the entire district is growing, but the booming eastside is the most critical.
SUPT. RICK SMITH "We had the property out here, but boom, when April of 08 comes and Volkswagen is coming..it changed the gang in Hamilton county."
The Superintendent says the district will work with the school board in following the long range plan to provide for a growing district.
There are now 6000 employees and 42-thousand students in Hamilton county schools.
